Self-Driving Cars Snarl San Francisco After Power Outage as Tesla Stock Rises

A citywide power outage in San Francisco triggered unexpected chaos when self-driving cars stalled, blocked lanes, and confused traffic across key areas. While the incident reignited concerns about autonomous vehicle readiness and infrastructure dependence, investor sentiment moved in the opposite direction sending Tesla’s stock higher. The contrast highlights the growing disconnect between real-world AV challenges and Wall Street optimism.

Tesla Model 3

man, it’s wild seeing Teslas still cruising when everything else just…stopped. Like the whole city’s blinking red and these sleek pods just glide by, smug as cats. not gonna lie, I kinda admire that, even though I still think it feels eerie when there’s no driver. if you’ve got, what, forty five grand or something? you can join their little smooth silent cult. I sat in one once, smelled like metal and peppermint gum. cool but soulless.

Waymo Van

oh those chunky Waymo vans, dude. they look like they were designed by someone who never actually met people. like, too many cameras, too clean. when the lights went out, one stopped dead in the street near my cousin’s apartment. everyone just stared at it like it was an alien. I think one guy yelled at it. funny thing is, it didn’t even blink. must be about sixty grand of tech just frozen like a confused Roomba.

Cruise Bolt

I saw a bunch of these stuck mid intersection. tiny, electric, cute but annoying. like toy cars in a video game lag. (you know that weird frame skip feeling?) I heard they cost around thirtyish thousand bucks but… dude, who’s driving? nobody. it’s creepy and somehow charming. makes me think of Pixar robots that never learned emotion.

Rivian R1T

the trucks looked lost too. one was stuck half on the curb, probably thought it was parking or something. I like Rivians, tough but too clean. too polite. I’d mess one up properly if I had seventy grand burning in my jeans. smelled the air, wet asphalt and ozone, made me kinda nostalgic for real engines grumbling in the dark.

BMW i7

rich people cars still glow different, man. even in a power outage. I saw this shimmering blue BMW just sitting there like it didn’t care the world paused. must be what, a hundred twenty grand? insanity. I think one of its lights flickered, poetic justice maybe. looked like a whale in a bathtub of chaos.

Lucid Air

mmm the Lucid… that thing’s almost too pretty. like it doesn’t belong among potholes and Uber stickers. I’d probably hate owning it. fragile vibes, you know? costs a small fortune, maybe ninety to one twenty depending on trim (whatever that means, right?). one glided by with no lights, just whispering. pretty but spooky.

Ford Mustang Mach E

I saw one honking like that would help. like, bro… there’s no power, who are you honking at? I like the look though, has attitude, kinda messy but cool.

Hyundai Ioniq 6

cute lil spaceship car, kinda melted soap bar vibe. one rolled backward on Lombard Street, swear to god it looked embarrassed. someone yelled “reboot it!” which cracked me up. they’re like forty five grand or something, but at that moment? priceless comedy.

Mercedes EQS

luxury but too sterile. if hospitals made cars, this’s it. I saw one stuck under a blackout traffic light, blinking its hazards like it was nervous. costs more than my apartment times five. baffling. someone inside (or maybe not inside?) had mood lights still glowing pink. weirdly pretty though.

Nissan Leaf

aw man, the poor Leaf. it’s always that friendly, underdog car you forget exists until it’s right there suffering. one tried to make a left and just gave up mid turn. felt so human I almost wanted to help it. those things go for like thirty five grand, I think? used to smell faintly like crayons, if memory serves.