Waymo explains why its robotaxis clogged San Francisco streets during a power outage

Core Insights - Waymo's robotaxis experienced operational issues during a power outage in San Francisco, leading to traffic congestion as vehicles stalled at intersections [1][3] - The company stated that its autonomous vehicles functioned as designed, treating dark traffic signals as four-way stops, but the scale of the outage caused a backlog in confirmation requests [1][2] - Waymo has since suspended its ride-hailing services in San Francisco at the request of city officials to keep streets clear for first responders [5] Incident Details - The power outage affected approximately 130,000 customers of Pacific Gas & Electric, prompting Waymo to halt its services temporarily [3] - During the outage, Waymo's vehicles successfully navigated over 7,000 dark signals, but the concentrated spike in requests led to delays and congestion [2] - Footage on social media showed multiple Waymo vehicles stalled together, contributing to traffic issues [3] Company Response - Waymo is refining its confirmation check process to better align with current operational scale and improve response during outages [4] - The company plans to implement fleet-wide updates that will provide vehicles with context about power outages, enhancing navigation decisions [4] - Waymo is also improving its emergency response protocols and increasing engagement with first responders to better handle similar situations in the future [5] Expansion and Challenges - Waymo launched its driverless ride-hailing service in Phoenix in 2018 and has since expanded to other cities, including San Francisco [6] - The company faced challenges, including a software recall affecting over 1,200 vehicles and incidents involving its vehicles, which have raised concerns among residents [7]