Waymo Software Update Required After Robotaxis Stall During San Francisco Blackout

Waymo's autonomous vehicles encountered significant disruptions during a widespread power outage in San Francisco on December 20. The incident, caused by a fire at a PG&E Corp. substation, left traffic lights non-functional across the city. Waymo's system, which treats darkened traffic lights as four-way stops, struggled with the scale of the outage. Videos circulated on social media showed multiple vehicles immobilized at intersections, hazard lights flashing, as traffic backed up behind them.

The company acknowledged its system faced a "concentrated spike" in confirmation requests during the blackout. While the vehicles successfully navigated 7,000 non-working traffic signals, the volume of requests overwhelmed response times. Waymo ultimately suspended service after city officials advised against non-essential travel. The outage affected approximately 130,000 customers at its peak, disrupting commerce and transportation during a critical holiday shopping weekend.