July 01, 2024
German premium car manufacturer BMW is the world’s most innovative carmaker, but the Chinese are breathing down its neck. Geely and SAIC are closing in as second and third. Toyota ranks fourth – ahead of Mercedes-Benz and VW Group. However, five Chinese manufacturers show a clear lead when looking at innovations in electric mobility (BEVs). […]
June 28, 2024
It’s official now: due to the 100% import taxes the Biden Administration imposes on EVs built in China, America will have to wait for the Volvo EX30 ‘made in Belgium’ to arrive. And that will be no sooner than 2025. People who had already paid a $500 deposit to make a reservation got a message […]
June 27, 2024
The Croatian capital of Zagreb will be the first European city to host a fleet of fully autonomous robotaxis, which Rimac Group will make. That Croatian technology powerhouse manufactures electric hypercars like the Nevera and owns the Bugatti brand. It also provides technology to global automakers like Porsche or BMW. The Verne robotaxi is built […]
June 27, 2024
As promised, Hyundai fully unwrapped its latest subcompact EV, the Inster, at the Busan International Mobility Show. It is the European version of what is called Casper Electric in Korea and should become the brand’s best budget-priced EV at around 20 to 25,000 euros. Hyundai promises “a segment-leading projected range of 355 km (WLTP) on […]
June 26, 2024
After 40 years, the seventh generation of the BMW M5 gets a combination of a high-revving V8 engine with M TwinPower Turbo technology and a specific version of the M HYBRID system, boosting power to 535 kW or 727 hp and a peak system torque of 1,000 Nm. The world premiere will take place at […]
June 25, 2024
BloombergNEF’s Electric Vehicle Outlook 2024 shows that EV adoption is still growing worldwide. With advances in EV technology and battery prices further falling, the future is bright despite an apparent slowdown in some countries and car manufacturers revising their EV policies. EVs are still the most cost-effective and commercially viable route to fully decarbonizing transport. […]
June 21, 2024
BMW announced on Thursday it’s pulling back from the €2 billion deal it concluded in 2020 with Swedish battery maker Nortvolt to deliver cells from 2024 as part of a long-term contract. But Northvolt is two years behind schedule and would deliver ‘too many rejects’, German media, like Manager Magazine, report. BMW Group downplays the […]
June 20, 2024
It seems like an entirely hypothetical question, but at least the Finish paper industry is convinced it can make EV battery production much more sustainable. Using lignin, a byproduct of its cellulose fiber (like for cloths) and paper pulp industry, Stora Enso has developed a bio-renewable replacement for the graphite carbon used for anodes today. […]
June 19, 2024
Suppose you’re willing to pay €120 to €160 and not weigh nearly 100 kg. In that case, you can be one of the first to experience pure electric flying between the airports of Liege (Belgium), Maastricht (Netherlands), and Aachen (Germany) as a passenger in a Pipistrel Velis Electro, currently the only EASA-certified electric aircraft. The […]
June 18, 2024
The writing on the wall said that a miracle was needed to save Danish designer Henrik Fisker’s American-based electric car start-up. According to Reuters, talks on new investments with a non-disclosed ‘major car manufacturer’ finally failed, and Fisker Group officially filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Delaware on June 17. Things had been looking bleak […]
June 14, 2024
A majority of Tesla shareholders voted Thursday in Austin (Texas) to ratify CEO Elon Musk’s 2018 pay package worth $56 billion in stock after a Delaware judge rescinded that in January. They also approved moving Tesla’s incorporation site from Delaware to Texas, home to the automaker’s largest US factory. A move initiated in reply to […]
June 14, 2024
The EU Commission revealed on Wednesday the rate of the ‘intended’ extra taxes on imported Chinese EVs, ranging from 17.4 to 38.1% on top of the existing 10% import duties on all cars today. China, meanwhile, accuses the EU of intended protectionism and warns “not to go the wrong way.” It threatens to open a […]
June 12, 2024
Toyota has finished production of the first ten prototypes of the fuel-cell electric Hilux pickup at Toyota Motor Manufacturing (TMUK) in the UK. It was developed with the help of Toyota Europe in Brussels, and now the Japanese carmaker has lifted the veil on its final specs. It uses core elements from the Toyota Mirai, […]
June 12, 2024
After news broke on Tuesday that the take-over of Belgian bus maker Van Hool in Koningshooikt (Lier) by its Dutch competitor VDL Group was finalized on Friday last week, VDL now specified its plans. That means only retaining spare part manufacturing, aftersales, intake, development, and finances, providing jobs for 250 people in Belgium. Before, 300 […]
June 11, 2024
D’Ieteren Automotive, the Belgian importer of all VW brands, received the green light from the Belgian Competition Authority (BCA) for the takeover of the Porsche Centre East-Flanders in Sint-Martens-Latem. With that, it owns seven of the nine Porsche dealerships in Belgium. However, conditions apply to ensure fair competition. The BCA investigation showed ‘serious doubts’ about […]
June 10, 2024
Dutch Technical University TUDelft students claim the world’s first prototype of a hyperloop pod changing lanes at high speed. They built a 42-meter reduced-sized test track at the university campus for their Helios III pod. A key innovation is a functional lane switch, including a curved branch and a straight section for braking. Theoretically, a […]
May 22, 2024
The Netherlands is going to reverse the maximum speed limit on highways during the day from 100 to 130 km/hour, the new government coalition with the PVV party of Geert Wilders, NSC, BBB, and the VVD party of ex-premier Mark Rutte vowed. But this will nullify in one blow the gain in emission reduction of […]
May 21, 2024
Troubled Chinese EV maker Aiways, one of the first to establish a presence in Europe in 2020, is preparing to leave its home market. Paralyzed by the ongoing price war, it wants to focus merely on Europe, according to sources quoted by Reuters and Autocar. Aiways Europe, headquartered in Germany, is looking for new capital […]
May 17, 2024
Carlos Tavares, the big boss of car giant Stellantis, with a total of 14 French, Italian, and American car brands under his wings, is crushing opposed to Joe Biden’s move to increase import taxes for Chinese cars in the US with 100% and the EU’s plans to do something similar. “When you put a bubble […]
May 16, 2024
On Wednesday, Chinese premium carmaker NIO officially showed the world its first model of a completely new ‘affordable’ line, the Onvo L60. It is directly targeted to compete in China with Toyota’s RAV4 and the Tesla Model Y for 219,900 yuan (€27,890), which is 30,000 yuan (€3,820) cheaper than the latter. According to NIO founder […]
May 16, 2024
With the start of the holiday season in sight, the Flemish mobility organization VAB traditionally probes the Belgian’s intentions about the means he intends to use to go on holiday. Almost 60% are going to use a vehicle on four wheels somehow. And although it’s already double the number of the year before, only 4.2% […]
May 15, 2024
South Korean carmaker Kia has decided to spruce up its EV6 fully electric cross-over three years after its introduction. That car got the ‘Car of the Year 2022’ title, beating the Renault Mégane E-Tech and its sister brand Hyundai Ioniq 5. New ‘eyes’, a quieter and smoother ride, 19 km more range, and faster charging […]
May 14, 2024
China’s biggest EV maker, BYD, has launched the Sea Lion 07, the first of a new Ocean-array SUV model product line. It is built on an upgraded e-Platform EVO 3.0, offering a ‘higher level of integration, stronger powertrain, and charging performance’. In China, the Sea Lion will cost 189,800 yuan (€24,220) and is targeted—once again—against […]
May 14, 2024
“From 1 August 2024, Stefan Richmann will take over MINI’s management from Stefanie Wurst, who has held this position since 1 February 2022,” BMW Group announced Monday. Why Stefanie Wurst is stepping down after only two years at the helm is not clear. As it is understood, she will get a new role within the […]
May 10, 2024
Amazon says it is investing in electric vehicles worldwide and is now rolling out nearly 50 heavy-duty electric trucks from Volvo in Southern California. They will share the Californian roads with 13,500 custom-built Rivian electric vans, a fleet that should be expanded to 100,000 vans by 2030. The fully electric trucks will haul cargo containers […]
May 10, 2024
Chinese automaker NIO has celebrated the 500,000th car, an ES8, rolling off the production lines of its F2 plant at NeoPark in Hefei, the capital of east China’s Anhui Province. With that milestone, it confirms its position as China’s leading premium EV brand in the market for cars above 300,000 yuan (€38,500), the number one […]
May 08, 2024
The Flemish region is the only one in Belgium to grant a premium of up to 5,000 euros for private persons purchasing a new electric vehicle with a list price under €40,000. Second-hand EVs are awarded a premium of up to €3,000. But five months after installation, the €20 million of Flanders’ nest egg for […]
May 08, 2024
Robots for welding and assembling have been a familiar sight for decades in car manufacturing plants. However, humanoid robots on two legs or doggy-likes on four legs wandering around the aisles of the BMW factories of Spartanburg (US) or Group Plant Hams Hall (UK) to ensure production processes run smoothly are relatively new. The latest […]
May 07, 2024
A new plot twist in the saga surrounding bus builder Van Hool’s bankruptcy might jeopardize Australian GRW’s final take-over of the trailer division. CIM Capital, a Belgian investment company specializing in the take-over of ailing firms and one of the bidders, entered an official protest against the curators’ decision, which it calls ‘unfair.’ A judge […]
May 06, 2024
Chinese shipping giant COSCO launched the world’s first 10,000-DWT pure electric container ships, which it developed and constructed at the Heavy Industry Shipyard at Yangzhou. The ‘Green Water 01’ and its sister ship, Green Water 02, have a large-capacity battery combining for over 50,000 kWh. However, as it consists of multiple 20-foot battery containers offering […]
May 06, 2024
Renault has completed its C-segment E-Tech Hybrid vehicle offerings of the Arkana and Austral with the new Symbioz, a 4.41 m long seven-seater with a sliding bench seat that adjusts for trunk space or leg room and folds to create a flat floor if needed. It’s a modern interpretation of the Renault 16, launched in […]
May 03, 2024
A Belgian judge’s decision in an appeal has officially secured Stellantis’ move to completely rake in the joint venture with Belgian Punch Powertrain in Sint Truiden. The French-Italo-American car giant takes complete control over the production and technology of crucial Dual Clutch Transmission (eDTC) components for its hybrid vehicles (mild hybrids and plug-in hybrids). For […]
May 02, 2024
Good news for nostalgics waiting for the ‘electric comeback’ of Opels’s 1970s icon, the Manta. Although Stellantis first said in January 2024 to ‘freeze’ the plans for a launch in 2025, now Opel brand boss Florian Huettl said in an interview with German car magazine Automobilwoche that the project ‘is making progress’. According to Huettl, […]
May 02, 2024
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has almost entirely fired the team – some 500 people – responsible for the Supercharger network, including Rebecca Tinucci, senior director of EV charging, who talked the whole car industry in America into adopting Tesla’s NACS standard. Musk earlier said that cutting 10% of the 140,000 jobs would be necessary to […]
April 30, 2024
China’s biggest battery maker, CATL, aims to produce all-solid-state batteries by 2027-2028 in small batches, according to one of its executives at the China International Battery Fair (CIBF) 2024 event. The Chinese, being world-dominant in liquid lithium-ion batteries, fear future solid-state battery technology could turn their pole position into an otherwise arrear. It’s the first […]
April 29, 2024
NIO and Lotus found each other at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition to sign a strategic charging and battery swap technology partnership. According to a statement by NIO, the ultimate goal is to build a standard battery system and jointly develop passenger vehicles with a unified battery-swapping and fast-charging operational and management system. Changan Automobile, […]
April 26, 2024
CATL, the world’s biggest battery maker, has once again pushed back frontiers by presenting the newest generation of its Shenxing LFP battery. This battery offers EV ranges of more than 1,000 km and can charge 600 km in only ten minutes. The first generation launched last year provides a 700 km range and 400 km […]
April 25, 2024
After more than two weeks of inactivity, Van Hool’s industrial trailer division is said to be ready for a restart in phases as a split-off, starting on Monday under the new South African owner, GRW. The South African company, owned 39,05% by German Schmitz Cargobull, will make Koninghooikt in Belgium its fourth industrial site after […]
April 09, 2024
Yesterday, the commercial court of Malines officially adjudicated Belgian bus builder Van Hool in Koninghooikt (Lier). Last Friday, news broke that only one candidate was left for a takeover and quick restart: the combination of competitor Dutch VDL, which saw itself a challenging year in 2023, and German truck builder Schmitz Cargobull. The latest news […]
April 05, 2024
New Jersey, the US’s ‘Garden State’, is imposing the highest road tax on electric vehicles nationwide, requiring a $250 fee yearly, increasing by $10 each year to top off at $290 in 2028. The money is used for the state’s Transportation Trust Fund to maintain roads, railways, and bridges. While EVs worldwide are mostly exempted […]
April 04, 2024
China’s biggest battery manufacturer, Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd. (CATL), has announced a commercial vehicle battery with a lifespan of 1.5 million kilometers or a 15-year warranty. It was developed with one of the world’s biggest bus makers, Zhengzhou Yutong Bus Co. Ltd., but the battery also suits light and heavy trucks. The new lithium […]
April 03, 2024
Danish car subscription start-up ‘:Dribe’ is ogling Belgium to export its fully digital platform to the rest of Europe. Offering subscriptions of 30 days and the freedom to switch cars when needed, this concept of Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) goes beyond any car leasing platform, the company claims. “We want to do this in collaboration with a […]
April 02, 2024
Belgian bus builder Van Hool, being on the inevitable edge of bankruptcy and running out of money at the end of March, is taking another week ‘to work on a quick relaunch’ within the boundaries of the juridical procedures, the company’s management told the workers council on Tuesday morning. Normally, the official bankruptcy was expected […]
April 02, 2024
It looks like enthusiasts who want to buy Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi’s first electric car, the SU7 sedan, will need the patience of a saint for some versions. Delivery times can stretch up to seven months due to the surprise demand already present in the first hours of pre-ordering. In less than 24 hours, nearly […]
March 28, 2024
The Dutch ‘flying car’ will take a high flight in Dubai, where local business aviation company Aviterra has ordered a fleet of a hundred PAL-V Liberty aircraft. Loggia Investment, the investment arm of Aviterra, has made a strategic investment in PAL-V as one of the 220 contributors to the startup and established partnerships for the […]
March 28, 2024
With the comfortable certainty of 30 billion yuan (€3,83 billion) profit made in 2023, the top Chinese EV maker BYD can afford to fuel further the price war it initiated to prove electric cars can be sold even cheaper than their ICE siblings. Next in a long row, seeing its price lowered by 5%, is […]
March 26, 2024
On Tuesday morning, 2,400 Van Hool employees wanted to start working again in Koningshooikt (Lier) to keep the Belgian bus builder factory going. Still, management sent them home for the next two weeks, awaiting the bankruptcy verdict. They are left with a resigned mood and uncertainty after hearing on Monday that going belly-up is unavoidable, […]
March 22, 2024
A new spring announces itself; a such-and-such new ‘mobility barometer’ is showing up. For just over half of all Belgians (51%), there is little to no belief in a new dawn the electric car could provide by 2035. 36% even think it won’t happen before 2045-2050, and 17% say ‘never for me’. Still, 48% (+7% […]
March 21, 2024
President Joe Biden is pushing the American car industry toward reducing CO2 emissions by 50% in 2032 compared to 2026, as first announced last year in April. However, under pressure from carmakers and unions, he has allowed a more ‘lenient’ path to achieving that in the 2027-2030 period, with no longer stringent quotas for the […]
March 20, 2024
Tesla is hiring a ‘Senior Manager Zero Service’, Elektrec.co spotted a few days ago online. The candidate will join Tesla’s Service Operations organization “and lead the team responsible for identifying and eliminating the reasons our cars require service”. Is that possible? Do electric cars need no servicing at all? You will often hear that EVs […]
March 20, 2024
The clock is ticking even faster for Belgian bus maker Van Hool, which can go bankrupt as soon as the following Monday if the descendants of the eight sons and two daughters of founder Bernard Van Hool don’t manage to burry the hatch among themselves in a heritage question that jeopardizes a take-over by a […]
March 18, 2024
The clock is ticking for Belgian bus maker Van Hool, which will go bankrupt if no private investor is found before the end of March. Belgian entrepreneur Guido Dumarey confirmed in an interview with Radio 1 that he’s convinced he can ‘rebuild’ Van Hool to a profitable, streamlined production company with 1,800 of the current […]
March 15, 2024
It looks like the automotive industry is sounding the ‘all hands on deck alarm’ to win private buyers over to switching to an EV with a price tag of €25,000 or lower. Škoda joins the race with the all-electric Epiq, the second of six new electric vehicles scheduled for launch in the coming years. For […]
March 15, 2024
Chinese premium EV maker NIO has chosen ‘Onvo’ as the English name for the line of affordable ‘family electric cars’ it will sell in Europe. In China, it’s called Ledao (乐道), which means as much as ‘happy road’, according to founder and CEO William Li. Under the ‘Alps’ codename, it has been developing a mass-market […]
March 14, 2024
According to Flemish Minister-President Jan Jambon and Minister for Work Jo Brouns, several possible candidates are ‘lining up’ and showing interest in investing in a restart of bus manufacturer Van Hool in Koningshooikt (Lier). But that doesn’t mean avoiding bankruptcy, as some – like Belgian entrepreneur Guido Dumarey, a specialist in blowing new life into […]
March 13, 2024
On Tuesday, Belgium’s most significant car importer, D’Ieteren Automotive, kicked off its own B2B ‘motor show’ in the industrial settings of Silo Brussels, a former brewery and malthouse located along the canal at Neder-Over-Heembeek. Called ‘Mobility Solutions’ by D’Ieteren, it demonstrates it’s no longer about selling cars only but rather focusing on a far broader […]
March 13, 2024
In an interview with the Financial Times on Tuesday, Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius made a remarkable statement, rubbing up his French competitors by urging the European Commission to lower tariffs on Chinese EV imports instead of raising them. This would force European carmakers to make better cars, he added. “I’m a contrarian,” he said in […]
March 11, 2024
Together with the official opening of its new test center in Donauwörth, Germany, Airbus Helicopters presented last week the prototype of its fully electric CityAirbus NextGen eVTOL, a four-seater with eight propellors that takes off and lands vertically. Once airborne, the two-ton so-called ‘multicopter’ tilts its rotors to fly like an airplane for some 80 […]
March 11, 2024
In stormy weather since the Covid-19 pandemic and the following crisis, Belgian bus and coach builder Van Hool production workers face the ultimate doom scenario. On Monday’s ultimate works council, the unions got the grim message that 1,116 of currently 2,494 jobs at the company’s main factory in Koningshooikt (Lier) will disappear by 2028, 834 […]
March 06, 2024
According to a document published on Tuesday and cited by the Reuters news agency, the EU Commission says it has sufficient evidence ‘tending’ to show Chinese EVs were being subsidized, and it will start ‘customs registrations’ on Thursday to prepare for possible retroactive tariffs. That means that import tariffs could be imposed retrospectively if the […]
