EV Drivers Say Waymo Robotaxis Are Creating Long Lines at Las Vegas ChargersGuessing HeadlightsOlivia RichmanThu, September 17, 2026 at 11:41 AM UTCAdd us on GoogleImage Credit: KTNV / YouTube.Las Vegas drivers who already depend on public EV chargers say they have some new competition for a plug: Waymo robotaxis.Two local rideshare drivers told KTNV that Waymo vehicles have been showing up at a public Electrify America station near Flamingo Road and Maryland Parkway, where waits can stretch well beyond the time it takes to grab a quick charge.Jahmeek Williams said he once waited about an hour and a half. Rideshare driver Sharon McWilliams described similarly long waits and questioned why a commercial fleet was relying on chargers also used by individual EV owners.AdvertisementAdvertisementWaymo acknowledged that it uses public charging infrastructure in Las Vegas, although the company also has a depot with charging and says its reliance on public stations changes as its operations in a city mature. The complaints surfaced as Waymo began welcoming public riders in Las Vegas on Sept. 14, following months of testing in the city.Waiting Their TurnEmbedded media follows; please allow a moment to load.Williams told KTNV he has encountered Waymo vehicles charging at the Electrify America location more than once."I think one time I waited a good hour and thirty minutes," he said.McWilliams, who also drives for rideshare services, said she has found herself stuck in the same kind of line. Her frustration was less about EVs needing electricity than about a commercial fleet drawing from the same limited pool of public chargers.AdvertisementAdvertisement"They need to build their own infrastructure honestly," she told the station.The report did not establish how frequently Waymo vehicles use the location or how much of any individual wait can be attributed specifically to the robotaxis. Public charging stations can develop queues for a number of reasons, including ordinary demand and unavailable charging ports.Waymo's AnswerWaymo told KTNV that it does have dedicated charging at a depot but also uses publicly available charging infrastructure.The company said it attempts to limit and stagger that public charging use. When Waymo vehicles are being driven or supervised by human specialists, those workers may also choose to charge during a break.AdvertisementAdvertisementAs operations in a city mature, Waymo said it establishes more of its own charging infrastructure and prioritizes those dedicated facilities.That distinction is especially relevant in Las Vegas right now. Waymo only began carrying its first public riders there this week after testing in the city, and the company says more than 100,000 people expressed interest in using the service before the rollout. Its initial service area covers nearly 24 square miles, including portions of the Strip, Spring Valley and Winchester.Who Gets The Plug?The dispute is part of a broader question emerging as robotaxi fleets expand: whether commercially operated autonomous vehicles should use public infrastructure on the same terms as individual drivers.In a Forbes analysis published before Waymo's Las Vegas public launch, contributor Brad Templeton argued that fleet vehicles have as much right to use public chargers as other EV customers.AdvertisementAdvertisementThere is a tradeoff, he noted. Sending robotaxis farther away to company-owned charging depots may leave public stalls available, but it also requires the vehicles to travel additional miles without passengers. Building dedicated charging infrastructure can also take considerable time because of the electrical service and other work required.None of that eliminates the problem confronting drivers who pull into a station and find its available chargers occupied.For now, Waymo says public charging remains part of its Las Vegas operations as the company expands. Its longer-term approach, according to the company, is to increasingly rely on dedicated charging infrastructure as the local service matures.If you want more stories like this, follow Guessing Headlights on Yahoo so you don't miss what's coming next.