Waymos froze, blocked traffic during San Francisco power outage

Core Insights - Waymo's driverless ride services experienced significant disruptions due to a power outage in San Francisco, affecting traffic and causing cars to stop mid-ride [1][2] - The outage impacted approximately 130,000 customers, leading to store closures and transit disruptions during a peak holiday shopping period [2] - Waymo's service in the Bay Area was paused, affecting at least seven cities, as the company coordinated with city officials to restore operations [5][6] Group 1: Incident Details - The power outage caused traffic lights to go dark at major intersections, resulting in multiple Waymo cars being immobilized in the streets with hazard lights flashing [1] - A passenger reported that their Waymo car continued to move in less busy areas but stopped abruptly at a dense intersection without prior notice [3] - The outage was attributed to a fire in a PG&E substation, with service restoration efforts beginning Saturday evening [4] Group 2: Customer Experience - A passenger attempted to contact Waymo's customer support while stuck in the car but abandoned the effort due to long wait times [5] - The Waymo app notified customers on Sunday that service was paused, indicating the scale of the disruption [5] - A Waymo spokesperson expressed hope for a quick restoration of services, emphasizing coordination with city officials [6] Group 3: Competitive Landscape - Tesla's CEO Elon Musk claimed that Tesla's robotaxis were unaffected by the power outage, highlighting a competitive advantage over Waymo during this incident [7]