Waymo sues Santa Monica for trying to stop it charging driverless cars overnight

1. Tech

The beeping noises and flashing lights from two charging ports, which continued through the night, have kept some residents awake since they were installed a year ago, according to new lawsuit

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Waymo is suing the California city of Santa Monica after being ordered to shut down two charging stations for its driverless cars due to complaints from neighbors.

The beeping noises and flashing lights from the two charging ports, which continued through the night, have kept some residents awake since they were installed around a year ago, according to The Los Angeles Times.

Resident frustration built up to such a point that neighbors began blocking the paths of the autonomous vehicles as they arrived to charge and put cones and other obstructions around the area to stop them from getting there.

The practice is called “stacking the Waymos,” according to The Times, resulting in employees at the charging stations calling the police several times.

No arrests have been made and Waymo unsuccessfully filed a temporary restraining order against one resident after repeated attempts to block the cars.

The company claimed in a lawsuit, filed last week in Los Angeles and obtained by the outlet, the activity at the two spots, which operate 24 hours a day, “do not constitute a public nuisance,” adding: “Waymo faces imminent and irreparable harm to its operations, employees, and customers.”

The city was aware that the Voltera charging facilities would be operational constantly in order to maintain its fleet and had still approved the permits for the stations.

Last month, Santa Monica officials ordered Waymo and Voltera to stop overnight operations, claiming that the issues caused by the lights and noise constituted a public nuisance.

Waymo and Voltera representatives reached out to the city in late November in an attempt to compromise and come to an agreement on the situation, which reportedly included looking for ways to reduce noise and lights from the stations.

This included initiating a software update that would change the vehicles’ path to the charging stations. But after a meeting on December 15 with the city, no agreement was reached, the lawsuit stated.

In addition, Waymo said it worked in consultation with regulators to address neighbors’ feedback and effectively reduce noise when complaints first began. The Independent understands that the city acknowledged in a September 9, 2025 communication that “complaints from residents regarding noise have subsided.”

“We are disappointed that the City has chosen an adversarial path over a collaborative one,” a spokesperson for Waymo told The Independent in a statement. “The City’s position has been to insist that no actions taken or proposed by Waymo would satisfy the complaining neighbors and therefore must be deemed insufficient.”

The statement added: “The City of Santa Monica’s recent actions are inconsistent with its stated goal of attracting investment.

“At a time when the City faces a serious fiscal crisis, officials are choosing to obstruct properly permitted investment rather than fostering a ‘ready for business’ environment.”

Waymo announced in June that its service would be expanded to 120 square miles in Los Angeles County, with vehicles operating in Playa del Rey, Ladera Heights, Echo Park, Silver Lake and Hollywood.

Since launching in Santa Monica, the company claims that more than a million trips have been made in the city, including 50,000 in November alone.

“The [charging] site has enabled Waymo to provide a safe, sustainable and accessible transportation option to city residents,” Waymo said in the statement

The Independent has contacted the City of Santa Monica for a comment.

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