SF Blackout Sparks Robotaxi Gridlock

A widespread power outage struck San Francisco on Saturday, plunging approximately 30% of the city's customers into darkness. This unexpected disruption led to a complete standstill for all active Waymo robotaxis operating within the city limits. The autonomous vehicles became stuck, creating significant traffic congestion by blocking key intersections and thoroughfares.

Waymo spokesperson Suzanne Philion confirmed that the company temporarily suspended services in response to the outage. The primary focus was ensuring the safety of passengers and maintaining clear access for emergency personnel responding to the situation. As of Sunday morning, Waymo had not provided an update regarding the resumption of services or the specific cause of the outage.

This incident highlights the potential vulnerabilities of autonomous vehicle technology to external infrastructure failures. While companies like Waymo tout safety benefits, unpredictable failures, such as a mass offline event during a blackout, raise questions about their reliability compared to human drivers in non-aggregate scenarios.