Waymo stopped their taxi service in parts of Los Angeles after five of its self-driving vehicles were torched
This just happened on Sunday, June 8th in Los Angeles, when protesters torched at least five Waymo robotaxis. When the fire died down itself, virtually the entire shell of each robotaxi’s roof, doors, front hood, rear trunk and body panel had completely disappeared, leaving only wheel rims and traces of the vehicle platform.
In case you didn’t know this, Waymo cars are self-driving taxis operated by computers instead of humans. The company uses electric Jaguar I-PACE cars.
This Los Angeles riot and car burning tensions escalated in the protests when National Guard troops arrived in the city under the direction of President Donald Trump to catch undocumented immigrants.
Electric vehicles, like those in Waymo’s fleet, have lithium-ion batteries, and the L.A. Police Department issued a warning “Burning lithium-ion batteries release toxic gases, including hydrogen fluoride, posing risks to responders and those nearby.”
Here is some information about Waymo.
Waymo is a subsidiary of Alphabet, Google’s parent company, and grew out of the Google Self-Driving Car project that began in 2009. It launched its robotaxi business in 2020 in limited markets, which grew to include Los Angeles in 2024.
While the company says its mission “is to be the world’s most trusted driver,” a national survey earlier this year found that “6 in 10 U.S. drivers still report being afraid to ride in a self-driving vehicle” while the proportion of people enthusiastic about the development of the technology has actually decreased from 18 percent in 2022 to 13 percent in 2025.
