Despite their intention to help build the future of transportation for people, autonomous robotaxis remain the ire of residents of cities where such vehicles are used.
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According to a Reuters reportOn the night of February 10, a crowd near San Francisco's Chinatown vandalized and set fire to a Jaguar I-Pace electric SUV owned by Alphabet. (GOOG) robotaxi company Waymo, leaving the driverless car burning to a crisp on city streets amid Lunar New Year celebrations.
According to a witness who spoke to Reuters, the incident began when one person jumped on the hood of the Waymo and broke the windshield, while another person jumped on the hood 30 seconds later with the approval of the crowd. He also noted that the energy the crowd exuded made it feel like nothing could have stopped it.
“That's when he went crazy,” witness Michael Vandi told Reuters, describing people with skateboards breaking the Jaguar's glass and others painting graffiti on the car.
“There were two groups of people. People who cheered him on, and others who were just shocked and started filming. No one stood up; I mean, there was nothing you could do to face dozens of people.”
Waymo said the vehicle was not carrying passengers at the time. No injuries were reported and the company is working with local officials to respond to the situation.
The San Francisco Fire Department said a Jaguar fireworks employee started the fire. He has handed the case over to police, who are investigating the cause of the attack.
The incident comes at a time of tension between the San Francisco public and companies such as Waymo and General Motors. (G.M.) Cruise, whose self-driving cars have been actively cruising the streets of San Francisco.
On the afternoon of February 6, a driverless Waymo similar to the burned-out Jaguar near San Francisco's Chinatown struck a bicyclist after failing to spot him at the intersection of 17th and Mississippi streets in San Francisco's Potrero Hill neighborhood.
According to Waymo, the car stopped at a four-way stop while waiting for a large truck to turn into the intersection. The car waited its turn and moved through the intersection, without detecting the cyclist who was traveling behind the truck.
“The cyclist was blocked by the truck and quickly followed it, moving into the path of the Waymo vehicle,” said Waymo spokeswoman Julia Ilina. “When they became fully visible, our vehicle braked hard but was unable to avoid the collision.”
The cyclist reported minor injuries.
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In October 2023, Waymo rival Cruise was involved in a much more tragic incident in the city, when a pedestrian struck by a hit-and-run driver jumped into the path of a Cruise driverless vehicle. The Cruise vehicle proceeded to pull over to the side of the road, but did not detect that the victim was still trapped under the car.
On October 24, the California Department of Motor Vehicles suspended Cruise's permits statewide, saying his vehicles posed “an unreasonable risk to the public.”
In a statement, San Francisco Mayor London Breed called the Feb. 10 incident “a dangerous and destructive act of vandalism.”
My statement regarding the arson of an autonomous vehicle last weekend. pic.twitter.com/VRrO9j704t
– London Breed (@LondonBreed) February 12, 2024
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