A blackout in San Francisco revealed a new way for robotaxis to go wrong. Waymo’s self-driving robotaxis can successfully nail a tricky left turn, weave through lanes to drop you off at the airport, and safely pass a U-Haul that’s idling in the middle of the street. But during a blackout, they apparently turn into four-wheel bricks.

Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo said it would strengthen its automated software to better handle power outages after its self-driving taxis froze and caused traffic jams during a major electricity failure last weekend in San Francisco.

Waymo’s robotaxis suffered a serious failure on Saturday when a power outage affecting a large part of San Francisco caused problems for its autonomous cars in the city. Some 130,000 residents lost power to their homes and businesses,

Saturday brought dystopian scenes of robot cars parked in thoroughfares with hazard lights flashing and angry motorists honking.

Waymo has filed suit against the city of Santa Monica, arguing that the city's attempt to have them stop using two charging stations overnight for its fleet of self-driving cars is unfair.

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH / ACCESS Newswire / December 23, 2025 / Recent service disruptions involving Waymo autonomous vehicles in San Francisco have drawn attention to a core challenge in autonomous mobility: dependence on a single network or network access technology.

The biggest stories of the year, with no surprise, the Waymo and Tesla constrast playing a big role in the year's news.