Power Outage in San Francisco Paralyzes Autonomous Vehicles and Disrupts City Traffic
January 9, 2026
A recent power outage in San Francisco impacted approximately 130,000 customers at its peak, according to Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E). The blackout not only affected residents but also caused significant issues for autonomous vehicles operating in the area, particularly Waymo's fleet.
Impact on Autonomous Vehicles
Social media posts flooded with images and videos highlighted the difficulties faced by Waymo's autonomous SUVs, which remained stalled on city streets, leading to traffic jams and congestion. Meanwhile, Tesla’s vehicles utilizing Full Self-Driving (FSD) features navigated the streets unaffected, prompting Elon Musk to tweet that “Tesla Robotaxis were unaffected by the SF power outage.”
Waymo's Response
By Sunday evening, Waymo announced the temporary suspension of its ride-hailing services in the San Francisco Bay Area in response to the widespread power outage. Suzanne Philion, a spokesperson for Waymo, explained, “We have temporarily suspended our ride-hailing services given the broad power outage in San Francisco. We are focused on keeping our riders safe and ensuring emergency personnel have the clear access they need to do their work.”
Restoration Efforts
PG&E reported that by 2 PM PT on Sunday, power had been restored to approximately 114,000 affected customers as repairs continued at a fire-damaged five-story power substation. The incident underscored the vulnerability of infrastructure critical for autonomous vehicle operation.
Resumption and Lessons Learned
Later on Sunday evening, Waymo resumed its ride-hailing services, emphasizing its commitment to safety and adaptive technology. In a follow-up statement, Philion noted, “The recent outage caused significant gridlock, with non-functioning traffic signals and transit disruptions. While the infrastructure failure was substantial, we are dedicated to adapting our systems to better handle such events and ensuring community trust.”
Causes of Vehicle Stagnation
The exact reason why Waymo's vehicles failed to move remains unclear. Speculation points to disrupted wireless data connections due to overloaded cell towers or non-operational streetlights caused by the outage. Past incidents, such as videos from earlier this year showing Waymos frozen by malfunctioning street lights and similar situations in Austin, Texas, suggest that utility failures can hinder vehicle operation.
Remote Assistance Challenges
Waymo’s vehicles utilize remote assistance, where human operators step in when the vehicle detects unusual interactions. When this happens, a request is sent to a human response agent, who can review live feeds, sensor data, and maps to guide the vehicle. However, during power outages, bandwidth constraints and network disruptions can delay or prevent this process.
In November, Waymo announced passing a third-party audit by Tüv Süd, evaluating its remote assistance practices against industry standards, ensuring preparedness for such challenges.
Conclusion
The San Francisco power outage highlighted existing vulnerabilities in autonomous vehicle technology amid infrastructure failures. While technology continues to advance, incidents like these emphasize the importance of resilient systems and robust contingency plans to ensure safety and service continuity.
Updated December 21 — Included additional statements from Waymo and PG&E regarding restoration efforts and operational plans.
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