Waymo has sued Santa Monica after city officials ordered two 24/7 charging stations for its driverless vehicles to halt overnight operations amid complaints about beeping and flashing lights. Neighbors reportedly blocked vehicles — a tactic called "stacking the Waymos" — and Waymo says it offered noise reductions and routing changes but could not reach an agreement after a December 15 meeting. The company argues the sites were properly permitted and that the shutdown threatens its operations, while the city calls the lights and noise a public nuisance.
Waymo Sues Santa Monica After City Orders Overnight Shutdown Of Driverless-Car Chargers
Waymo sues Santa Monica for trying to stop it charging driverless cars overnight
Waymo has filed a lawsuit against the City of Santa Monica after city officials ordered two 24/7 charging stations for the company's driverless vehicles to cease overnight operations following complaints from nearby residents.
The charging ports, installed about a year ago, reportedly emit beeping sounds and flashing lights that continued through the night and disturbed some neighbors, according to reporting by The Los Angeles Times. Frustration grew to the point that residents began physically blocking Waymo vehicles as they arrived to charge and placed cones and other obstructions around the sites.
"Stacking the Waymos," as The Times described it, led employees at the charging stations to call police on several occasions; no arrests have been reported. Waymo also sought a temporary restraining order against one resident after repeated attempts to block the cars, but that request was unsuccessful.
REINO UNIDO WAYMO (AP)
In the lawsuit filed last week in Los Angeles, Waymo argues that activity at the two locations — operated by Voltera and permitted by the city to run continuously — "do not constitute a public nuisance" and that the overnight shutdown poses "imminent and irreparable harm to its operations, employees, and customers." The company says city officials were aware the Voltera facilities would operate 24 hours to maintain Waymo's fleet when permits were approved.
Santa Monica officials, however, ordered Waymo and Voltera to stop overnight operations last month, saying the lights and noise from the chargers constituted a public nuisance. Waymo and Voltera representatives say they reached out to the city in late November to seek a compromise and proposed measures to reduce noise and light — including a planned software update to change vehicle routing to the charging sites — but a December 15 meeting did not produce an agreement, the lawsuit states.
Waymo also says it consulted with regulators to address early complaints and implemented changes to reduce noise; the company notes a city communication dated September 9, 2025 acknowledged that "complaints from residents regarding noise have subsided."
NACIMIENTO EN VEHICULO AUTONOMO (AP)
"We are disappointed that the City has chosen an adversarial path over a collaborative one," a Waymo spokesperson told The Independent. "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 spokesperson added that the city's recent actions run counter to its stated goal of attracting investment, saying officials are obstructing properly permitted investment amid a fiscal shortfall.
Waymo announced in June plans to expand its service to about 120 square miles across Los Angeles County, including Playa del Rey, Ladera Heights, Echo Park, Silver Lake and Hollywood. Since launching in Santa Monica, the company says it has completed more than one million trips in the city, including roughly 50,000 in November alone.
Waymo described the charging site as having "enabled Waymo to provide a safe, sustainable and accessible transportation option to city residents." The Independent has contacted the City of Santa Monica for comment.
