Беспилотники Waymo остановили движение в Сан-Франциско из-за массового блэкаута Translation: Waymos autonomous vehicles halted traffic in San Francisco due to a massive blackout.

On the evening of December 20, Waymo halted its robotaxi service in San Francisco due to a widespread power outage that left driverless vehicles stranded on the city’s streets.

Users shared photos and videos of the incidents: clusters of cars with hazard lights activated caused traffic disruption, obstructing the regular flow of vehicles.

On December 21, Waymo restored its service.

“The power outage was a large-scale event that resulted in a transportation standstill throughout San Francisco. Traffic lights were inoperative, and there were disruptions in public transport. We aim to adjust our technology to cope with the traffic flow during such events,” commented a Waymo representative.

The company noted that the autopilot is capable of navigating intersections even with traffic lights out. However, the extent of the blackout on Saturday led to significant delays in the robotaxi operations, as the vehicles required much more time to assess the traffic situation.

The blackout was triggered by a fire at a Pacific Gas & Electric substation, affecting approximately 125,000 households and businesses. Traffic lights were non-functional across the city.

The robotaxi sector is reportedly approaching self-sustainability. According to Baidu CEO Robin Li, an increase in user trust is facilitating faster legalization of driverless vehicles.

The geography of autonomous transportation is actively expanding:

As a reminder, in July 2025, the flying taxi manufacturer Joby Aviation delivered its first aircraft to the UAE and completed pilot testing. The launch of services in the region is anticipated for 2026.