Waymo cars stranded on San Francisco streets as July Fourth gridlock drains batteries

Several Waymo vehicles had to be towed away after the company said their batteries died while they were stuck in heavy San Francisco traffic amid Fourth of July celebrations.

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Video verified by NBC News showed at least a dozen stationary Waymo vehicles, many of them Jaguar I-PACE models, lined up on a street following a city- and county-sponsored fireworks display from the Golden Gate Bridge.

Another video showed more vehicles at a standstill at an intersection filled with people. One of the vehicles was on a flatbed truck.

The company noted that there was heavy traffic in the area following fireworks celebrations.

“Major traffic disruptions, a high volume of travelers, and unplanned road closures contributed to unexpected congestion,” a company spokesperson said in a statement.

The spokesperson said Waymo’s roadside assistance team worked to clear the vehicles, adding that the company is “evaluating ways to strengthen Waymo’s resilience in major traffic disruptions.”

Rose Peterson told NBC Bay Area she was in a Waymo ride leaving the area when the car kept driving while someone lit fireworks on the street.

“We were pulling up to a four-way stop and this guy was shooting off a firework in the middle of the road, and then our Waymo starts driving, and we’re like, ‘Wait, what’s happening?’” she said, adding that no one in the car was hurt.

Dave Guingona told the station he spent nearly two hours in standstill traffic until a number of Waymo vehicles were cleared from a roadway.

“We realized people were getting out of their cars, yelling and screaming at these Waymos because there were no drivers,” he said.

A Waymo vehicle caught fire after it drove over fireworks someone had set off, according to the company, which said no injuries were reported.

In December, Waymo briefly paused service in San Francisco following an electricity outage that affected more than 100,000 customers and caused some traffic lights to go dark. Some of its vehicles stopped at intersections that had nonworking traffic lights, NBC Bay Area reported .

Mayor Daniel Lurie has been an advocate for the brand of autonomous vehicles, saying last year that they’re “safe and sustainable.”

On Saturday night, he warned motorists about the post-fireworks traffic in the city.

“Fog and fireworks, we did it the San Francisco way,” Lurie said in a video statement on X. “It’s going to take a while for these clogged streets to empty out. Give each other some grace as we clear out San Francisco.”

The city’s Department of Emergency Management warned of “heavy traffic and crowded transit” following the displays and urged people to wait to head home where possible.

Lurie’s press secretary, Charles Lutvak, said his office will have talks with stakeholders about Saturday night’s traffic.

“We understand that with more than 100,000 people in the area, some people experienced delays getting home, and we will have conversations with our public and private partners to ensure the experience is smoother next time,” Lutvak said by email Sunday night.