Key Lessons Learned from the PG&E Outage: Improving Power Grid Resilience and Safety

The recent PG&E power outage affected nearly one-third of San Francisco, causing widespread disruption across the city. The blackout led to the failure of traffic signals on major roads, resulting in severe gridlock and requiring law enforcement to manually control intersections.

Waymo’s autonomous vehicles faced unique challenges during this event. While designed to treat dark signals as four-way stops, the cars often requested confirmation checks to ensure safety. This protocol, effective during smaller outages, generated a backlog of requests during the widespread blackout and contributed to congestion.

In response, Waymo temporarily halted its service and directed its fleet to pull over safely to avoid further traffic snarls. The company prioritized cooperation with city officials and emergency responders during the peak of recovery efforts. This approach helped minimize interference with critical emergency operations.

Waymo is using the outage as a learning opportunity to refine its autonomous driving technology. The company plans to implement the following measures:

1. Enhance outage awareness: Update fleet systems to provide cars with specific regional outage information, enabling more decisive navigation at dark intersections.
2. Revise emergency protocols: Improve preparedness and response plans in coordination with city officials, including closer collaboration with Mayor Lurie’s team.
3. Expand first responder training: Update training for first responders based on new insights, complementing existing programs involving over 25,000 professionals.

These actions reflect Waymo’s commitment to operating safely under varied and challenging conditions. With over 100 million miles of autonomous driving experience, the company continues to build trust and improve road safety in San Francisco.

The outage highlighted vulnerabilities in urban infrastructure and the importance of adaptive technology. Autonomous systems must increasingly account for real-world disruptions to maintain safe and efficient operations. Waymo’s ongoing improvements aim to better serve communities during emergencies while supporting first responders’ critical work.