Waymo Robotaxis Crowd San Diego EV Charging Stations

Waymo's rapid deployment in San Diego has created congestion at public charging stations, with drivers reporting long waits as robotaxis occupy spots. EV drivers in San Diego have waited up to an hour for charging spots, a situation highlighting operational challenges as autonomous vehicle fleets expand. José Manjarrés, a San Diego resident, reported waiting an hour to charge his Ford Mustang Mach-E because robotaxis occupied charging stations. Another local, 24-year-old Finn Sadler, reported waiting more than half an hour to charge his Audi E-tron due to the same robotaxi congestion. Waymo officially launched its service in San Diego in September, with vehicles appearing months earlier during testing.

A Waymo spokesperson stated it deploys personnel at public charging stations to assist robotaxis and avoid bunching, but prioritizes dedicated charging as operations mature. The company operates in 15 cities across the U.S., and similar charging conflicts have emerged elsewhere. EV drivers in Nashville and St. Louis have also accused Waymo of hogging public chargers. A Reddit user shared a photo of three Waymo vehicles occupying charging spots at a Nashville station. A Facebook user posted an image of Waymos using chargers at an Electrify America station in St. Louis, noting, 'there are precious few public fast chargers in St. Louis.'

EV infrastructure responses

Charging networks and city officials are responding to the congestion through expanded infrastructure and policy measures. EVgo confirmed its San Diego chargers are available to both private EV drivers and robotaxis. The network operator also runs charging stations for autonomous vehicle partners in Los Angeles and San Francisco and had 120 stalls dedicated to AV companies earlier this year. Electrify America, a Virginia-based charging company founded by Volkswagen Group of America, owns 13 charging stations in San Diego and over 300 in California.

San Diego plans to expand its public charging network with over 50 new sites in 18 months. This includes retrofitting existing stations and adding chargers at libraries and recreation centers. A city spokesperson confirmed San Diego's charging expansion is independent of private companies like Waymo and that all users, including robotaxis, would pay standard fees.

Community and regulatory pushback

Residents and city officials across multiple markets are raising concerns about Waymo's impact on charging access and neighborhood conditions. In Santa Monica, neighbors complained about noise from Waymo's charging lots, leading the City Council to order the charging provider to stop overnight operations last year. San Francisco residents reported Waymo vehicles honking at each other at a depot at night. One driver said: 'They come in droves.'

City Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera stated Waymo should not displace human drivers who rely on charging routines for work and family logistics. In L.A. County, Commerce is mapping and training Waymo vehicles and announced additional overnight patrols and monitoring of vehicles parked in residential areas following resident concerns. San Diego's planned charging expansion of 50 new sites over 18 months aims to address the growing demand from all electric vehicle users.