After noise complaints, judge orders Waymo to stop overnight charging in Santa Monica

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/08/after-noise-complaints-judge-orders-waymo-to-stop-overnight-charging-in-santa-monica

27 points · 4 comments · view on lemmy.world

4 Comments

halcyoncmdr@piefed.social · 7 pts · 14d (2 replies)

I was gonna ask how the hell EV charging could cause noise complaints... It doesn't. It's the reverse beeps.

“The constant ‘beep beep beep’ sound as the autonomous vehicles back out of their spaces (in their own lots) is an incessant disturbance that hinders both our tranquillity during the day and our peace during the night,” wrote Christopher Potter, a man who says he lives right next to the lots.

Because for whatever reason, Waymo vehicles do the same crap big ass trucks do, instead of being like any other regular minivan. Willing to bet that's a CA requirement for them. California causing the problem would be par for the course.

Also... The fake acceleration sounds that are required are part of the complaints.

“At 2 am when the bars let out, that’s when [they had been] full bore,” he said. “My apartment faces Broadway. The sound of the Waymos, yes, but the acceleration and deceleration sound that EVs have, makes it sounds like you have Tron outside your window. It [was] one after another!”

voidx@futurology.today · 4 pts · 14d

Probably mandated by law to have those beepers.

higgsboson@piefed.social · 1 pts · 14d

I cant imagine why we might employ a safety feature

Probably safer to have the beep considering the car is an idiot robot.

BrickEater@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 14d

Good, fuck waymos. They cause so much fucking traffic in my city.