Frozen Waymo Cars Disrupt San Francisco Traffic Amid Power Outage
A significant power outage impacted San Francisco on Saturday, leaving approximately 130,000 customers without electricity at its peak. This outage also resulted in disruptions for Waymo, as their autonomous vehicles became stranded on city streets, contributing to traffic congestion.
Power Outage and Impact on Waymo Vehicles
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) reported the outage and is currently working to restore power. By 7 AM PT, crews had restored service to about 110,000 customers, with 21,000 still affected, primarily in areas like the Presidio, Richmond District, and Golden Gate Park. The outage was triggered by a fire at a five-story power substation, leading to extensive repairs.
Waymo’s Response
- Waymo temporarily suspended ride-hailing services.
- Spokesperson Suzanne Philion emphasized rider safety and emergency access.
Social media users shared images and videos of Waymo SUVs remaining motionless on the streets. Speculation about the reason behind the immobilization pointed to potential issues with wireless data connections. With many cell towers down or overloaded, the Waymo vehicles likely struggled to communicate effectively.
Tesla’s Performance During Outage
In contrast, Tesla vehicles with Full Self-Driving (FSD) capabilities continued to navigate the streets effectively. Elon Musk tweeted that Tesla Robotaxis were not affected by the outage.
Technical Insights on Waymo’s Operations
The exact reason for the paralysis of Waymo vehicles remains uncertain. Issues observed in past outages, such as those in Austin, Texas, highlight the vehicles’ dependency on functional street infrastructure, including traffic lights.
- Waymo vehicles may send requests to a remote assistant before proceeding with navigation.
- The system requires bandwidth for operations, which is challenging during widespread outages.
Waymo’s capabilities were recently validated by a successful third-party audit conducted by Tüv Süd, a German technology inspection company. This evaluation focused on their remote assistance program adherence to industry best practices.
As San Francisco continues to recover from the power outage, the incident underscores the challenges facing autonomous vehicle technology during critical infrastructural failures.
