If Robotaxis Can’t Handle a Blackout, What Would Happen During an Earthquake?

Waymo’s response to a power outage in San Francisco is raising questions about how robotaxis would deal with a more severe emergency like an earthquake, reports Abhirup Roy for Reuters.

When the city’s traffic lights went out last week, dozens of Waymo vehicles were stalled at intersections, unsure how to proceed and blocking other traffic. “The incident has renewed calls for ‌stricter regulation of the nascent but fast-growing industry as other companies including Tesla and Amazon's Zoox race to expand robotaxi services in several cities.”

Philip Koopman, a Carnegie Mellon University computer-engineering professor and autonomous-technology expert, says regulators “are derelict” in their duties if they don’t require proof from robotaxi operators that their vehicles are trained to handle an earthquake or other emergency scenario. 

The power outage highlighted the limitations of Waymo’s human-assisted “fleet response,” which couldn’t keep up with the demand for assistance during the blackout. California’s Department of Motor Vehicles says it is talking with operators and developing regulations for remote drivers to ensure “high standards of safety, accountability and responsiveness.”