Los Angeles protesters light Waymo cabs on fire
Audio By Carbonatix
Los Angeles, California, is dealing with some demonstrations and protesters as the Trump administration targets people in the city with ICE raids. Most recently, the president has ordered the deployment of National Guard troops to the City of Angels to respond to acts of vandalism like the burning of five self-driving Waymo cabs in broad daylight.
First responders warned Los Angeles residents to steer clear after protesters lit Waymo cabs on fire, releasing toxic gases
Los Angeles is one of a handful of cities with Waymo self-driving taxi cabs. The cabs look suspiciously like Jaguar I-PACE EVs in science-fiction cosplay, devoid of drivers. They’re not a new addition to LA’s streets, either. In the roundabout eight months since Waymo started transporting passengers in the city, roughly 100 self-driving cabs have covered nearly two million miles.
Fast forward to this last weekend, and five of the autonomous taxis were targets for Los Angeles protesters seeking to demonstrate against the ICE raids in the city. The five Waymo cabs were queued up on Los Angeles Street near Acradia Street. It was almost 5:00 p.m. when protesters descended on the vehicles, slashing tires, breaking windows, and spray painting them. The demonstrators didn’t stop there, though.
Moments later, the Los Angeles protesters set fire to the five self-driving cabs. The vandalism continued as people stomped on the burning EVs, ripped doors off, and tossed for-rent electric scooters onto the infernos. The wounded self-driving taxi cabs honked away as they burned, accompanied by a soundtrack of protest chanting.
The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) and police department urged residents to avoid the burning wreck. “Burning lithium-ion batteries release toxic gases, including hydrogen fluoride, posing risks to responders and those nearby,” the LA police said in a public statement. Unfortunately, the I-PACE EVs also use heat-vulnerable battery packs that are difficult to extinguish in the event of a thermal runaway event like a fully-involved car fire.
In response to the destruction, Waymo told the Los Angeles Times that the company was “in touch” with the police concerning the damage. It’s an expensive bout of vandalism, too. Cost estimates for a complete Waymo cab are somewhere between $150,000 and $200,000. Not exactly an aging Ford Crown Victoria with a roof-mounted taxi sign.
