Waymo Driverless Cars Stall, Create Traffic Chaos after Power Outage

Waymo halted robotaxi service in SF due to a power outage, leaving vehicles stranded.

On the evening of December 20th, Waymo suspended its robotaxi operations in San Francisco due to a widespread power outage that left autonomous vehicles stranded on the city’s 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 shared photos and videos of the traffic incidents: groups of vehicles with hazard lights on blocked the roads, disrupting the overall flow.

On December 21st, Waymo resumed its service.

“The power outage was a widespread event that led to a transportation collapse throughout San Francisco. Traffic lights were out, and public transport experienced disruptions. We are committed to adapting our technology to the flow during such events,” commented a Waymo representative.

The company stated that the autopilot is capable of navigating intersections even when traffic lights are out. However, the scale of Saturday’s outage resulted in prolonged robotaxi downtime, as the vehicles required significantly more time to analyze the road situation.

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 a Pacific Gas & Electric substation. The incident affected around 125,000 households and businesses, with traffic lights out across the city.

Sector Development

The robotaxi sector is reportedly approaching self-sufficiency. According to Baidu CEO Robin Li, increasing user trust is facilitating faster legalization of autonomous vehicles.

The geography of autonomous transport is actively expanding:

• In November, Waymo announced the launch of its service in Minneapolis, Tampa, and New Orleans;
• In December, Tesla deployed taxis without driver-operators (currently without passengers). In June, the company conducted tests in Austin, where users highly rated the speed and parking capabilities;
• Uber, in collaboration with China’s WeRide, launched vehicles in Abu Dhabi. This marks the company’s fourth region and the first appearance of robotaxis in the Middle East;
• The KIRA project in Germany has been conducting public trials since May. Tests cover the Rhine-Main region, including Frankfurt, Mainz, and Wiesbaden.

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