June 24, 2022
On a trip from Stuttgart to Silverstone, the ‘most efficient Mercedes-Benz ever’ breaks its own efficiency record and drives 1 202 km on a single battery charge. Thanks to its innovative thermal management system, the Vision EQXX prototype car achieved an amazing average electricity consumption of 8,3 kWh/100 km. Following its record-breaking maiden trip from […]
June 23, 2022
In a second vote on the climate ambitions of the European Commission, assembled under the ‘Fit for 55‘ umbrella, the European Parliament has agreed with the remaining issues and measures to reduce greenhouse gases by 55% in 2030. A central issue is the reform and the enlargement of the Emission Trade System. The European car […]
June 23, 2022
Ford Europe has chosen its Valencia plant in Spain as the preferred location for vehicle assembly, based on a next-generation electric vehicle architecture. Valencia has been preferred over the Saarlouis plant in Germany. “Pending product approval, the Valencia plant could produce breakthrough electric and connected vehicles beginning later this decade, says a Ford press release. […]
June 22, 2022
The Russian car manufacturer, Avtovaz, entirely in Russian hands since Renault has left, has started production again and launched a (very) basic version of its Granta, the cheapest car on the Russian market, also due to its lack of essential safety devices. Although the Granta Classic has been spent a little facelift and is equipped […]
June 22, 2022
An earlier EU phase-out date for cars and vans with internal combustion engines would net significant savings for European drivers and hugely reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to new calculations by Greenpeace Germany. “An end to sales of new gasoline, diesel, and hybrid cars in 2028 would reduce oil use enough to save drivers €635 […]
June 21, 2022
The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) commented on the latest EU plans, part of the ‘Fit for 55’ climate package. Regarding the regulations for private/non-public charging infrastructure, the Commission has to be more ambitious. Of course, ACEA welcomes the European Commission’s proposal to review the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) as part of the […]
June 21, 2022
BMW Group has announced that it will also develop and produce the next generation of electric drives at its main engine plant in Steyr, Upper Austria, from 2025. The plant will be converted to produce 600 000 of the new generation e-drives per year. In Steyr, BMW wants to manufacture the rotor, stator, gearbox, inverter, […]
June 20, 2022
California-based electric start-up Faraday Future will be able to launch its debut FF 91 model without additional funding during the third quarter of 2022, CEO Carsten Breitfeld told Reuters news agency. However, he said the company would need additional capital later this year. Faraday Future expects to produce between 6 000 and 8 000 units […]
June 20, 2022
The joint venture between Sony and Honda for electric cars and mobility services announced in March is becoming more concrete. It will be called Sony Honda Mobility, based in Tokyo, and will be owned equally by both companies with an initial investment of 10 billion yen (about 7o million euros). The official establishment of the […]
June 17, 2022
The premium full-electric Geely daughter Polestar is continuing to grow. Over 32 000 customer orders have been registered globally for Polestar 2 since 2022. That’s an increase of 290% versus the same period in 2021. The brand is also expanding its market coverage and preparing to launch three other models. Meanwhile, the manufacturer has started […]
June 17, 2022
Since the US number one car manufacturer sold Opel/Vauxhall to Stellantis five years ago, its presence on the old continent has been minimal. However, that could change in the (electric) future. GM CEO Mary Barra has recently declared that she thought her company was ready to return to Europe. If so, that will be with […]
June 16, 2022
In April, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo installed an expert committee to battle inflation and study ‘buying power and competitiveness’. Yesterday, Pierre Wunsch, chair of the committee and Governor of the National Bank, presented its intermediate conclusions. Among them, clear recommendations were to gradually reduce the highway speed limit to 100 kph and reduce […]
June 16, 2022
In the US, Ford will recall some 49 000 Mustang Mach-E EVs for a possible battery problem. As a result, the manufacturer has asked its dealers to temporarily stop the delivery of new orders. The measure will also apply to the cars delivered in Europe. Meanwhile, Ford is facing a more significant problem: due to […]
June 15, 2022
Michigan (US) based battery start-up Our Next Energy (ONE) has signed an agreement with BMW Group to integrate its Gemini battery technology into a BMW iX. A prototype is to be completed by the end of this year and can then drive 600 miles or 965 kilometers on one charge. BMW Group is one of […]
June 14, 2022
Car manufacturing group Stellantis (a fusion between FCA and PSA) has announced that it will withdraw from the European manufacturers association (ACEA) before the end of the year. The group and its relentless boss Carlos Tavares are not happy with the way ACEA has failed to influence the EU decision on banning all ICE cars […]
June 13, 2022
The Belgian Agoria Solar Team has beaten the world record of driving 12 hours continuously in trying to cover the longest distance ever for solar-driven cars. The University of Louvain student team developed their newest car, the BluePoint Atlas, to cover 1 051 km in 12 hours, at an average speed of 87,58 kph. The […]
June 10, 2022
Is solar power coming into the automotive business too? The Dutch manufacturer Lightyear has rebaptized its One into 0 (zero) and is ready for launch. Meanwhile, at the Ford proving grounds in Lommel, the Belgian Agoria Solar team is prepared to attack the world record (most km in 12 hours) with their BluePoint Atlas. During […]
June 09, 2022
Porsche has taken over Fazua, a light and compact drive systems manufacturer for e-bikes. The take-over follows Porsche earlier taking a 20-per cent stake in the German start-up. It is also part of a drive at Porsche to expand the e-bike business. Fazua, based in Ottobrunn, near Munich, is considered by Porsche a ‘pioneer in […]
June 09, 2022
Dr. Alexander W. Wehr is moving to Belgium to become President and CEO of BMW Group Belux. He will succeed Eddy Haesendonck, who decided to leave the BMW Group. Stefan Reiff succeeds Wehr as Vice President of Customer, Brand, and Sales at BMW Motorrad. “Due to his extensive international sales expertise, Alexander Wehr is ideally […]
June 09, 2022
At the ‘Unstoppable Impulse Event’ in Sitges near Barcelona, Cupra previewed three electrified models to be launched before 2025. Mother company Seat unveils that way that its sporty/luxury sub-brand will lead the electrification path for the Spanish division of the VW Group. “For now, electrification is still a little bit expensive. So we think we […]
June 08, 2022
Hyundai will soon cease production of the first Ioniq, the model that received a name that became the electric sub-brand afterward. According to the South Korean carmaker, the model’s production, which is available as a BEV, PHEV, and HEV, will end at the Ulsan plant in July. The Ioniq was launched in 2016, and since […]
June 08, 2022
Geely’s daughter and Volvo’s sister Polestar has revealed the first entire picture of its Polestar 3, its first SUV. There’s also a date announced for the car’s world debut. It will be October 2022, the month when orders can also be taken. Production will start in early 2023. Other information on the new Polestar is […]
June 07, 2022
As of 1 September 2022, Sigrid de Vries will assume the position as the European car and truck manufacturers association’s new Director-General, following a decision by the ACEA Board of Directors. She will manage the association that unites Europe’s 16 major car, truck, van, and bus makers at the EU level. Concerning the Alternative Fuels […]
June 07, 2022
Next week, the Fisker Ocean debuts in Europe. From now on, American customers can reserve Fisker’s second model, the Pear (for Personal Electric Automotive Revolution). The Californian carmaker works with the Chinese contract manufacturer Foxconn to produce the all-electric city car. The first models are scheduled for delivery in 2024. Customers could pre-order the Fisker […]
June 07, 2022
May hasn’t brought relief for the car market in Belgium and Luxembourg. Compared to the same month last year, car sales declined by 16,7%, for the first five months of this year, the cumulated regress attains 16%. We see the same tendency in other countries. Norway remains an (electric) exception but sees hybrid car sales […]
June 07, 2022
The BMW Group has laid the foundation stone for its new electric car plant in Debrecen, Hungary. The company invests more than one billion euros in the site, where series production for the first all-electric New Class vehicle will start in 2025. It will be a complete vehicle plant with a press shop, body shop, […]
June 02, 2022
Ford is taking the next significant step in its transformation in Europe. Martin Sander becomes General Manager, Ford Model e, for Ford in Europe. Ford Model e is Ford’s new global business unit. It was introduced earlier this year as the company accelerated the transformation of its global automotive business. In his role as General […]
June 02, 2022
Mercedes-Benz has presented the new generation of its popular SUV model GLC. Only electrified drives are used, which means at least a 48-volt mild hybrid. Three plug-in hybrids offer a battery range of more than 100 kilometers each. According to the press release, the core of all three plug-in hybrids is the new battery, an […]
May 31, 2022
The all-new model from DeLorean Motor Company (DMC) was set for a digital launch today following several teasers. Still, the automaker released the first pictures and information earlier than expected through the official website for anyone signing up for news and updates. The DeLorean Alpha5 is designed by Italdesign, just like its predecessor. It is […]
May 31, 2022
Daimler Truck has built the first prototypes of the battery-electric long-distance truck eActros LongHaul and plans to test them on public roads this year. In addition, the truck manufacturer has announced further variants of the eActros for distribution transport. The eActros is an electric truck for distribution transport, delivered since the end of February 2022. […]
May 30, 2022
The startup Vaeridion from Munich wants to build small electric airplanes with space for two pilots and nine passengers. In contrast to the numerous electric vertical take-off concepts, Vaeridion’s electric aircraft is designed to take off and land like an ordinary airplane. The plans are in the very early stages. Still, the ambitions are high: […]
May 30, 2022
The Chinese battery giant CATL will be supplying BMW with cylindrical lithium-ion battery cells for electric vehicles starting from 2025. The cells will be used in BMW’s next generation of EVs, the so-called ‘New Class’. This news was announced by CATL (via Reuters), which has confirmed the signing of an agreement with BMW, but without […]
May 30, 2022
The Swiss manufacturer Micro Mobility has revealed more details on the individual variants of the Microlino light electric vehicle (LEV) in a virtual presentation. Micro plans to offer a total of four versions of the model. Deliveries of the ‘Pioneers Series ‘that had already been presented are to start in the summer of 2022, first […]
May 28, 2022
While the Renault management is trying to get everybody on the same line regarding the possible division of the company into two separate entities (EV and ICE products), a class action is threatening. A growing number of the 1.2 TCE engine users are complaining and threatening to sue the company for negligence. Some thousand owners […]
May 27, 2022
The German car manufacturing group Volkswagen pays £ 193 million (€ 226 million) to 91 000 British car owners as a settlement in the so-called Dieselgate case. The car owners had set up a class action against the manufacturer. The settlement is private and didn’t pass jurisdictional channels, so there is no confession of guilt, […]
May 27, 2022
BMW Brilliance Automotive (BBA), the joint venture between BMW Group and the Chinese manufacturer Brilliance has for the first time established a closed cycle in China for the reuse of the raw materials nickel, lithium, and cobalt from high-voltage batteries. As a result, compared to the use of newly mined material, CO2 emissions are to […]
May 25, 2022
The Italian government has received two offers to acquire a majority stake in the Italian airline ITA Airways, the successor of Alitalia. One offer comes from Lufthansa, joining hands with the Swiss maritime group MSC. The other comes from an American investment group, Certares Management. This offer is backed by Air France/KLM and the American […]
May 25, 2022
Swedish electric car manufacturer and Geely daughter Polestar has become a shareholder in Israeli battery developer StoreDot. In addition to the financial investment, both companies want to explore the use of StoreDot’s fast-charging silicon-dominated batteries for future Polestar vehicles. Volvo Cars had already invested in StoreDot in April. StoreDot’s other strategic partners include Mercedes-Benz, BP, […]
May 25, 2022
D’Ieterens ‘Lucien’ bike business has a new, important competitor: Raida. The new group consists of three local chains: Cool Electro Cycles (West-Flanders), Velodome (Antwerp), and Bicyclic (Wallonia). Altogether, they represent 22 shops with 120 employees and a € 40 million turnover. Another big chain is the Colruyd daughter Bike Republic (formerly called Fiets!), which counts […]
May 24, 2022
As the world’s largest producer of cobalt, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) no longer wants to settle for the role of a raw material supplier. Instead, it wants to build its own battery supply chain in the country. A battery factory is also being considered, together with country neighbor Zambia. As the German Handelsblatt […]
May 24, 2022
The BMW Group plans to open its planned Cell Manufacturing Competence Centre (CMCC) in Parsdorf near Munich in the autumn of this year. According to the car manufacturer, the pilot line in the center of excellence will enable it to fully analyze and understand the value-added processes of the cell. Now that the immission control […]
May 24, 2022
The Chinese car and battery manufacturer BYD has started offering its Seal electric sedan in China. This means that the prices and some technical data of the eagerly awaited electric car, which is intended to compete with the Tesla Model 3, have been released. The BYD Seal is available in four versions with ranges between […]
May 23, 2022
Lancia is resurrecting. It starts its ‘ten-year plan’, which will begin in 2024 with the new Lancia Ypsilon. In 2026, the new flagship is supposed to arrive, 4,6 meters long, which will allow the brand to enter the largest segment in Europe. 2028 will be the year of the new 4,4 meters long ‘Delta’, a […]
May 23, 2022
Renault has presented the Scenic Vision, a compact class show car that has both a large battery and fuel cell on board. The car gets its energy in two ways: it can use electricity from the battery and it can recharge from hydrogen while driving (via electrolysis). The French company describes the concept as a […]
May 20, 2022
The Swedish energy company Vattenfall is building a wind turbine that produces hydrogen in front of Scotland’s coastline. According to the company, this is a world’s first. An electrolyzer placed on an existing wind turbine produces the hydrogen. To realize the project, Vattenfall has been awarded £ 9,3 million (approximately € 11 million) in innovation […]
May 20, 2022
The European Commission wants the EU to faster accelerate its endeavor to gain energetical independence. Energy use must be more efficient, the energy supply must be diversified, and the energy sources must become sustainable. The whole plan has been presented this week under the REPowerEU name. The war in Ukraine has once again emphasized the […]
May 19, 2022
BMW Group has become the most important investor in Mangrove Lithium through its venture capital arm, BMW i Ventures. The Canadian company has developed a process to transform virgin and recycled raw lithium into battery-grade material. “Mangrove’s modular, feedstock-flexible technology has attracted serious investors who see that our technology gets global refining capacity much closer […]
May 19, 2022
The Dutch charging infrastructure provider Allego, already well introduced and proliferating in Belgium, has entered into a cooperation to install ultra-fast charging stations at 100 rest stops operated by G&V Energy Group by 2024. The partners want to realize twelve locations before the end of 2022 and see the longer-term potential for another 150 sites. […]
May 18, 2022
For months now, Renault has been thinking of separating its activities into electric and thermic ones. The Renault bosses met with their Alliance partners Nissan and Mitsubishi in Japan yesterday. The message was clear: Both Japanese partners could decide whether and when to join the electric pole. They can jump on the running train whenever […]
May 18, 2022
ABB E-Mobility and Shell plan to set up the first Germany-wide charging network with ABB’s Terra 360 fast-charging station. More than 200 charging stations, each with a capacity of up to 360 kW, are to be put into operation over the next twelve months. Later, other countries are to follow. In September 2021, ABB introduced […]
May 17, 2022
A broad cross-industry coalition is now including Ford of Europe and Volvo Cars. They are appealing to the EU to ensure that all new cars and vans in Europe are zero-emission from 2035 and establish mandatory charging infrastructure targets. The coalition says the deadline for new fossil fuel engines is needed to ensure the last […]
May 17, 2022
The Dutch start-up Squad Mobility presents the final version of its solar two-seater, which was first shown three years ago and is scheduled to go into production in 2023. The Squad (or Solar Quad) can be bought starting from € 6 250 net and can be reserved now via fully-refundable, non-binding pre-orders for the Netherlands, […]
May 17, 2022
According to media reports, Audi will only offer its compact A3 model in pure electric form for the next generation due in 2027 as part of its accelerated electric vehicle course. As the company has decided to move away from really small cars, this A3 e-tron will probably be the smallest Audi in the range. […]
May 16, 2022
The global industry is accelerating its investment in energy efficiency in the next five years as the crucial race towards Net-Zero intensifies, a new survey commissioned by ABB finds out. 90% will increase spending over the next five years, while 52 percent plan to achieve Net Zero within the same period. This Energy Efficiency Investment […]
May 16, 2022
The Afro-European startup NamX has presented a fuel cell SUV designed by Pininfarina set for market launch in 2025. The highlight of this Hydrogen Utility Vehicle (HUV) lies in its hydrogen storage. NamX’s patented technology combines a fixed hydrogen tank and six removable capsules as secondary tanks. These tanks were of primary concern also to […]
May 16, 2022
Renault has confirmed the launch of a strategic review into a spin-off of its electric car business. – and provided more details. At the same time, Renault Group signs agreements to sell Renault Russia and its controlling interests in Avtovaz. Specifically, a separate company in France could be dedicated to developing, producing, and distributing electric […]
May 13, 2022
Wednesday, a new president for the board was elected at the Autoworld museum in Brussels. Ex-Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, now still a member of the European Parliament, has accepted to succeed to another well-known Open-Vld politician, Herman De Croo, who has been heading the museum for 36 years. The entire Autoworld team is very grateful […]
May 13, 2022
General Motors CEO Mary Barra is ready to return to Europe. The most obvious reason is that electric vehicle sales are booming in the EU. The old continent could be an integral part again of GM’s accelerated switch to electrification. Europe is the second-largest electric vehicle market globally, next to China. On Monday, Barra confirmed […]
May 13, 2022
During the announcement of the latest quarterly figures, BMW CEO Oliver Zipse confirmed that ‘die Neuse Klasse’, the new New Class platform planned for 2025, will first be used in the 3 Series segment. Zipse did, however, also somewhat limit the future use of the platform. Shortly after Zipse’s statement, the next strategic shift is […]
May 12, 2022
Some 15 months after creating the Stellantis Group, Group CEO Carlos Tavares makes several new management appointments. Opel boss Uwe Hochgeschurtz, who only took up his post last year, is leaving the brand to replace Maxime Picat at parent company Stellantis. The latter takes over as the group’s head of purchasing and supply chain. “The […]
