Hyvia shows its 15-passenger city bus on hydrogen

November 16, 2021

At the Salon des Maires et des Collectivités Locales, the ‘Mayor’s salon’ in Paris, Hyvia, the joint venture between Renault and Plug Power is showing these days its new 15-passenger city bus on hydrogen. The mini-bus based on the Renault Master has a 30 kW fuel cell, a 33 kW battery, and a 4,5 kg […]

Dutch ‘shocked’ by Shell’s intention to become fully British

November 16, 2021

Oil and energy giant Royal Dutch Shell intends to move its headquarters to the UK to become entirely British. It will lose its ‘Royal Dutch’ title but avoid paying any longer a 15% withholding tax on dividends as the Brits don’t require that. And it will get rid of its dual share structure to only […]

Classic charged for the future: all-electric Aston Martin DB6

October 13, 2021

Some oldtimers are too beautiful not to preserve them for our future mobility. That thinking has led the company Lunaz Design to electrifying legendary cars from the past. Their latest addition is a battery-powered version of the iconic Aston Martin DB6. It’s called a restomod. On the outside, the looks of the oldtimer remain untouched, […]

NIO to take on mass market with cheaper model range

August 13, 2021

Chinese – so far – premium electric carmaker NIO is planning to take on the mass market with a cheaper fully electric model range in the future. “The relationship between Nio and our new mass-market brand will be like that of Audi-Volkswagen and Lexus-Toyota,” Chief Executive and founder William Li said on Thursday, according to […]

Lynk & Co opens Antwerp club for its first 1.000 Belgian ‘members’

August 12, 2021

On Friday, Lynk & Co is opening in Antwerp – the hometown of its CEO Alain Visser – its third club in Europe, in a former fire station building at the Drukkerijstraat that was later transformed into a shop. Earlier L&Co clubs opened in Gothenburg (Sweden) and Amsterdam. It is not a showroom for the […]

The ‘Lynk & Co experience’: we lived through it

August 11, 2021

It’s a ‘wild idea’ Alain Visser, the Belgian CEO of Geely daughter Lynk & Co is putting on the rails in Europe: a car which isn’t to be sold or to be owned, but to be ‘subscribed to’ like a streaming service and to be shared. In this ‘Lynk & Co experience’, we are among […]

Daimler starts sales of electric flagship Mercedes EQS

August 11, 2021

German carmaker Daimler opened on Tuesday, officially ordering for its new electric flagship, the Mercedes EQS. Two models are offered initially: the 245 kW EQS 450+  and the all-wheel-drive EQS 580 4MATIC with 385 kW, with prices at €106 374,10 and €135 529,10 respectively in Germany (19% VAT included). For that money, leather interior and […]

Japan’s first hydrogen-fueled ferry uses Belgian tech

August 11, 2021

In Japan, the first passenger ferry for commercial use with two hydrogen diesel combustion engines has been officially launched on Tuesday. The ‘HydroBingo’ was developed by Belgian shipping company CMB’s tech daughter, CMB Tech, together with Japanese shipbuilding and shipping firm Tsuneishi in a 50/50 joint venture. It is a 19-tons ferry accommodating 80 passengers […]

Tesla’s Model Y to arrive in Zeebrugge on August 15th

August 10, 2021

On August 15th, between 3 and 5 p.m., the car carrier Helios Ray which left Shanghai on July 12th, is to dock at the Belgian Zeebrugge harbor with the long-awaited first Tesla Model Ys for Europe. The Model Y for Europe was scheduled to be built at the new Giga Berlin Tesla factory starting in […]

Hungarian WizzAir to triple its fleet to 500 planes by 2030

August 09, 2021

Ultra-low-cost airline WizzAir, which is flying from Charleroi Airport (Brussels South) in Belgium too, is to triple its fleet of aircraft from 140 to 500 by 2030, it announced. To staff these, the company counts on hiring some 4 600 extra pilots. Like all others, WizzAir was touched by the pandemic too and saw the […]

Volta to bring free EV-charging to Europe

August 09, 2021

San Fransico-based EV fast-charging startup Volta Charging is planning to jump to Europe to feature its free charging model, financed by advertising. The company, which claims to have 1 943 stations operational in 23 US states today, announced it intends to do the same in Europe, starting in Germany where it’s to set up an […]

‘California to envision 70 000 heavy-duty fuel cell trucks by 2035’

August 06, 2021

The California Fuel Cell Partnership (CaFCP) envisions in a new report the possibility to roll out in the state a fleet of “70 000 heavy-duty class 8 fuel cell electric trucks (FCETs) supported by 200 heavy-duty truck stations by 2035”. The ultimate goal for California is 100% zero-emission trucks by 2045. With this zero-emission fleet […]

SK Innovation to spin off battery business

August 05, 2021

SK Innovation (SKI), part of South Korea’s third-largest conglomerate of 95 companies under the umbrella of the SK Group, is to spin off its battery business under the ‘SK Battery’ name. The SKI board estimates the battery business has the growth potential for the business to be globally competitive and awaits the shareholders’ approval in […]

Hyundai launches Mocean subscription for EVs in UK

August 05, 2021

After initially introducing it in Spain, Hyundai Motors is launching its ‘Mocean’ monthly subscription service in the UK for hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and all-electric models. People will need to subscribe for three months at least and even six months if they want to swap cars every half year. Prices start as low as £269 (€315) […]

DHL Express to fly twelve Alice electric cargo planes

August 04, 2021

DHL Express, the international courier and package delivery service division of Deutsche Post DHL Group, has ordered a fleet of twelve fully electric eCargo planes from the electric airplane manufacturer Eviation in Seattle. Alice, as the plane is baptized, is flown by a single pilot and can carry a load of 1 200 kg. It […]

Netherlands: Europe’s first fully autonomous water taxi

August 03, 2021

Almost without a wavelet, unnoticed by the media, Europe’s first fully autonomous – solar-powered – water taxi has been commissioned in a pilot project in Teylingen, near Leiden in the Netherlands. Residents can call up the water taxi with an app to bring pedestrians and cyclists across the Groote Sloot to the recreational areas of […]

JATO: BEVs and PHEVs mark new record share of 18,5%

August 02, 2021

According to car industry analyst company JATO Dynamics, sales of battery-electric cars (BEV) and plug-in hybrids (PHEV) have reached a new record market share of 18,5% in June, up from 8,5% in the same month last year. The Tesla 3 was even the second-best car sold after the Volkswagen Golf in the 26 EU markets. […]

Former TME boss Johan van Zyl slain by Covid-19

August 02, 2021

Johan van Zyl, former boss of Toyota Motor Europe (TME), has died at the age of 63 in its home country of South Africa, slain by the complications of the Covid-19 infection he caught in July. The news was made public by Toyota on Sunday. “It is with great sadness that we inform you of […]

CATL unveils first generation sodium-ion batteries

July 30, 2021

China’s biggest battery maker, Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL), unveiled in its Tech Zone online event the first generation of its sodium-ion batteries. CATL says it has found a way to solve the primary barrier preventing Na-ion batteries from becoming a viable alternative for Li-ion. The utmost advantage of Na-ion batteries is the natural […]

Police testing ‘super radar’ at Beez viaduct Namur

July 29, 2021

Belgian police are testing the Mesa Fusion ‘super radar’ these days on the E411 near Namur on the Beez viaduct spanning the river Meuse. Developed by French Indemia (former Safran), this radar trap can monitor up to 32 vehicles on 8 lanes simultaneously in both directions for speed and detect several other traffic offenses simultaneously. […]

Daimler preps eEconic refuse truck for series production

July 28, 2021

Daimler Trucks is currently submitting its electric version of the Econic, its low-floor truck for municipal operations, to the final technical tests on the circuit, preparing for series production at the Wörth factory in the second half of 2022. The eEconic refuse truck shares its basic technology with the eActros. As a result, the eEconic […]

France raises EV bonus for utility vehicles up to €14 000

July 28, 2021

France has raised the ecological bonus for electric utility vehicles to 7 000 euros for physical persons and 5 000 euros for companies, from now on regardless of the list price of the vehicle. Combined with a ‘conversion’ premium – for trading in a Euro 3 diesel by example – the total bonus can be […]

MSC to study oceangoing cruise ship on hydrogen

July 27, 2021

Italian-Swiss shipping giant Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) will study the next twelve months the feasibility of an oceangoing cruise ship on hydrogen as a zero-emission alternative. The study will be carried out together with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri and Italian gas group Snam. The three companies formulated their intention to build the world’s first hydrogen-powered cruise […]

Touring: ‘67% of Belgian drivers oppose a city toll’

July 27, 2021

According to a survey by mobility organization Touring, 67% of Belgians are opposed to a city toll plan like Brussels intends to impose with or without the consent of the other regions even before 2024. In Wallonia, resistance is strongest with 72% against, in Flanders 65%. Even in Brussels, where the city toll would be […]

SVOLT starts producing completely cobalt-free batteries

July 26, 2021

Chinese battery maker SVOLT Energy Technology Co. has started producing its completely cobalt-free nickel-manganese (NMX) battery cells in its production facility in Jintan, China. The batteries will later also be produced in SVOLT’s planned battery factory in Saarland in southwestern Germany for the European market from 2023. Nickel and cobalt are vital ingredients in the […]

BMW develops ‘pick-up’ cargo bike and foldable e-scooter

July 26, 2021

German carmaker BMW is again exploring its boundaries beyond its core car and motorbike business with two new concepts in micro-mobility: a dynamic ‘pick-up’ cargo bike and a foldable e-scooter. Things BMW is not going to manufacture itself, but rather by licensees. Most eye-catching is the vision developed by the BMW engineers of a sleek […]

Kia’s EV6 settles at 528 km homologated WLTP range

July 23, 2021

Kia has winded up its EU homologation cycles with a better than expected WLTP range for its rear-wheel-drive EV6 with the long-range (77.4kWh) high voltage battery pack. Estimated initially by Kia at 510 km, ultimately, the EV6 settled for 528 km of range on the combined cycle with 16.5 kWh per 100 kilometers. The latter […]

BEV sales more than doubled in EU in Q2

July 23, 2021

In the second quarter of 2021, sales of battery-electric cars (BEVs) more than doubled from 3,5% market share to 7,5%, increasing by 231,6% and reaching 210 298 units. In the same quarter in 2020, 63 422 BEVs were sold.  Plug-in hybrids soared even more with 255,8% to 235 730 units. The increase was less spectacular […]

Van Hool to gear up battery-electric bus offensive

July 22, 2021

Belgium’s biggest bus manufacturer, Van Hool, is working behind the scenes gearing up a new electric bus offensive with a completely new line of city buses. Bear witness of the announcement last week of German battery maker Akasol of an “important framework agreement with a major bus and commercial vehicle manufacturer from Belgium with a […]

‘One in three Belgians don’t want an electric company car’

July 22, 2021

A new survey, conducted by HR consultant and social secretariat Securex, with a representative sample of 1 512 Belgian employees, showed a large part of them is not itching to get an electric company car. One in three (31%) even don’t want it at all. Range anxiety, fear of insufficient charging infrastructure, and uncertainty about […]

Hyzon to deliver 20 hydrogen refuse trucks for Australia

July 20, 2021

American fuel cell specialist Hyzon has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Australian Superior Pak for the delivery in 2022 of twenty refuse collection trucks. Superior Pack is designing and engineering mobile waste collection and compaction equipment and has already delivered over 3 000 compaction units for more than 50 municipalities in Australia and New […]

Belgian electric start-up Ecar files for bankruptcy

July 20, 2021

Ecar Belgian Green Vehicle, the Walloon company based in Liège that was to launch the Ecar 333, a Belgian three-wheeled electric car it presented on the Brussels Motor Show in 2017, has filed for bankruptcy. According to founder Xavier Van der Stappen, its production partner Carwall going down with Caterpillar leaving Belgium finished off the […]

Fit for 55: T&E fears PHEVs will slow down EV sales

July 19, 2021

Lobbying organization Transport & Environment (T&E) is worried the EU Commission’s Fit for 55 plans to reach zero emissions by 2050 will gain momentum too slowly, and the rollout of electric cars will be curbed before 2030. They’d liked to see stricter targets by 2025 already. Flexibilities and ‘loopholes’ in the regulation will allow carmakers, […]

Europe’s maritime sector ‘welcomes’ Fit for 55 as a crowbar

July 16, 2021

The EU Commission Fit for 55 proposals are finally targeting the maritime shipping sector left undisturbed for decades regarding CO2 emissions. Shipping will be included in the Emissions Trading System (ETS), where companies will have to buy CO2-quotas from 2023. In Europe, shipping companies are not averse to using the EU ETS system, although it’s […]

Aviation sector calls kerosine tax ‘counter-productive’

July 15, 2021

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reacts as stung by a bee to the EU Commission’s intention to tax kerosine in the future for flights within the EU. It warns “that the reliance on taxation as the solution for cutting aviation emissions in the EU’s ‘Fit for 55’ proposal is counter-productive to the goal of […]

EU’s Fit for 55: carmakers blow hot and cold

July 15, 2021

In an initial reaction to the EU Commission’s ‘Fit for 55’ climate proposals, European carmakers are blowing hot and cold through their Brussels-based federation ACEA. European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) says it is “eager to study the full details” to start with. On the one hand, they support climate neutrality by 2050 and even applaud […]

EU Commission: world’s most ambitious package of climate laws

July 14, 2021

On Wednesday afternoon, the EU Commission presented the much anticipated – and feared – ‘Fit for 55’ package of 12 climate laws to make the target of 55% CO2 reduction by 2030 agreed by the member states a reality. So far, the world’s most ambitious plan will ultimately lead to carbon neutrality by 2050 if […]

Hyzon 50-ton milk truck on hydrogen on Dutch roads

July 14, 2021

Dutch dairy company FrieslandCampina has commissioned its first hydrogen-driven 50-ton milk truck on the roads in the Groningen region. Today, only there is enough hydrogen filling infrastructure to roll out H2-trucks, says FrieslandCampina. But it is looking to expand to the rest of the Netherlands too. FrieslandCampina is running a durability program called ‘Nourishing a […]

JLR lures away Dyson’s CCO, Dutchman Lennard Hoorick

July 13, 2021

British carmaker Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) announced Dutchman Lennard Hoorick to take up the global Chief Commercial Officer role immediately. Hoorick, who has a background in telecom and consumer electronics, joined the British vacuum cleaner company that once showed ambition to build its own electric car eight years ago as CCO. Hoorick (51) will be […]

NIO gets EU certification for its battery-swapping system

July 13, 2021

Chinese start-up electric carmaker NIO has acquired CE & TÜV certifications for the NIO Power Swap Station, its DC Power Charger up to 180kW, and NIO’s AC wall box called ‘Power Home’. As a result, it now can roll out its battery-swapping service and charging infrastructure in all EU member states, starting with four stations […]

Mobility start-up Skipr catches big fish with Deloitte

July 12, 2021

Belgian mobility start-up Skipr, from the D’Ieteren incubator LabBox, caught a big fish reeling in audit and consulting firm Deloitte Belgium, which employs 4 500 people in the country. For the start-up, adding Deloitte to its client list means more than doubling in size, according to CEO Mathieu de Lophem in the newspaper L’Echo. Through […]

Truck charging by pantograph on German eHighway

July 12, 2021

On Monday, the third experimental ‘eHighway’ was opened in Germany, a 3,4 km stretch on the national B 462 road between Kuppenheim and Gaggenau. Electric trucks can get their energy directly from the catenary while driving, using a pantograph on the roof. The eHighway system was developed by German Siemens Mobility and implemented on the […]

EU settles in AdBlue antitrust case with €875 million fine for VW and BMW

July 09, 2021

The European Commission has closed the antitrust investigation against German carmakers Daimler, BMW, and Volkswagen with a settlement and a total fine of €875 million for two of them. BMW has to pay 372,8 million, VW 502,3 million. Daimler gets off scot-free, avoiding a €727 million fine because it was the one who revealed the […]

Heineken to ship beer on electric barges with swappable batteries

July 08, 2021

Finally, in August, Dutch brewer Heineken will start shipping 2,5 million bottles of export beer at once packed in containers on the fully electric inland barge Alphenaar. Two ZESPack containers onboard are stuffed with batteries, delivering two megawatt-hours each. After being stuck in the Suez Canal literally, they are to arrive after a delay of […]

Stellantis converts UK Vauxhall plant for all-electric production

July 07, 2021

Stellantis will convert the old Vauxhall factory in Ellesmere Port near Liverpool into an all-electric production facility. As a result, Ellesmere’s future is saved with the production of four electric vans and their passenger car equivalents: the Citroën e-Berlingo, Peugeot e-Partner, Opel Combo-e, and Vauxhall Combo-e to replace the Vauxhall/Opel Astra. The French-German-American carmaker successfully […]

Fastned to add 10 fast-charging stations along Flemish highways

July 07, 2021

Dutch fast-charging company Fastned is adding ten extra 300 kW charging stations nearby Flemish highways on strategic junctions. Flemish Minister for Mobility and Public Works Lydia Peeters (Open Vld) granted the locations in the BENEFIC framework that foresees 110 new charging stations with the financial help of the EU. The ten new Fastned stations come […]

Eberspächer enters fuel cell business with ViCTORi takeover

July 06, 2021

German automotive supplier Eberspächer is taking over for 100% Boulder-based (Colorado) ViCTORi LLC and its VAIREX branded air systems. Being a US supplier of fuel cell compressor systems to the global fuel cell industry, the latter buys the German family-owned specialist in exhaust technology, automotive controls, and thermal management a foothold in the fuel cell […]

European truck makers jointly to roll out 1 700 fast-chargers

July 06, 2021

The world’s three major truck manufacturers, Daimler Truck, Traton Group, and Volvo Group, are setting up a joint venture and put half a billion euros on the table to roll out 1 700 fast-charging points for electric long-haul trucks across Europe. The joint venture, based in Amsterdam, will be owned equally by the three parties […]

Germany to reach target of one million EVs

July 05, 2021

Germany is en route to reaching in July of this year the government-set target of reaching one million electric vehicles on the roads, says Peter Altmeier, Minister of Economy, in an interview with German newspaper Tagesspiegel. “That’s only six months later than initially envisioned,” he adds. The goal of one million EVs was set by […]

Tesla Model S Plaid bursts into flames while driving

July 05, 2021

Tesla faces another media storm as a $124 000 Model S Plaid burst into ten-meter-high flames while driving in Haverford, Pennsylvania, just three days after delivery. The driver said he was briefly trapped inside as the electronic locks failed to open. He turns out to be Bart Smith, an exec of Susquehanna International Group (SIG), […]

ZeroAvia sets bar higher with hydrogen-powered 19-seater aircraft

July 02, 2021

British-American start-up in hydrogen-powered aviation, ZeroAvia, is setting the bar higher again with the development of a 19-seater twin-engined airplane for short-haul flights, capable of covering a range of 800 km. ZeroAvia was the first to feature a six-seater H2-powered electric airplane passenger flight in September 2020. ZeroAvia acquired two twin-engine 19-seat Dornier 228 aircraft […]

Volvo shows roadmap to its electric ‘new generation child’

July 01, 2021

Swedish carmaker Volvo Cars is fully in the process of becoming a pure electric carmaker by 2030. With the Concept Recharge as the final proof, it gave on Wednesday in its ‘Tech Moment’ a glimpse at what that roadmap actually means. A sleek new flagship SUV will lead the new generation to replace the XC90 […]

Production-ready Mercedes-Benz eActros offers 400 km range

June 30, 2021

Mercedes-Benz Trucks has launched on Wednesday, 30 June, its final version of the electric eActros, “with range, drive power and safety considerably improved in the series-production model.”  While clients in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands tested with a version capable of 200 km, that range is doubled to 400 km with an optional 420 kWh […]

Brussels Airlines gets three factory-fresh A320neos

June 30, 2021

Brussels Airlines will get three factory-fresh Airbus A320neo airplanes delivered in 2023 to replace the older noisy and kerosine-guzzling A319. For the first time in its 19 years of existence, the Belgian airline gets planes delivered brand new from the manufacturer. “A strong sign of trust in Brussels Airlines’ future by the mother company Lufthansa.” […]

ACEA: ‘risk of two-track EU in rollout charging points’

June 29, 2021

Today, there are huge differences in the spread of charging points for electric vehicles in the EU, with 70% of them concentrated in three countries: the Netherlands (66 665), France (45 751), and Germany (44 538). However, according to ACEA, it’s not likely to change soon, resulting in a ‘two-track EU’ in EV charging points. […]

Tesla to ‘recall’ 285 000 cars in China over cruise control issue

June 28, 2021

Tesla will ‘recall’ or rather force an over-the-air software update to 285 000 of its Model 3 and Y in China, made in its Shanghai factory for ‘a cruise control issue’. Models S and X are not affected. According to the Chinese State Administration for Market Regulation, the cruise control can be activated accidentally by […]

Fastned: six new stations on West-Flemish industrial sites

June 28, 2021

Dutch fast-charging supplier Fastned will build six charging stations with a capacity to charge sixteen vehicles simultaneously on industrial sites in West-Flanders, Belgium. It closed a deal with the inter-municipal utility company WVI (West-Vlaamse Intercommunale), which operates these sites. The first two concession agreements for a station in Roeselare and Ostend have now been signed, […]

Swapfiets’ blue tire makes entry in Tour de France

June 25, 2021

Swapfiets, the Dutch scale-up offering a bicycle-as-a-service subscription formula with bikes recognizable with their blue front wheel, makes its entree in the Tour de France that starts on Saturday. Team Jumbo-Visma, with Belgian champion Wout van Aert, will start with blue front tires specially developed for the cooperation with Swapfiets. Swapfiets and Jumbo-Visma agreed on […]

Tesla spans 5 000 km ‘Silk Road Supercharger Route’

June 24, 2021

Tesla has completed its longest ‘Supercharger Route’ in China, spanning 5 000 km from east to west between the cities Zhoushan and Horgos on the Kazakhstan border, along the ancient Silk Road. In total, 27 Supercharger stations were built, 100 to 300 km apart, allowing a Tesla driver to charge 250 km in 15 minutes. […]

Viapass: ‘greening’ of trucks on Belgian roads perseveres

June 23, 2021

From the 39 million trucks spotted by the Viapass cameras on Belgian roads in 2020-2021, almost 80% complied with the currently most stringent standard, Euro 6. Five years ago, when Belgium introduced road pricing for trucks, this was only 30,6%, Viapass signals in its latest yearly report. It means the greening of the fleet of […]