Waymos apparently implode during blackouts

Citysnaps said:
Interesting. As unlikely as this sounds, that appears to imply Waymo uses a remote server/computer and wireless datalink (apparently not with a generous battery back up) to control their cars.

Or perhaps... any significant city blackout causes Waymo cars to stop dead in their tracks?
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It was a little vague, but it looked to me like the cars don’t know what to do when the traffic lights go out?
 
Cmaier said:
It was a little vague, but it looked to me like the cars don’t know what to do when the traffic lights go out?
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That sounds very possible. And presents an interesting problem. If city power goes out, say in San Francisco, leaving five dozen Waymo cars (a wag) with passengers on busy streets without working traffic lights, how should Waymo handle that?

Perhaps the safest move would be for Waymo cars to pull over, stop, and tell passengers to leave the car.
 
Waymo needs to be much more forthcoming about how its vehicles are programmed to respond in situations like this. And if they say that they can't tell (i.e., the response may be unpredictable), that's a huge red flag. I also just watched the video of the cat that was run over and fatally injured by a Waymo. The company said that while it's true that their cars don't have sensors underneath, neither do vehicles driven by humans, it's concerning.
 
Cmaier said:
It was a little vague, but it looked to me like the cars don’t know what to do when the traffic lights go out?
Click to expand...
I think this is it but I'm surprised just how easily they're confused, you can bet they'll be addressing it now. For the most part these seem like a safe and easy way to get around town, San Francisco streets are flooded with them.
 
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