Waymo taxis flare up during the LA protests. It is unknown whether they were called or if the protesters took advantage of their presence.
Protesters burned Waymo cars in anti-ice protests in Los Angeles
Footage showed flames and thick smoke as demonstrators burned Waymo’s car during an anti-ice protest in Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon.
In Los Angeles, multiple Waymo autonomous Robotaxis flareed during the protests there. Other cars were also placed in the torch, but Waymos has been attracting special interest. This is partly because it is new in the scene, and partly as an electric vehicle, when the battery burns, it raises certain concerns that differ.
This is what we know and what the experts are concerned about.
How many Waymos were on fire?
Social media and photos show that at least five Waymo autonomous Robotaxis flares up on Sunday, June 8 amid immigration protests in downtown Los Angeles.
Not only did the protesters smash all Jaguar I-Pace electric SUVs into the car, they also spray painted anti-ice and anti-Trump slogans. Some were also lit.
According to the car and driver, the burning car, priced at $73,000 for the base sticker, sent thick black smoke feathers swirling through the blue Los Angeles sky, creating stunning photos that were prominently thought of in many media feeds about the protest.
What is Waymo doing about attacking the car?
Waymo has stopped services to downtown Los Angeles affected areas.
A Waymo spokesperson told USA Today on Monday morning, June 9th that the company had removed vehicles from downtown Los Angeles and is currently not serving the area “from a wealth of attention.”
The spokesman said the company is still open in Los Angeles, which covers 500 square miles, and is working in conjunction with the Los Angeles Police Department.
In San Francisco, where three separate protests are planned on Monday, June 9th, Waymo told USA Today that it is restricting travel in certain areas where protesters may gather while the company still operates and serves its riders in San Francisco.
What other cities have Waymos?
Waymo is available for rides in Austin, Phoenix, Los Angeles, parts of Silicon Valley, and all of San Francisco. They are scheduled to start in 2026 in Atlanta, Miami and Washington. In April, the company began testing in Tokyo and announced its first foreign venture.
Driverless Robotaxis offers over 250,000 trips per week.
Waymo is owned by Alphabet, the parent company of Google.
Are people specifically targeting Waymos?
It’s not clear whether the Los Angeles protesters were specifically targeting Waymo, or whether the car happened to wander into the area, or whether they were perceived as more vulnerable because there were no drivers, or simply didn’t know they were driving.
Everything burned, Waymo looked like the sky. This means that passengers are not potentially at risk.
There was an online suggestion that protesters may have called Waymos specifically to the area to burn them. But that means Waymo knows the names and contact information of the people who called them, and while certainly not impossible, the scenario is less likely. Waymo never said how the car became in the area.
There was also a suggestion that Waymos was targeted because it was decorated with cameras. This means it could be used to identify protesters engaged in illegal activities. However, many modern cars are equipped with cameras, so it’s not that different from most new vehicles on the road.
In cities where Waymos is available, such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin and Phoenix, cars are very similar to human-driven taxis. They often seem to drive on the way to pick up passengers or park when waiting for requests for the next ride.
In other words, they often wander the city’s streets in busy areas, particularly popular areas, such as downtown Los Angeles. So it’s quite possible that the attacked Waymos was following their business and happened to be in the wrong place.
It is also true that Waymos has extremely conservative driving habits and will not drive intimidatingly if surrounded by people. Thus, human drivers can spin the motor, drive aggressively, and get out of potentially dangerous situations, but Waymo quietly tries to go along the way.
What happens when an EV burns?
Electric vehicle fires can burn hotter and more violently than gas-fueled cars if the battery is lit. This can happen if the battery crashes or if salt water is penetrating the battery, so that the car may approach the coast during a hurricane or flood event.
If the battery of an electric vehicle is damaged by a collision or water intrusion, a short circuit can occur, causing the cell to release energy and get hot. This can lead to an event called “thermal runaway”, where heat is propagated from one cell to the next, burning them.
Heat generated from the fire, thermal runaway in adjacent cells, or shortening the battery can melt the porous membrane between the battery’s cathode and anode, causing this cell to runaway. Heat can cause cells to drain flammable gases and ignite and ignite, causing a chain reaction.
Is burning cars a health hazard?
Dr. Alberto Caban Martinez, assistant director of the Sylvester Firefighter Cancer Initiative at the Miami Mirror School of Medicine, says there are important differences between electric vehicle (EV) fires and traditional gasoline-powered vehicles in terms of both combustion characteristics and potential health damage.
EV fires can release gases such as hydrogen fluoride, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, and metal-based particles.
“These emissions differ from the compositions produced by gasoline combustion, primarily containing carbon monoxide, benzene and other hydrocarbons,” he said.
Health concerns arise, especially for people nearby, especially those downwind bystanders of smoke platters that can inhale toxic burn byproducts. Caban-Martinez said.
However, firefighters are at special risk due to the frequency and intensity of exposure to EV fires.
“Firemen often work in close proximity to fires, are involved in long-term control and overhaul tasks, and may experience cumulative exposures over the course of their carriers. Even low doses to hazardous substances released during EV fires can increase the risk of long-term health effects even when exposed to repeated exposures.
To set an electric car on fire, there are many different techniques to do
If an electric vehicle battery causes a fire, it may require a variety of fire-fighting techniques to extinguish it. Firefighters are trained in these techniques, and the National Fire Prevention Association provides emergency response guides for most alternative fuel vehicles.
Today, most EVs are built with what is known as “cut loops” or “first responder loops,” allowing firefighters and first responders to easily cut and cut high voltage systems outside the high voltage battery, reducing the likelihood of electric shocks and fire. Note: This can only be done safely by trained professionals with the right tools and gear.
EV fires are more difficult to come out than gas-powered vehicles, and require a variety of firefighters trained.
The biggest difference is that EV battery fires cannot be extinguished with the types of fire foam used to suffocate other fires. If the EV battery is burning, the foam cannot turn off the fire because it is independent and does not need to burn oxygen.
Instead, the battery needs to be cooled to turn off the fire and end the heat runaway. One technique is to use a special “pancake nozzle” that can be slide under the vehicle and spray water on the bottom of the battery box, but these require a large amount of water.