Waymo will update driverless fleet after San Francisco blackout to improve navigation during outages

Core Insights - Waymo paused its driverless car service in San Francisco due to a power outage that affected approximately 130,000 customers, with 21,000 still without power the following morning [2][3] - The company is implementing fleet-wide updates to enhance vehicle responses during infrastructure failures and is improving emergency response protocols [4] Company Response - Waymo is taking three immediate steps: updating its fleet for better context during outages, enhancing emergency response protocols, and updating first responder training based on learnings from the incident [4] - The company has served 14 million trips in 2025 and is on track to exceed 20 million total trips since its launch in 2020 [4] Operational Impact - The power outage led to widespread gridlock in San Francisco, with multiple Waymo vehicles reported stalled in traffic [3] - Waymo directed its fleet to pull over and park appropriately to avoid adding to congestion and obstructing emergency vehicles during recovery efforts [3] Future Preparedness - Waymo is collaborating with local authorities to improve emergency preparedness and response in future incidents [4] - The company emphasizes its commitment to road safety and its ongoing service to residents and visitors in San Francisco [5]