San Francisco’s massive power outage exposed a critical flaw in autonomous vehicle technology, leaving Waymo robotaxis stranded in gridlock while Tesla’s human-supervised service continued operating normally.
Story Overview
- Waymo suspended its driverless robotaxi service after vehicles froze during Saturday’s widespread blackout
- Tesla’s human-supervised service remained operational, highlighting the value of human oversight
- MIT researcher calls the incident proof that fully autonomous vehicles aren’t ready for mass deployment
- Power outage affected 130,000 customers, with Waymo cars blocking traffic across multiple neighborhoods
Autonomous Vehicle Failures During Infrastructure Crisis
Waymo’s driverless robotaxis created additional chaos during San Francisco’s December 21st power outage, with multiple vehicles stopping in the middle of streets as traffic signals failed citywide. San Francisco resident Matt Schoolfield witnessed at least three Waymo vehicles blocking traffic between 6 p.m. and 9:45 p.m., including one photographed on Turk Boulevard. The company’s spokesperson admitted vehicles “remained stationary longer than usual” while trying to process non-functional intersections, contributing to the gridlock that paralyzed the city.
Tesla’s Human-Supervised Approach Proves Superior
While Waymo’s fully autonomous vehicles failed spectacularly, Tesla CEO Elon Musk highlighted a crucial difference in approach by posting that “Tesla Robotaxis were unaffected by the SF power outage.” Tesla’s service requires human drivers behind the wheel at all times, using their “FSD (Supervised)” system rather than operating completely driverless vehicles. This human oversight allowed Tesla vehicles to navigate the crisis effectively, demonstrating the irreplaceable value of human judgment during infrastructure emergencies that autonomous systems struggle to handle.
Expert Analysis Reveals Technology’s Fatal Weakness
MIT research scientist Bryan Reimer characterized the incident as clear evidence that cities aren’t prepared for widespread autonomous vehicle deployment. Reimer noted that power outages are “entirely predictable” events, yet something fundamental was “missed” in Waymo’s technology development. He emphasized the continuing need for human backup systems and warned that autonomous vehicle developers should face accountability for causing “chaos gridlock” just as human drivers would. This incident validates concerns about rushing unproven technology into public use without adequate safeguards.
Regulatory Implications for Autonomous Vehicle Expansion
The San Francisco blackout incident raises serious questions about autonomous vehicle readiness as companies push for broader deployment across American cities. Two-thirds of U.S. drivers already express fear about autonomous vehicles according to recent American Automobile Association surveys, and this weekend’s chaos provides concrete evidence supporting their concerns. State and local regulators must now consider establishing maximum limits on autonomous vehicle penetration in their regions, ensuring that critical transportation infrastructure doesn’t become vulnerable to predictable system failures that leave communities stranded during emergencies.
