De Croo: ‘Belgian car assembly sector is stronger than ever’

August 30, 2023

On Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo (Open Vld) visited Volvo Car Gent. He saw the training center, was given a tour of the paint shop, and finally took a test drive in a fully electric Volvo. After the visit, he said he was impressed. “Ten years ago, we wondered whether we would still […]

Resistance grows now almost all of London is ultra-low-emission zone

August 29, 2023

As earlier announced, London is expanding its environmental zone. Almost all of London will become an ultra-low-emission zone (ULEZ) as of today. The measure is intended to tackle pollution, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and improve the air quality for residents and visitors. But not everybody is happy with the new ultra-low-emission zone because it will […]

Vias: ‘Far fewer traffic deaths on Belgian roads in 2023’

August 28, 2023

The number of road deaths in Belgium decreased by 21% in the first six months of the year compared to last year. Last year, 287 people died in traffic on Belgian roads, this year ‘only’ 227. Yet an average of nine people still die on Belgian roads every week, which remains far too many. The […]

Northvolt and EMR open EV battery recycling plant in Hamburg

August 25, 2023

Swedish lithium-ion battery manufacturer Northvolt and world-leading metal recycler EMR have built a battery recycling facility in Hamburg (Germany). The brand-new site will recycle the vast number of EV batteries that will reach their end of life. The site was officially inaugurated on August 24 by the First Mayor of Hamburg, Peter Tschentscher. The 12 […]

Norway opens world’s largest floating offshore wind farm… to pump up oil

August 24, 2023

On Wednesday, Norway opened the world’s first floating wind farm explicitly built to power offshore oil and gas installations and is now supplying electricity to oil and gas fields Snorre and Gullfaks in the Norwegian North Sea – 140 km off the Norwegian coast. Crown Prince Haakon of Norway gave the symbolic green light by […]

Greenpeace: ‘Dirty Dozen oil concerns fool us about energy transition’

August 24, 2023

According to an analysis commissioned by Greenpeace, twelve of Europe’s leading fossil fuel companies are deceiving the public about their willingness to curb their climate-damaging impact by transitioning to renewable energy sources. Greenpeace calls for strict regulation of fossil fuel companies to prevent even more fossil-fuelled climate destruction. The report, titled “The Dirty Dozen: The […]

JLR’s used batteries for UK’s biggest solar energy storage system

August 23, 2023

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has partnered with Wykes Engineering Ltd., a specialist in renewable energy, to develop one of the biggest energy storage systems in the UK to harness solar and wind power using second-life Jaguar I-PACE batteries. One single Wykes Engineering BESS (Battery Energy Storage System) can store up to 2,5 MWh of energy […]

ACEA: ‘13% fewer road fatalities in EU compared to 2019’

August 22, 2023

Road fatalities in the European Union dropped by almost 13% in 2021 compared to 2019. In 2021, they decreased in 22 of the 27 EU member states. The European Union counts 45 road fatalities per million inhabitants annually, compared to 66 fatalities (per million) back in 2011. This demonstrates that clear progress has been made […]

‘Blade Runners’ destroy 387 London ULEZ cameras in four months

August 21, 2023

Since local authorities in London decided to expand the ultra-low-emission zone (ULEZ) to improve the air quality, 387 ULEZ cameras have been destroyed, obscured, or stolen between April and mid-August. The majority was vandalized in outer London, where the zone was expanded. A shadowy group called the ‘Blade Runners’ is believed to be responsible for […]

Dutch ‘deadly’ Stint executives risk life imprisonment

August 18, 2023

Five years after the accident with the Stint electric cargo cart in Oss (the Netherlands), in which four children died in a collision with a train, two company executives are accused of “marketing and selling a harmful product, which they knew was harmful”. They risk life in prison now that the Dutch court prosecutes them […]

Porthos CO2-capturing project in Rotterdam gets green light

August 17, 2023

Porthos, a project for storing carbon dioxide from industry in the port of Rotterdam, has been given the green light. The Dutch Council of State has ruled that the nitrogen released while constructing the infrastructure for CO2 storage does not significantly impact the nearby nature, contrary to what environmentalists claim. So the permits issued by […]

Vilvoorde viaduct restoration starts for next eight years

August 16, 2023

On Wednesday, the renovation works on the viaduct in Vilvoorde started. The restoration will take eight years, as announced in March, and the heaviest traffic disruption is expected between 2027 and 2031. The cost is estimated at over 500 million euros. The Viaduct Zeekanaal Brussel-Schelde, as the bridge is officially called, is one of the […]

Amsterdam installs ‘noise trap cameras’ to catch boisterous motorbikes

August 15, 2023

The city of Amsterdam has had enough of noisy cars and motorbikes and is taking measures to fight the noise nuisance. The city will introduce an experiment and install noise displays in particular spots in the city center. Later this month, sound meters and noise speed cameras will be added, and finally, noisemakers will be […]

Gezinsbond proposes children traveling for free instead of train discount card

August 11, 2023

The Belgian Rail’s discount card for large families will disappear permanently in 2025. That is why the Gezinsbond, a non-profit organization that defends the interests of families, launches a new proposal allowing parents to take their children on the train for free as long as they live at home. After all, the train is an […]

Ineos to invest €10 million in Antwerp hydrogen boiler

August 10, 2023

The British chemical company Ineos wants to invest 10 million euros in a hydrogen boiler. The boiler will be located at Ineos’ subsidiary Inovyn in the port of Antwerp and will produce steam using its own surplus of hydrogen. This way, the company can avoid losing energy. To make the Antwerp chemical cluster more sustainable, […]

Copernicus: ‘July 2023 warmest month ever in human history’

August 09, 2023

According to European observation program Copernicus figures, last July was the warmest month ever recorded in human history. Last month, those measurements were 0,33 degrees Celsius higher than the warmest month ever recorded so far, July 2019, with an average temperature of 16,63 degrees. July was the hottest month and the month with the highest […]

Used car prices in Europe slightly lower in July

August 08, 2023

In July, prices of second-hand cars in Europe fell slightly. According to the Auto1 Group Price Index, the European report on used car prices, the prices in July 2023 were 13,6% lower than in July 2022 but still 25,6% higher than before the corona pandemic in July 2019. One year ago, In July 2022, the […]

Traxio reports drop in new speed pedelec registrations

August 07, 2023

Sales figures of new speed pedelecs fell sharply in July by 17,4% to 1 362 units or 287 fewer than in July 2022. As a result, the cumulative annual total over the first seven months is 0,9% below the figure from last year. The figures come from the mobility federation Traxio. One of the explanations […]

Vias: ‘One in ten killed on Belgian highways are pedestrians’

August 04, 2023

One out of ten people killed on the highway in Belgium are pedestrians. More than half (54%) of fatal accidents on highways occur in the surroundings of slip roads. And most fatal accidents (one in three) happen in the dark. The figures come from a recent study by the traffic safety institute Vias. Vias analyzed […]

Traxio: ‘used car registrations increased by 16,6% in July’

August 03, 2023

Registrations of new cars increased over the last 12 consecutive months, but the second-hand car market is also doing well in Belgium, says mobility federation Traxio. After several strong months, the used car market grew in July, with no less than 16,6% to 57 594 units. Cumulated over the first seven months, the increase is […]

Israeli scientists produce highly efficient low-cost green hydrogen

August 02, 2023

Tel Aviv University scientists have succeeded in developing a groundbreaking method to produce green hydrogen. The method, developed by doctoral student Itzhak Grinberg and by Dr. Oren Ben-Zvi, claims to have over 90% efficiency by harnessing the power of green electricity and utilizing a highly efficient biocatalyst. The research is founded upon the rare instances […]

More new motorbikes, second-hand market plummets in Belgium

August 01, 2023

According to figures from the Belgian mobility federation Febiac, registrations of new motorbikes, scooters, tricycles, and light quadricycles increased by 3% during the first six months of this year compared to last year. The second-hand market, on the other hand, has plummeted by 27%, due to the technical inspection requirement. After two years of slight […]

Americans prepare take-over bid Dutch VanMoof e-bikes

August 01, 2023

The American company micromobility.com, a global pioneer in sustainable transportation as it claims, is preparing the take-over of the recently declared bankrupt Amsterdam e-bike manufacturer VanMoof. The company has already made a so-called ‘non-binding’ offer that would have been positively received. The news was announced on the company’s website, but financial details were not disclosed. […]

London to expand LEZ again to improve air quality

July 31, 2023

London intends to expand its ultra-low-emission zone again and, according to the Court, is allowed to do so. In this zone, polluting cars – even with a foreign license plate – must pay a daily surcharge of about 14,50 euros (£12,50). A fine of up to £180 ( more than 200 euros) is imposed if […]

IEA: ‘Demand for coal remains at record levels’

July 28, 2023

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), demand for coal remains at record levels this year. At the same time, extreme weather conditions prove the earth is warming up faster than ever due to C02 emissions. “Climate change is here, it’s terrifying, and this is just the beginning,” said United Nations top man António Guterres […]

Upway to help out e-bike customers of bankrupt Dutch VanMoof

July 28, 2023

The French platform for refurbished e-bikes, Upway, offers owners of a VanMoof bicycle to repair it. The company used to partner with the now-bankrupt VanMoof, so Upway’s mechanics know how to repair the bikes. Earlier this month, the court had declared the Dutch bicycle manufacturer VanMoof bankrupt. The company was founded in 2009 by Taco […]

Seven carmakers unite to create EV charging network in North America

July 27, 2023

Seven of the world’s leading carmakers have created an alliance to jointly invest in fast-charging infrastructure for electric cars in North America. BMW, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, and Stellantis intend to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles in North America by making EV charging more accessible, reliable, and convenient. Together, they aim to […]

First Belgian medical transport via unmanned passenger drone

July 26, 2023

On Tuesday, a large unmanned passenger drone took off in Sint-Truiden (Limburg) to transport some blood samples – a European first. The aircraft flew for a kilometer through DronePort’s test airspace. The experiment was accompanied by the Belgian Antwerp-based company Helicus, which develops drone applications and technologies for medical transport. The drone’s test flight was […]

Stellantis and Samsung to build 2nd battery factory in US

July 25, 2023

Stellantis, the French-Italian-American automotive manufacturing corporation, and Samsung SDI, the Korean battery and electronic materials manufacturer, have signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a second battery factory in the US. The plant should start production in 2027 with an initial annual production capacity of 34-gigawatt hours (GWh). Last year, in May 2022, both partners […]

Belgian Seavolt project launches first floating solar panels

July 20, 2023

The Belgian Seavolt project, announced earlier this year, is taking concrete shape. The consortium will soon launch its first floating solar panels in Ostend. If the initiators succeed in making solar energy profitable at sea, they hope to turn it into a new Belgian export product. In March, the Belgian marine engineering companies DEME and […]

Dutch trendy e-bikes VanMoof declared bankrupt

July 19, 2023

“VanMoof on the verge of bankruptcy,” we wrote just a week ago. Last Wednesday, the company was granted a two-month payment postponement by the Amsterdam court, but, in the meantime, the court has declared the Dutch e-bike manufacturer VanMoof bankrupt. Despite their ambitious plans to develop the perfect city bike and “get as many people […]

Flanders allows certified workshops re-examination of rejected car

July 18, 2023

The Flemish government has approved the reinspection of cars by certified garage owners in principle. Flemish Mobility Minister Lydia Peeters (Open Vld) launched the idea because the official inspection centers cannot tackle the bottlenecks, and there is a need for additional capacity. “The technical inspection remains important from a road safety point of view, but […]

Flanders launches safety campaign for 30 km/h speed limit on towpaths

July 17, 2023

Last Sunday, Flemish Mobility Minister Lydia Peeters (Open Vld) kicked off a new courtesy and safety campaign for users of the many towpaths in Flanders. The campaign calls for courtesy, safe behavior, and respect for the maximum speed of 30 kilometers per hour on the more than 2 000 towpaths and dyke roads. Speed pedelecs, […]

E-bikes VanMoof on the verge of bankruptcy

July 14, 2023

The Dutch manufacturer of e-design bicycles, VanMoof, is on the verge of bankruptcy. The financial problems are so dramatic that the company can no longer pay its bills. Instead of making a billion people addicted to cycling, the company succumbs to a loss of millions. On Wednesday, VanMoof was granted a two-month payment postponement by […]

T&E: ‘Fair aviation tax would yield €700 million for Belgian treasury’

July 13, 2023

The aviation sector benefits from unjustified tax exemptions that, if left unaddressed, will rise in value by 38% in the next three years. If Belgium were to tax aviation ‘fairly’, this would yield 700 million euros for the state treasury. This was calculated by the European environmental umbrella organization Transport & Environment (T&E). Today, aviation […]

From 2026 a fast-charging station every 60 km on EU highways

July 12, 2023

The European Parliament took a final decision on Tuesday: from 2026, the main European highways must be equipped with fast-charging stations for electric vehicles every 60 kilometers. From 2028, this should apply to half of the European road network. Those charging stations must have a capacity of at least 400 kW and be able to […]

Fastned installs 1.500th fast-charging station in Europe

July 11, 2023

At the beginning of the summer, Fastned, the Dutch fast-charging infrastructure provider, installed its 1 500th charging station northwest of Paris in Rouen. Since last summer, Fastned has opened more than 60 stations in Europe – usually locations with a lot of traffic. The most recent fast-charging station is located along the A13 at the […]

Flanders ‘on track’ with 25.000 charging stations

July 10, 2023

Flanders has more than 25 000 charging stations for electric vehicles and is, therefore, on track to achieve the objectives of the ‘Clean Power for Transport’ agreement: to have 35 000 public and semi-public charging points along the highways and important traffic axes by 2025 The Flemish government wants to increase the number of charging […]

No Belgian support for limiting validity of driver’s licenses for over-70

July 07, 2023

The European Commission wants to limit the validity of driver’s licenses for people over 70 to five years. After that time, people would be required to undergo a medical examination or take a refresher course. Okra, the association for the elderly, is highly offended by the proposal and calls it “age discrimination”. And also, the […]

F24 bicycle highway between Louvain and Boutersem opened

July 06, 2023

The new bicycle highway – F24 – between Louvain and Boutersem was officially inaugurated on Wednesday. Plans and preparations for the project were launched eleven years ago, and now the bicycle connection is finally ready. The new section is 4,5 km long, and 4 meters wide, and follows railway line 36 between Louvain and Tirlemont. […]

Traxio: ‘second-hand car market regenerating with 15,8% growth’

July 05, 2023

While registrations of new vehicles (51 760 units) almost doubled in June (+48,7%), the second-hand market started to regenerate by growing 15,8% in June to 67 528 units. Cumulated over the first six months, the increase is 5,8% (18 999 units more than in the first six months of 2022), but there is a backlog […]

Brussels, Antwerp, and Ghent in top 20 of Clean Cities, Liège trailing

July 04, 2023

According to the latest Clean Cities Campaign, comparing emission-free mobility in 42 European cities, Brussels (11th place), Antwerp (12th), and Ghent (18th) have achieved a place in the top twenty rankings.  Liège, on the other hand, sits in 36th place. Still, all four Belgian cities could step up their game toward a zero-emission future, especially […]

BMW to offer six new gravel, road, and urban bikes

July 03, 2023

BMW has joined forces with long-established Italian bicycle manufacturer 3T to create three types of bikes for various use cases. Customers can choose from a gravel bike, road bike, or urban bike; each of which can also be ordered with an electric motor. All models offer a unique combination of state-of-the-art technology and progressive design. […]

Vias analyzes e-scooter accidents and pleads for mandatory helmet

July 03, 2023

The number of accidents involving e-scooters has exploded in recent years. To gain insight into the exact causes, the Vias traffic safety institute analyzed a hundred e-scooter accidents with injured people in Brussels in 2020. Most occurred with users under the influence of alcohol and drugs, causing them to lose control. Vias pleads for the […]

Vias: ‘No support for mandatory bicycle helmet’

June 30, 2023

Primary school ‘De Wieken’ in Kinrooi (Limburg, Belgium) wants to make the bicycle helmet compulsory next school year. The reason for it is a recent accident in which a 10-year-old boy suffered a severe brain injury. The boy, who did not wear a helmet, was hit by a car while crossing the road and landed […]

Denmark to review energy island project because of high costs and risks

June 29, 2023

Denmark will review the energy island project in the North Sea because of the high costs. That is what the Danish government announced on Wednesday. “The project is challenging, the costs are too high, and the risks are too great,” the Danish Ministry of Energy explains in a press release. “The island would cost the […]

EU invests €20 million in Ostend HOPE hydrogen project

June 29, 2023

The European Commission will invest 20 million euros in a hydrogen project off the Belgian coast by 2026. It will build and operate hydrogen facilities off the coast of Ostend, in an offshore testing zone intended to be the nerve center of the green hydrogen industry in Belgium. The HOPE project as it is called […]

BMW breaks ground for new high-voltage battery plant in US

June 28, 2023

On Tuesday, the BMW Group took a significant step toward building electric vehicles in the United States as it broke ground for a new high-voltage battery assembly plant in Woodruff, South Carolina. The Woodruff plant will produce sixth-generation batteries to supply fully electric vehicles at nearby BMW Manufacturing in Spartanburg. More than 300 jobs will […]

Belgian ABEE to build gigafactory for EV batteries in Romania

June 28, 2023

Avesta Battery and Energy Engineering (ABEE), a Brussels-based start-up specializing in battery and energy technologies for e-mobility, plans to build a large-scale battery factory for electric vehicles in the Romanian city of Galați. That is what the ABEE founder and CEO Noshin Omar announced on Tuesday during a press conference in Ninove (Belgium), where Prime […]

Court of Auditors doubts EU will meet 2030 climate goals

June 27, 2023

It is by no means certain that the European Union will achieve its ambitious climate and energy targets for 2030 with the current measures, warns the European Court of Auditors in a new report. Moreover, the foundations of the member states’ climate plans are not transparent, so it’s unclear whether they are feasible. The Auditors […]

2022: fewer fatalities but more accidents in Flanders

June 23, 2023

Last year, the number of road fatalities in Flanders fell by 9%. However, the Flemish Region still had the most accidents (62%), compared to Brussels (11%), and Wallonia (27%). The figures come from Flanders Statistics (Statistiek Vlaanderen). Among the victims is a growing percentage of vulnerable road users, mainly cyclists. In addition, there are still […]

Van der Straeten wants to subsidize additional battery parks

June 22, 2023

Belgian Energy Minister Tinne Van der Straeten (Groen) wants more large battery farms to store energy temporarily. The minister also plans to provide subsidies for it. With the growing amount of energy from solar panels and wind farms, she expects much storage capacity will be needed to maintain balance on the grid. Solar and wind […]

Umicore inaugurates Belgian center for solid-state battery materials

June 21, 2023

On Tuesday, June 20th, global materials technology and recycling group Umicore inaugurated one of the world’s most advanced solid-state battery material prototyping facilities in Olen (Belgium). Solid-state batteries are expected to propel electric mobility and complement Umicore’s world-leading portfolio of battery materials technologies. The new 600 m² facilities with state-of-the-art installations and equipment support the […]

The Netherlands rounds cape of 500.000 charging stations

June 20, 2023

The Netherlands has passed the milestone of 500 000 charging stations. The vast majority (384 200) are private points at home. The country is one of the forerunners in Europe regarding charging infrastructure. For comparison, Belgium has an estimated 150 000 charging points. At the end of March, there were more than 30 000 public […]

Belgian wins lawsuit against Tesla and gets €158.600 car refunded

June 19, 2023

The Court of Appeal in Antwerp has decided that Tesla must repay a Belgian customer his Model S P100D, worth 158 600 euros. According to experts, there were severe shortcomings in driving comfort and safety. On top of that, the company has obstructed the investigation, the newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws writes. Four years ago, the […]

800 000 fewer trucks, but record of €838 million of km tax revenue

June 09, 2023

According to Viapass’ latest annual report, the number of trucks on Belgian toll roads has decreased by 800 000 in one year, from 41,10 million vehicles to 40,28. Viapass is the governmental organization that monitors the kilometer tax for trucks in Belgium. The decrease has economic reasons: the high energy prices reduced people’s purchasing power, […]

Wit-Gele Kruis nurses on e-bikes to avoid traffic congestion

June 08, 2023

Twelve nurses of the ‘Wit-Gele Kruis’ in Hasselt (Limburg) use leased electric bicycles to visit and take care of their patients in the city center. This way, they can avoid the hustle and bustle of the city and their eternal search for a parking space. The home nursing service has decided to invest 20 000 […]

Amsterdam: only zero-emission traffic in city center by 2025

June 08, 2023

Amsterdam has decided to ban all polluting traffic from a large part of the city center. From 2025, only emission-free vehicles – cabs, vans, trucks, scooters, motorbikes, and boats, running on electricity or hydrogen – will be allowed. The Netherlands’s capital and most populous city will introduce this measure to improve the air quality and […]

Belgian Specter introduces 170 km ‘long-range’ speed pedelec

June 07, 2023

Specter, a Belgian start-up with a production unit in Wondelgem (East Flanders), designs and builds unique, high-end, lightweight, and connected speed pedelecs. On Tuesday, the company introduced a ‘long-range’ version of its Specter 1 speed pedelec, launched end of 2022. The vehicle has an increased driving range of up to 170 kilometers. It is equipped […]

Fluxys to install ‘hydrogen highway of the future’

June 07, 2023

Belgium-based gas transmission system operator Fluxys is working on the installation of 44 kilometers of new pipelines between Desteldonk and Opwijk. The new pipelines will transport gas and, in the future, green hydrogen. The first part of the so-called ‘hydrogen highway of the future’ has to be ready by the end of this year. The […]

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