Electricity prices skyrocket 40% since 2020 as AI data centers and electric vehicles shatter two decades of stable power demand, forcing utilities to spend over $1 trillion on new infrastructure while regulators battle over who pays the massive costs.
A speeding vehicle crashes into stopped traffic near San Francisco's Union Square, killing one person and a dog after striking a Waymo autonomous car in the first fatal U.S. collision involving a truly driverless vehicle, though investigators do not blame the self-driving technology.
Tesla shareholders overwhelmingly approve Elon Musk's unprecedented $1 trillion compensation package tied to achieving an $8.5 trillion market cap, 20 million vehicle deliveries, and deploying 1 million robotaxis, boosting his ownership stake from 13% to 25%.
Electric vehicle maker Rivian spins off Mind Robotics, securing $115 million in seed funding to develop AI-powered robotic solutions for manufacturing operations using Rivian's operational data.
Baidu's Apollo Go robotaxi service reaches 250,000 weekly driverless rides, matching Waymo's performance while operating across Chinese cities and expanding internationally to Hong Kong, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Switzerland with 140 million accident-free autonomous rides completed.
Pony.ai becomes the first company to receive a citywide robotaxi permit for all of Shenzhen, China, ending pilot zone restrictions as it plans to deploy over 1,000 cost-efficient seventh-generation autonomous vehicles in partnership with local taxi firm Xihu Group.
Waymo robotaxis demonstrate flawless navigation through Los Angeles streets, seamlessly handling traffic and lane changes, but spark privacy debates as vehicles continuously record passengers and issue behavioral warnings through speakers.
Tesla announces plans to remove human safety monitors from its Austin robotaxis by year-end, marking a major step toward fully autonomous operations after logging over 250,000 monitored miles in the city, while expanding to 8-10 new markets by 2025.
Chinese autonomous vehicle company Zelostech secures $100 million in Series B4 funding led by Ant Group, bringing total Series B funding to $400 million as the firm operates over 10,000 driverless logistics vehicles globally for clients including China Post and DHL across multiple countries.
Chinese autonomous delivery startup Neolix secures $600 million in funding led by UAE-based Stone Venture, claiming deployment of 10,000 robovans across China as competition intensifies in the rapidly evolving self-driving delivery vehicle market.