Waymo has restarted its robo-taxi operations in San Francisco after a significant power outage caused by a fire at a Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) substation. This outage began around 1:09 PM on Saturday and peaked approximately two hours later, leading to widespread disruptions, including non-functioning traffic signals that heavily impacted Waymo's automated driving systems.
A spokesperson for Waymo indicated that the extensive nature of the blackout resulted in their vehicles experiencing delays, as the automated system typically treats non-functional signals as four-way stops. This situation contributed to additional traffic congestion across the city. Waymo had temporarily suspended its ride-hailing services during the outage, with reports of its autonomous taxis halted at intersections with hazard lights activated.
The service interruption drew attention, particularly as rival Tesla, whose ride-hailing service is not fully autonomous and requires a human driver, was noted by Elon Musk on X to be unaffected by the incident. Waymo emphasized its coordination with city officials to manage the impacts of the blackout effectively.