Vehicles from the robotaxi provider Waymo must avoid highways for the time being due to technical issues. And since the robotaxis clearly struggle to cope with heavy rainfall and resulting flooding, Waymo has had to temporarily suspend operations in four US cities.Waymo robotaxi on highway (archive image)Image: WaymoUntil recently, Waymo appeared to be expanding at a rapid pace. The successor to the Google Self-Driving Car Project secured 16 billion US dollars from investors at the start of the year. The company now operates its robotaxi service in eleven US cities and plans to expand into 21 more, including international launches in London and Tokyo.However, recent events suggest that progress may not be as smooth as anticipated—perhaps ‘water in the works’ is a more fitting description than sand in the gears.’ It has emerged that the AI systems in Waymo’s robotaxis are not yet fully prepared for extreme weather conditions. According to media reports, a Waymo vehicle in Atlanta drove into a flooded street on Wednesday and got stuck there for about an hour before it could be recovered. As a result, operations in Atlanta, Georgia, have been temporarily suspended. The service has also been paused in Texas due to severe weather, affecting three cities: Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio.Waymo had attempted to address the issue of flooded streets with a software update for its vehicles’ AI last week. However, the incident in Atlanta occurred after this update, prompting the company to halt operations as a precautionary measure.