Waymo just had to temporarily suspend its ride-hailing fleet after a massive San Francisco power outage left autonomous SUVs stranded across city streets. The blackout knocked out traffic lights and choked cellular bandwidth, leaving vehicles unable to reach human remote operators for guidance. The incident highlights how fragile autonomous fleets remain when the basic utility grid goes dark.
A Phoenix police officer just pulled over a Waymo robotaxi for driving into oncoming traffic, only to find the driver's seat completely empty. The officer was unable to issue a citation, writing in dispatch logs that they were "unable to issue citation to computer." Waymo blamed confusing construction signage, spotlighting a bizarre legal loophole for driverless vehicles.
California regulators just gave Waymo permission to expand its driverless robotaxi service to highways in Los Angeles and the Bay Area at speeds up to 65 mph. The approval brushes aside objections from local transport agencies over recent safety scares, though Waymo says it has no immediate plans to send cars onto the highway right away.
