February 23, 2022
Belgian household services provider Ekoservices has just added 15 Citroën Amis to its fleet of company cars. The service provider is making a statement because, as a local assistance supplier, a small electric vehicle with a maximum speed of 45 km/hour is a remarkable choice. At Citroën, they describe their Ami as ‘disruptive urban mobility’. […]
February 21, 2022
Jeep is launching the fifth generation of the Grand Cherokee 4xe on the European market once again. This new Grand Cherokee was launched in the USA at the beginning of this year and will also make its debut in Europe before spring. Gasoline-guzzling V6 and V8 engines remain in the US for the time being, […]
February 17, 2022
Renault launches the all-electric Megane today, but in fact, it is an entirely new model that has nothing to do with the existing Mégane that has been in the showrooms for about five years now. The Megane E-TECH ELECTRIC is entitled to a brand new platform and benefits from ten years of EV experience that […]
February 03, 2022
In a response to the ruling of the Belgian Council of State, Ghent decided to scrap the ‘discrimination’ in allowing an unlimited access pass for vintage cars older than 40 years into the Low Emission Zone (LEZ) and not for younger classics between 30 and 40. Now all classic cars have to buy a €35 […]
January 26, 2022
Car website Vroom launches the EV checker, an online tool that aims to guide prospective car buyers in their choice of car, particularly electromobility. The device is online today via vroom-ev.com. By entering some initial data like your location, the kilometers driven per year, whether you’ll use highways, city streets, or local roads mostly, the […]
January 25, 2022
The heritage of Sir Alec Issigonis, the creator of the Mini, still seems strong enough today to give it a contemporary touch. So much so that parent company BMW has given the go-ahead for MINI Recharged, where classic Minis swap their Morris engines for an electric powertrain. The idea of converting classic Minis came from […]
January 24, 2022
GM has some catching up to do when it comes to all-electric models. The American car giant has committed itself to having more than 20 electric models in its showrooms by 2023. Today GM is taking an essential step by starting pre-production of the Cadillac Lyriq. The first examples should reach (American) dealers in the […]
January 20, 2022
Electric scooters with universal swappable batteries provided by a network of swapping stations may become the future mobility solution in busy cities. Yamaha is launching such a scooter on the Taiwanese market (Yamaha EMF), and for the exchangeable batteries, the manufacturer is working together with local Gogoro. Of course, one can take the removable battery […]
January 17, 2022
The kilometer charge for trucks works because the proportion of clean trucks on Belgian roads is steadily increasing, with 80% of the trucks being of the latest Euro 6 standard. The increase is so significant, in fact, that Viapass is proposing making the rules stricter in the future, even for electric trucks. In 2021, revenues […]
January 14, 2022
AG Insurance, one of the leading players in the Belgian insurance market, wants to make charging infrastructure accessible to a broader public. With the Optimile Mobiflow card displaying actual prices that apply, it wants to give users a more transparent view of the different charging units. AG previously (2020) took a stake in Optimile in […]
January 11, 2022
Nowadays, it is challenging for consumers to decide which propulsion method or fuel is the best. Brandstofwijzer.be is DATS 24’s attempt to guide the consumer through the choice options. “What should I buy?” It has become a quasi-rhetorical question by now because even a technically skilled automotive journalist with broad market knowledge cannot give conclusive […]
December 28, 2021
Yamaha will launch two fully electric scooters in 2022. The concept versions were already seen on the Tokyo Motorshow back in 2019. Remarkably, the compact E02 is powered by a universal removable battery that can also be found in other scooters of Japanese origin. The E01 is a maxiscooter with a double saddle and an […]
December 27, 2021
A veteran car was discovered in a barn at a villa district in Leipzig, Germany, this year. The buyer paid several hundred euros for an old three-wheeler with the engine at the front. Today, there is speculation that this car may be the oldest car in the world, older even than the Benz Patent Car, […]
December 22, 2021
The Flemish Road Safety Foundation starts a campaign for truck drivers and transport companies to raise their awareness to wear their seatbelts better and more often because research shows that there is still room for improvement. A survey by the Flemish Traffic Research Foundation (Vlaamse Stichting Verkeerskunde, VSV) among truck drivers in Flanders has shown […]
December 21, 2021
General Motors has just delivered the first vehicles that use the brand new Ultium platform developed exclusively for electrically powered vehicles. By 2025, GM plans to launch 30 different models on this basis worldwide. In the first phase, the real GMC Hummer will be built on this base platform. The Hummer is back and wants […]
December 21, 2021
The Federal and Flemish Governments want to accelerate the electrification of the Belgian car fleet. The phasing out of the tax deduction for company cars with combustion engines will significantly increase the number of electric vehicles in the Belgian fleet over the next few years. To charge these vehicles quickly, Flemish Minister for Mobility, Lydia […]
December 20, 2021
The FIA (Féderation Internationale de l’Automobile) is getting a new president, after top executive Jean Todt hands over the torch to his successor, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, after 12 years of presidency. The FIA is an international body that manages numerous motorsport and mobility organizations worldwide. Founded in 1904, the FIA has its headquarters in Geneva […]
December 16, 2021
The Flemish Foundation for Traffic Science (Vlaamse Stichting Verkeerskunde, VSV) is launching a free learning platform, called ‘MijnrijbewijsA.be’, for motorcyclists and aspiring motorcyclists. It aims to inform users of motorized two-wheelers about the safety aspects of motorcycling and the applicable traffic rules. The platform is free of charge and addressed to all interested parties. To […]
December 15, 2021
Earlier this year, Belgian car importer D’Ieteren announced that – besides car import – it would also focus on bicycle distribution and maintenance. Today, the group puts its money where its mouth is with the second major acquisition of iBikes, a group of bicycle shops in the Antwerp region. D’Ieteren has already made a significant […]
December 08, 2021
Jeep has an update ready for its most legendary model, the Wrangler. As a sign of the time, the American 4×4-manufacturer also delivers a plug-in hybrid version (4xe) which got some adjustments for the model year 2022. With its 17 kWh battery, this Jeep should have a pure electric range of 50 kilometers. And on […]
December 03, 2021
Mobility organization VAB has just announced the winners of the ‘VAB Gezinswagen van het jaar 2022’ family car election. The three winners were the Dacia Sandero Stepway, the Toyota Corolla Hybrid, and the Hyundai Ioniq 5, each in their specific category. The jury, consisting of automotive journalists and families, made a remarkably rational choice for […]
December 01, 2021
Italian motor racer Max Biaggi has set a new speed record at the wheel of an electric motorbike at the end of November. Venturi’s Voxan Wattman reached a top speed of no less than 456 km/hour on the grounds of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, US. Max Biaggi is a renowned Italian racing driver […]
October 19, 2021
Dacia has just launched the Spring, the cheapest pure electric car on the market. For just over 17 000 euros, you can buy an EV with a range of 225 km. Initially intended for use in shared car platforms, the car is also available on the consumer market. The Dacia Spring is already existing and […]
September 29, 2021
TotalEnergies has launched a joint venture with China Three Gorges Corporation (CTG) to roll out an electric vehicle charging network on Chinese soil. This will involve more than 11 000 fast-charging units providing 60 to 120 kW charging capacity. TotalEnergies is investing heavily in green mobility, as the group participates in all areas. Last week, […]
September 21, 2021
EXia, a spin-off of the Brussels University VUB, founded in 2013, has developed a sensor system for trucks that actively warns the truck driver of vulnerable road users in the blind spot zone around the vehicle. Insurer Ethias supports this technology and hopes to reduce the number of blind spot accidents causing serious injuries or […]
September 17, 2021
MG is a Chinese brand that can launch the right product at the right time, as today the brand is bringing out a semi-premium SUV at a starting price of €40 000. MG is one of the new players in the Belgian and, by extension, European car market. The manufacturer is of Chinese origin and […]
September 16, 2021
A British study by French energy provider EDF shows that SUV drivers in the UK could save up to almost 9 million tons of CO2 a year by switching from a combustion engine SUV to an electric SUV. EDF found that the 4.2million gasoline and diesel SUVs on UK roads will emit around 8.7 million […]
September 09, 2021
At the IAA Mobility, Porsche presented its purely electric customer motorsport vision with the Mission R concept. The concept car is intended to be more than just a design study, and a rolling chassis is already being tested. Porsche already showed a Mission E concept in 2015, launched in 2019 as the Taycan, the first […]
September 09, 2021
Bosch developed a universal charging cable that can be used at a home power socket and a charging station. The typical ‘box’ attached to the slow home charge cable disappears. User friendly EV drivers often complain about carrying two types of charging cables in their car’s (often small) trunks. One is suitable for charging the […]
September 07, 2021
At the IAA in Munich, Volkswagen is showing the ID.LIFE, a compact and electrically powered city car that will hit the market from 2025 and cost between € 20 000 and € 25 000. Compact EVs getting more significant It’s a well-known secret that VW wants to expand its EV range downmarket. Seat already showed […]
September 03, 2021
Audi shows its second futuristic and electrically powered sphere concept, a luxury limo called ‘Grandsphere’. After the sports-oriented Skysphere, today’s Grandsphere is a concept name that covers the flag. With 5.35 meters, it is a lot larger than the A8, Audi’s current (ICE) flagship. The Grandsphere looks particularly futuristic with its concave radiator grille and […]
September 02, 2021
Spanish Volkswagen-Seat subsidiary brand CUPRA is showing at the IAA Munich International Motor Show a concept version of a very extreme electric city car, the Urban Rebel. However, despite its extreme look, it heralds a compact electric city car that we will also see in other brands from the VW stable. The CUPRA Urban Rebel […]
September 02, 2021
The Italian-developed Cleverpod CP01 is a compact three-wheeler with an electric drive system and a 450-liter loading space, with a range of 330 to 390 km. Starting price is $5 500 (€4 640). Its main USP is its 5G connectivity and the batteries that can be easily detached and charged separately. According to the manufacturer, […]
August 30, 2021
Ford Performance has announced an electric motor to convert (classic) vehicles into electric propulsion. The fact that Ford sells ‘separate’ motors is not new; what is new is that it is an electric motor. Ford Performance has announced in a teaser they will sell a crate motor that will make converting an existing internal combustion […]
August 30, 2021
Chevrolet has been working on the Chevrolet Bolt recall for some time. However, due to possible fire risk in the battery, the carmaker will replace the battery of all impacted vehicles. Today, it appears that all European Opel Ampera-e models are also being recalled for battery replacement. The fire problems with the Chevrolet Bolt and […]
August 26, 2021
Opel is launching a compact electric car that offers Sustainable Urban Mobility. However, because its top speed is limited to 45 km/hour, it does not meet the definition of a car. Instead, the Rocks-e is an electrically powered microcar that can be driven in Belgium from the age of 16. The Rocks-e is nothing more […]
August 25, 2021
The Brussels-based start-up Decarbone specializes in converting combustion engine vans to electric vehicles but faces administrative problems in Belgium to register these EVs, as the legal framework still lacks. In June, Decarbone received the Sustainable Impact Award presented by Triodosbank as part of the Greenlab initiatives for start-ups committed to sustainability. Decarbone exists since 2019 […]
August 23, 2021
Although higher and higher prices are being paid for exclusive classic cars, it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep this driving heritage operational. Will a lack of experienced professionals soon force the vintage cars into static museums? There are approximately 130 000 classic cars in Belgium, i.e., more than 30 years old vehicles. In the […]
August 18, 2021
Bicycles are gaining in popularity, and by now, almost half of all new bicycles sold are electrically assisted. Moreover, since e-bikes are increasingly used for commuting, it is fiscally interesting for many users to lease the bicycle instead of buying it privately. In 2020, almost 600 000 new bicycles were sold in Belgium, increasing by […]
August 17, 2021
The sound of a vehicle is a delicate issue, and with the advent of electromobility, the classic sound of the combustion engine is disappearing. So today, Yamaha is developing a high-tech sound generator that gives vehicles and two-wheelers a specific sound using a specially developed sound module. This sound module should benefit the driver’s driving […]
August 10, 2021
At a time when many sports car manufacturers are developing electric sports cars, the Italian manufacturer waited until 2020, its 90th anniversary, to introduce its first plug-in hybrid, the SF 90 Stradale. Today, the brand is showing a 100% electric model, the ultimate rich-man’s-child toy. We’re talking about the 250 Testa Rossa J. This Testa […]
August 09, 2021
Volkswagen is working hard to become an all-electric brand with ID. by the horizon of 2035. By 2030, already 70% of the European fleet should be electric, and to realize that goal, additional models will be developed. In the first phase, this will be the ID.5, but they are also working on a more budget-friendly […]
August 06, 2021
Hyundai launches the Ioniq 5 on the Belgian market today. The basic version of this striking and fully electric SUV is for sale from €45 999 onward, and even this version gets a battery with a capacity of 58 kWh, which gives an autonomy of over 400 km. Moreover, with the 800 V technology, the […]
August 03, 2021
Twenty engineering students from the Belgian KU Leuven University have just presented the new solar car of the Agoria Solar Team, the ‘Blue Point Atlas’. It is a high-tech car with an electric drive system powered by solar energy. A remarkable new feature is that the car now has three wheels instead of four. Expectations […]
August 02, 2021
Dutch start-up Brekr, the specialist in electric mopeds, has just received a capital injection from Bloomit Ventures that will allow the young moped manufacturer to tap into numerous European markets quickly. Brekr launched its first moped, the Model B, on the Dutch market last year, but the moped is now also available in Germany and […]
July 28, 2021
Tesla will make its global network of superchargers accessible to non-Tesla drivers in the future. The American car and battery manufacturer has also just announced that the charging rates will be variable depending on how busy it is. At the most recent Tesla earnings call – where the results for the second quarter of 2021 […]
July 27, 2021
Mercedes’ flagship car is the S-Class, and the latest model is only just hitting the market. Today, Mercedes is launching plug-in hybrid motorization, the S 580 e, which will complement the existing range of (mild-)hybrid six- and eight-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines. Under the hood of this plug-in hybrid powerhouse is a three-liter, six-in-line combustion […]
July 26, 2021
Hyundai will further expand its range of alternative propulsion systems in time. In addition to electric, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid models, the Korean manufacturer also believes in fuel cell propulsion, and that range is also going to grow with three extra models. Hyundai today offers the Nexo (SUV model) on Belgian soil, but with a […]
July 22, 2021
Volvo is going against the grain by taking back control of its Chinese production capacity after parent company Geely Holding helped the Swedish manufacturer through a difficult period. Volvo will acquire an additional 50% of the shares of the two Chinese sites (Daqing Volvo Car Manufacturing and Shanghai Volvo Car Research) by 2023. Win-win situation […]
July 07, 2021
The Dutch company Solution Air promises a kit by the end of 2021 to convert existing vans with a classic combustion engine to run emission-free on compressed air. The idea of running on compressed air is not new. The French company MDI has been experimenting with the principle for two decades. Tata even picked it […]
July 06, 2021
Last weekend the CEO of TotalEnergies, Patrick Pouyanné, indicated that Total is pulling the plug on palm oil. This natural oil had recently come under fire because of the way the oil is extracted. In addition, the combination of monoculture and the chopping down of rainforests to grow palm oil has long been criticized. Palm […]
June 30, 2021
Donkey Republic’s e-bicycle-sharing platform will be rolled out in the Antwerp municipalities in a broad region around the Oosterweel connection. By using the 1 650 electric bikes provided by the Danish, commuters can also cover larger distances. The Donkey Republic is a Danish company that already has a sharing platform for bicycles and electric bikes […]
June 25, 2021
German company Sono Motors is developing the Sion, an electric car that can partially recharge its battery via integrated solar panels. To make the compact family car more versatile and to be able to store more solar power when the car is parked, the battery capacity is being increased from 35 kWh to 54 kWh. […]
June 23, 2021
The Dutch metrology institute NMI sounds the alarm bell on the accuracy of the energy supplied by fast chargers for electric cars. Consumers and the NMI are noticing a difference between the kWh charged when refueling and the number of kWh in the battery (and which the consumer can actually use). Such losses increase as […]
June 22, 2021
MG is increasingly positioning itself as an affordable alternative in the growing electric vehicle market. The British brand with a Chinese back office is addressing – as in the past – a broad public by offering affordable vehicles. EV only Whereas MG used to specialize in sporty roadsters, it now focuses on affordable and mainly […]
June 16, 2021
EV Belgium is the new name of the cooperation between AVERE and EV Belgium. It now unites users of electric vehicles and companies that provide services within this growing sector. Both organizations join forces to make electric driving more attractive. Until now, there were two organizations in Belgium. On the one hand, there was AVERE, […]
June 16, 2021
The Mayor of Paris has just announced new parking rates. Not only will cars pay more, but motorized two-wheelers will also have to pay (heavily) for a parking space from 2022 onward. Only electrically powered vehicles will be spared. With these measures, the Paris Mayor wants to discourage traffic further in the center of the […]
June 15, 2021
It has been clear for some time that Maserati is working on an electric range. Today, the Italian sports car manufacturer shows some (spy) images of an electric GranTurismo for the first time. The arrival of an electric drive at Maserati comes as no surprise, and now that the brand from Modena is under the […]
June 10, 2021
Lexus showed in March the electric LF Z, a purely electric concept car that combines bodywork with a coupe shape, crossover elements but especially four side doors. Now parent company Toyota announced that it would bring the concept to an actual production model within 14 months. In terms of both form and technology, this concept […]
June 09, 2021
Today, Opel unveils the first images of the next-generation Astra. As the manufacturer announced about two years ago, this Astra will also be electric. Furthermore, Opel uses the futuristic design language of the Vizor with the illuminated Opel-Blitz emblem. In this way, the manufacturer wants to emphasize its German identity with a wink to the […]
