Waymo's self-driving cars caused traffic jams due to a power outage - ForkLog: cryptocurrencies, AI, singularity, future

# Waymo's self-driving cars created traffic jams due to a power outage

On the evening of December 20, Waymo suspended its robotaxi operations in San Francisco. The reason was a mass power outage that caused the driverless cars to get stuck on the city streets.

Power out in SF and the @Waymo’s are causing a MASSIVE jam in North Beach 🤣 pic.twitter.com/fuvhprlyma

— Iago Maciel (@_iagomaciel) December 21, 2025

Users have published photos and videos of road incidents: groups of cars with their hazard lights on blocked traffic, creating obstructions to the overall flow.

On the afternoon of December 21, Waymo resumed service.

“The power outage was a widespread event that led to a transportation collapse throughout San Francisco. Traffic lights were not functioning, and there were disruptions in public transport. We strive to adapt our technology to the flow during such events,” commented a representative of Waymo.

The company stated that the autopilot is capable of navigating intersections even when the traffic lights are off. However, the scale of Saturday's failure led to a prolonged downtime for the robotaxi: the vehicles required significantly more time to analyze the road conditions.

Power outage took out the waymos RIP pic.twitter.com/DPte8oOGku

— Vincent Woo (@fulligin) December 21, 2025

The blackout was caused by a fire at the Pacific Gas & Electric substation. The incident affected about 125,000 households and businesses. Traffic lights were not working throughout the city.

Development of the sector

The robotaxi sector is reportedly reaching self-sufficiency. According to Baidu CEO Robin Li, the increase in user trust is contributing to the faster legalization of drones.

The geography of unmanned transportation is actively expanding:

• Waymo announced the launch of its service in Minneapolis, Tampa, and New Orleans in November;
• Tesla launched driverless taxis on the roads in December (, currently without passengers ). In June, the company conducted tests in Austin, where users highly appreciated the speed and parking capabilities;
• Uber, in collaboration with the Chinese company WeRide, has launched cars in Abu Dhabi. This is the fourth region for the company and the first instance of robotaxi appearing in the Middle East;
• The KIRA project in Germany has been conducting public trials since May. The tests cover the Rhine-Main region, including Frankfurt, Mainz, and Wiesbaden.

In July 2025, the flying air taxi manufacturer Joby Aviation delivered its first aircraft to the UAE and completed pilot testing. The launch of the service in the region is expected in 2026.