Zoox, a company specializing in autonomous vehicles that was acquired by Amazon in 2020, has received governmental permission from the United States to begin charging for its robotaxi rides. This authorization is the first of its kind in the country for a fully autonomous vehicle, devoid of a steering wheel, pedals, or any manual controls.
The automobile, which features an unusual design distinct from a conventional sedan, now has clearance following an extensive verification process. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) emphasized that this clearance aims to boost innovation in the transportation sector. With the approval in hand, paid operations are set to commence as early as August.
It is relevant to note that Waymo already offers autonomous car services in the US; however, their models maintain the traditional structure with a steering wheel and pedals, allowing for human driving. Zoox's distinction lies in the fact that its robotaxi was designed from the outset without any manual control mechanism.
This authorization was made possible by a recent regulatory change. In 2025, the US government and NHTSA established a new legal pathway for domestic manufacturers developing vehicles capable of operating without human intervention. According to an official statement, the approval grants permission for the commercial operation of up to 2,500 robotaxis annually over the next two years.
The starting point for this new paid phase will be Las Vegas, Nevada, where Zoox had already been conducting technology demonstrations through free trials since the previous year. The startup announced that it has been collaborating with local regulatory authorities to ensure compliance with all operational and commercial requirements before activating the charging application.
Data released by the company shows significant interest in the service. According to the company, over five hundred thousand passengers have already used the free rides on the streets of Las Vegas and San Francisco, and there are 500,000 registered users awaiting the chance to use the vehicle.
Although driverless cars are already circulating in California, the company has not yet set a precise date to begin charging in San Francisco. Zoox's goal is to bring its autonomous fleet to other major American cities still in 2026, with planned launches in Dallas, Phoenix, Austin, and Miami.
To support this new phase and the expected increase in ride volume, the Amazon subsidiary recently presented the final version of the robotaxi. The interior is designed to accommodate up to four people seated facing each other. However, the vehicle underwent specific adjustments aimed at improving comfort, safety, and communication capabilities.
The manufacturer needed to modify the external color scheme and relocate the bidirectional reflectors to make the front and rear of the car more intuitively identifiable by pedestrians and other drivers. Additionally, a bidirectional audio system was integrated into the doors. This feature allows communication with external people and speeds up contact between emergency teams and the Zoox support center.
The assembly of the revised commercial fleet takes place at the company's robotaxi factory located in Hayward, California. The manufacturer reported that the production line is prepared to deliver up to 100 units weekly, a crucial volume to sustain planned growth and consolidate the technology in urban areas.
Tata Steel UK plans to launch the largest low-carbon electric arc furnace (EAF) project in the UK at Port Talbot. This project will replace a non-operational blast furnace plant and is part of the company's decarbonization strategy.
Tata Steel UK CEO, T. V. Narendran, stated that the company anticipates gaining access to electricity for its 3.2 million tonne EAF by 2029, emphasizing that the project construction is proceeding without delays.
The investment in this project amounts to £1.25 billion. Although the project itself is expected to be ready by 2028, the commencement of power supply may only occur in 2029. Negotiations are currently underway with the electricity supplier National Grid to find solutions that would allow earlier power delivery.
Narendran noted that they are working with the supplier to explore the possibility of receiving partial power supply before the completion of infrastructure construction. This would allow for some testing prior to receiving full electrical capacity. He added that a plan is being developed to mitigate the consequences of delays in energy infrastructure development.
Furthermore, the CEO confirmed that major demolition work on the site has been completed, and equipment manufacturing and delivery are continuing at the planned pace. Access to high-voltage electricity is crucial for the planned transition.
The project, which receives government support of £500 million, aims to reduce the company's Scope 1 CO2 emissions by 90 percent, equivalent to 5 million tonnes annually.
In May 2024, Tata Steel signed a connection agreement with the Electricity System Operator (ESO). Under this agreement, National Grid must build new electrical infrastructure capable of supplying the 3.2 million tonne EAF by the end of 2027.
According to Tata Steel information, NESO (National Electricity System Operator) is a governmental body managing the connection process, including the connection agreement with TSUK, and also oversees the operation of the electricity grid in the UK. Meanwhile, National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) is a private company responsible for the construction, ownership, and maintenance of this connection line.
Drivers in South Africa may see a slight decrease in petrol prices in August, but a sharp increase in diesel fuel costs is forecast, which is likely to raise transport expenses and intensify inflationary pressure.
Frank Blackmore, lead economist at KPMG South Africa, noted that current Central Energy Fund data indicates a possible decrease in petrol prices ranging from 0.20 to 0.26 South African Rand. However, he emphasized that the forecast for diesel fuel looks very different.
According to him, in August, the cost of diesel fuel could rise from approximately 1.27 to 1.50 South African Rand, and the price of kerosene will also increase by more than one rand. Blackmore warned that these figures are preliminary, and final adjustments will be announced by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy.
Although drivers of petrol vehicles may welcome the expected price drop, Blackmore warned about the broader economic consequences of the sharp rise in diesel fuel prices. South Africa's transport sector is increasingly reliant on road transport due to problems with the country's rail network. Since heavy trucks and commercial transport predominantly use diesel fuel, the rise in fuel prices is expected to affect the entire supply chain.
He added that the increase in diesel fuel prices is likely to put additional pressure on inflation, as the non-operational railway system forces much more cargo to be moved by road, which often requires the use of diesel fuel.
Neil Royce, CEO of Debt Rescue, stated that the concern goes beyond just changes in fuel prices. Many households are already struggling to cover rising living costs. Royce noted that what is most important for consumers is not the change in fuel prices itself, but the overall pressure they are already putting on household budgets. Regardless of whether fuel prices rise or petrol drivers receive limited support, many South Africans remain financially strained and have little capacity to cover further increases in the cost of essential necessities.
Royce specifically highlighted the diesel increase as a cause for serious concern due to its pervasive impact on the economy. From a consumer debt perspective, the sharp increase in diesel fuel prices is particularly worrying because diesel fuel is factored into the cost of transporting food, public transport operations, agricultural support, and delivery of essential goods. Consequently, even consumers who do not use diesel vehicles may feel this through grocery prices, transport fares, delivery charges, and daily services.
He warned that households face these rising costs simultaneously, not individually. Although these increases may manifest separately, households experience them collectively within a single monthly budget. Royce reported that Debt Rescue is observing growing signs of financial distress among consumers. When working with financially burdened households, warning signs go beyond overdue debt payments; they include using credit to buy groceries, deferring municipal or insurance payments, transferring money between accounts to cover debits, and resorting to short-term loans before payday. These are signs that basic living expenses are beginning to exceed disposable income.
Although the South African Reserve Bank's decision to keep the repo rate unchanged at 7% has prevented further increases in debt repayments, Royce noted that this has provided little relief to financial pressure. He added that while a reduction in the Slate Levy tax could potentially allow for a more significant drop in petrol prices, consumers should not rely on this possibility until the final adjustment is announced. The main issue is the cumulative erosion of purchasing power. When costs for food, transport, electricity, and debt remain high, households are forced to allocate limited income to cover basic living expenses. Regardless of the final fuel price adjustment, consumers remain under significant financial pressure, and even small additional expenses can complicate managing an already difficult monthly budget.
Increased transport costs typically affect the economy by raising the cost of transporting food, agricultural products, industrial goods, and retail stock. Economists note that these additional costs are often passed on to consumers, creating further pressure on already tight family budgets. Despite the expected petrol price drop providing only limited relief to drivers, the forecasted rise in diesel fuel prices is expected to have a much greater impact on inflation, business costs, and the cost of living in the coming months.
Lindiwe Nkunana-Kgopa turned a rejection into one of South Africa's most inspiring entrepreneurial success stories by founding a business that has changed the landscape of female entrepreneurship in Africa. After being told she did not 'fit the profile' for a manufacturing role, she built an enterprise entirely owned and managed by women.
More than a decade ago, a comment at a women's event fundamentally changed Nkunana-Kgopa's life. Today, she is the founder and CEO of Lindiwe Sanitary Pads (LSP) and was awarded the Veuve Clicquot Bold Woman Award 2026 for reimagining women's achievements in African manufacturing.
She recalled that the speaker at the event noted that there had never been a female president in South Africa, nor had any woman ever owned a large-scale sanitary pad factory. Although the audience continued its movement, Nkunana-Kgopa remained determined to change this situation. She emphasized: 'The entire industry, built on women's bodies, supported by women's needs and bought with women's money, has never belonged to a woman on an industrial scale.' This gap between who the industry served and who owned it prompted her to found LSP.
Today, Nkunana-Kgopa leads the first large-scale hygiene production facility in Africa that is exclusively owned and operated by women. Lindiwe Sanitary Pads, founded in 2018 in a home kitchen, has grown into a 4000 square meter factory in Centurion, Gauteng, capable of producing 800 South African Bureau of Standards compliant sanitary pads every minute.
The business now exports products to 11 African countries and employs women from previously underserved communities. Through partnerships and donation programs, the company provided free sanitary pads to over 100,000 schoolgirls in South Africa this year.
Born and raised in Limpopo, Nkunana-Kgopa became a mother while studying at university in Pretoria. Instead of letting circumstances dictate her future, she focused on creating a business that she felt Africa needed. However, gaining investor trust proved more difficult than developing the concept itself.
She remembers banking experts stating that she simply did not fit the profile of someone who could succeed in manufacturing. She responded that she intended to succeed, and the real question was whether they would be part of this success story. Rather than giving up due to unmet requirements, she built herself and her business until she met that profile.
Access to funding became one of the biggest hurdles for the nascent company. As the first producer entering a traditionally male-dominated industry, Nkunana-Kgopa struggled to convince lenders and investors to support her venture. Instead, she relied on business development programs, disciplined financial management, and relentless perseverance.
She noted that every setback—whether a facility delay, a difficult overdraft period, or stalled negotiations—was viewed as a problem to be solved, not a reason to stop. One defining moment occurred during one of the company's toughest periods. With little money, suppliers demanding payment and the business's future hanging in the balance, Nkunana-Kgopa invited potential sponsors to visit her factory instead of relying solely on presentations and documents.
This decision changed the company's future. She managed to secure R27 million in funding, allowing the business to transition from home operations to a modern production facility capable of supplying retail stores, wholesale buyers, and the National Dignity Program in South Africa.
Today, Lindiwe Sanitary Pads has 36 permanent employees and another 93 workers during peak production periods, most of whom are women from previously disadvantaged communities. For Nkunana-Kgopa, the greatest success of the factory lies not only in what it produces but in the opportunities it creates.
Through a partnership with Young Women of Africa, the company has expanded to 11 African countries, helping women entrepreneurs launch and own their own hygiene brands, creating new pathways to economic independence. This partnership also supports programs aimed at rescuing girls from child marriage and female genital mutilation, allowing them to return to school and build independent futures.
At the local level, government partnerships and the company's 'Buy to Give' initiative allowed over 100,000 schoolgirls in South Africa to receive free sanitary pads this year, helping to reduce menstruation-related poverty and school absenteeism. Nkunana-Kgopa believes that the hygiene industry exists because of women's needs, yet for decades, production has been predominantly male.
Creating an enterprise owned and run by women involved closing this gap, ensuring that the value created by an industry serving women is also claimed by them as owners, decision-makers, and industrialists.
In honor of Women's Month in South Africa, Nkunana-Kgopa hopes her journey will inspire more women to enter industries where they have traditionally been overlooked. She advises: 'Don't wait for someone to tell you that you fit the profile—build a track record that redefines what that profile looks like.' She urges people to expect underestimation and use it as fuel, rather than a demotivating factor, by deeply studying the technical and financial foundations of their industry, as competence is the strongest answer to doubt.
At 43, Nkunana-Kgopa stated that her ambitions extend far beyond expanding one company. She aims to leave behind an industry transformed by female leadership, where ownership ceases to be the exception and becomes the norm. She wants the industry to look fundamentally different from how she entered it—where African women are owners and industrialists in the menstrual economy, not just consumers. She wishes the LSP model of production, mentorship, and market access for other women-owned brands to be replicable across the continent long after she is gone.
