Waymo Updates Vehicles for Power Outages, Still Faces Criticism
Analysis
This article highlights Waymo's efforts to improve its self-driving cars' performance during power outages, specifically addressing the issues encountered during a recent outage in San Francisco. While Waymo is proactively implementing updates to handle dark traffic signals and navigate more decisively, the article also points out the ongoing criticism and regulatory questions surrounding the deployment of autonomous vehicles. The pause in service due to flash flood warnings further underscores the challenges Waymo faces in ensuring safety and reliability in diverse and unpredictable conditions. The quote from Jeffrey Tumlin raises important questions about the appropriate number and management of autonomous vehicles on city streets.
Key Takeaways
“"I think we need to be asking 'what is a reasonable number of [autonomous vehicles] to have on city streets, by time of day, by geography and weather?'"”