A power outage struck San Francisco on Saturday, halting Waymo's autonomous ride-hailing operations and leaving vehicles stalled on streets. The disruption affected thousands of residents and clogged traffic, as shown in social media videos. Tesla CEO Elon Musk highlighted that his company's robotaxis operated unaffected.
On Saturday, a widespread power outage impacted San Francisco, affecting about 130,000 customers of Pacific Gas & Electric. The incident, caused by a fire that inflicted significant damage to a substation, left darkened roads and inactive stoplights, complicating navigation for drivers.
Waymo, the Alphabet-owned autonomous vehicle company, suspended its ride-hailing services in the area. A spokesperson stated: "Our teams are working diligently and in close coordination with city officials, and we are hopeful to bring our services back online soon. We appreciate your patience and will provide further updates as soon as they are available."
Social media footage captured the fallout, including videos on X showing at least five Waymo robotaxis crowding an intersection and blocking traffic, forcing human drivers to maneuver around them. This incident underscores vulnerabilities in Waymo's technology, which relies on light sensors, radar, cameras, and regularly updated detailed maps—elements that can falter during sudden environmental changes like power failures.
In contrast, Tesla CEO Elon Musk posted on X on Sunday: "Tesla Robotaxis were unaffected by the SF power outage." Tesla's approach uses cameras and AI for navigation, potentially offering resilience in such scenarios. The two companies are key competitors in the autonomous ride-hailing sector.
Waymo launched public services in 2018 in the Phoenix metro area and has since expanded to cities like Austin and Atlanta via a partnership with Uber. However, it has faced challenges, including a May software recall for over 1,200 vehicles after collisions with chains or gates, and a recent incident where a Waymo vehicle struck and killed a cat in San Francisco, drawing local backlash.
Pacific Gas & Electric reported on Sunday that crews are restoring power to 21,000 San Francisco residents.
