Waymo halts service in 4-cities as robotaxis struggle with floodwaters
What's the story
Waymo has suspended its robotaxi services in four cities due to its inability to handle heavy rain and flooded roads. The decision comes after a vehicle was seen driving through a flooded street in Atlanta, Georgia, before ultimately getting stuck for about an hour. The company has since recovered the vehicle and removed it from the scene.
Company statement
Waymo's top priority is safety
In a statement, Waymo said, "Safety is Waymo's top priority, both for our riders and everyone we share the road with." The company explained that during heavy rain in Atlanta on Wednesday, an unoccupied vehicle encountered a flooded road and stopped. This prompted Waymo to suspend services in Atlanta, as it had done earlier in San Antonio.
Weather precautions
Services suspended in Texas and Dallas
Waymo also suspended its services in Dallas and Houston due to severe weather conditions across Texas this week. The company said it took the precautionary measure out of an abundance of caution for the forecasted severe weather. This comes as Waymo grapples with its vehicles' ability to navigate flooded areas safely, despite having issued a software recall last week.
Tech troubles
Waymo admitted it hadn't developed a 'final remedy'
Waymo had previously admitted that it hadn't developed a "final remedy" for avoiding flooded areas when it issued its software recall. Instead, the company sent an update to its fleet that placed "restrictions at times and in locations where there is an elevated risk of encountering a flooded, higher-speed roadway," documents from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) revealed. However, these measures weren't enough to keep the robotaxi from entering a flooded intersection in Atlanta.
Regulatory response
NHTSA aware of the incident, in communication with Waymo
The NHTSA is aware of the incident and is in communication with Waymo. A spokesperson for the safety regulator told TechCrunch that they will take appropriate action if necessary. This isn't the first time Waymo has struggled to quickly address problematic behavior with its robotaxis, as seen in last year's case, where vehicles illegally passed stopped school buses.