Santa Monica City Council Orders Waymo To Stop Late Night Charing

SANTA MONICA—The Santa Monica City Council issued an order ordering the company Waymo, which operates autonomous taxis, to stop charging its vehicles at the sites located on the 1200 and 1300 blocks of Broadway between the hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. The order was issued after the city council received complaints over the last few months from residents of Santa Monica about noise from vehicle movement in alleyways and from mechanical noise from charging equipment at the charging sites, which were opened in late 2024. In July, Waymo informed the Santa Monica City Council that it sought to address these complaints by ending the alley congestion and lowering the volume made by its robotaxi. Residents of Santa Monica claim they were not informed that large-scale charging depots would be opening in their neighbors It has been alleged that Volterra, the company that oversees the charging of Waymo’s robotaxi claim they are immune from regulation by the Santa Monica City Council.   By Daniel Diquinzio