Waymo pauses Atlanta service as its robotaxis keep driving into floods | TechCrunch

Waymo paused robotaxi service in two cities because robotaxis struggled during heavy rain and flooded roads. A Waymo vehicle in Atlanta drove through a flooded street and became stuck for about an hour before being recovered. Waymo stated that an unoccupied vehicle encountered a flooded road during intense rain and stopped, and it paused service while it works on a solution. The company previously issued a software recall, admitting it had not finished developing a final remedy for avoiding flooded areas. It shipped an update that added restrictions in times and locations with elevated risk of flooded, higher-speed roadways. In Atlanta, flooding occurred before formal National Weather Service alerts were issued, and the fleet appeared to rely on those notices to avoid deep water.

"Waymo has now paused service in two cities because its robotaxis are struggling to deal with heavy rain and flooded roads, a problem that already prompted the company to issue a recall last week."

""Safety is Waymo's top priority, both for our riders and everyone we share the road with. During a period of intense rain yesterday in Atlanta, an unoccupied Waymo vehicle encountered a flooded road and stopped," the company said in a statement."

"Waymo admitted that it hadn't finished developing a "final remedy" for avoiding flooded areas when it issued its software recall last week. Instead, the company said that it shipped 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," according to documents released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)."

"Waymo told TechCrunch on Thursday that the storm in Atlanta produced so much rainfall that flooding was happening before the National Weather Service had issued a flash flood warning, watch, or advisory. The company's fleet apparently relies on these formal notices in order to avoid driving into deep water."

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