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 majority of Shell shareholders support the oil and gas company’s plans to reduce its emissions and become climate-neutral by 2050. However, a resolution by activist shareholder Follow This to force Shell to set even stronger climate targets did not get the majority of votes and received less support than last year. The annual meeting […]
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 24, 2022
Somewhere in the first half of 2025, Hyundai will start the production of electric models and batteries in a new factory in Georgia, US. The plant must reach an annual output of 300,000 cars. In addition, the South-Korean carmaker is joining forces with another yet unnamed partner for battery manufacturing. The budget of 5.5 billion […]
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 Brussels government has launched a project call to boost the rollout of charging stations for electric vehicles. All owners of private car parks in Brussels have a chance of receiving a subsidy on the condition that their charging stations run on green electricity, are public, and are accessible 24/7. This has been confirmed by […]
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
Together with Denmark, Germany, and The Netherlands, Belgium will increase the capacity of wind turbines in the North Sea tenfold by 2050, to a total capacity of 150 gigawatts. Prime Minister Alexander De Croo (Open VLD) signed an agreement on this on Wednesday in Esbjerg, Denmark. The sky-high energy prices and the ongoing military conflict […]
May 19, 2022
Mercedes is joining forces with Sila Nanotechnologies, who developed an innovative battery with a much higher density (+30 to 40%) than what we see today in lithium-ion EV batteries. The first of these would be for the future electric G-Class. Alternative to hydrogen Sila Nanotechnologies is a start-up from Silicon Valley in California that uses […]
May 19, 2022
In a press release, the American EV manufacturer announced that also in Belgium, certain Tesla superchargers would be made available to electric vehicles of other brands. This means that 141 additional fast-charging points will now be available in Belgium. Tesla drivers are not complaining Tesla announced last year that it would open up its charging […]
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
Giant Japanese carmaker Toyota has announced a significant partnership with the French world leader in gas and technologies Air Liquide for hydrogen mobility. Together with Portuguese bus manufacturer CaetanoBus, they will act on developing infrastructure and vehicle fleets to accelerate the deployment of hydrogen for both light and heavy vehicles. “We are uniting our forces […]
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
According to a report from InfluenceMap, a conglomerate of a UK-based non-profit and a US charity, the production of electric and hydrogen vehicles won’t be enough to meet the Paris Agreement’s climate objective of limiting temperature rise to 1,5°C. Zero-emission vehicles should represent 57,5% of sales and 20% of the whole fleet by 2030. However, […]
May 18, 2022
At the IAA 2021, Porsche lifted the curtain on the Mission R, the electric version of the Cayman. Today, the South German sports car manufacturer indicates which direction the electrically powered coupé will take, as Porsche shows the first prototype with stunning specifications. The Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance is the base for this concept […]
May 18, 2022
Volvo Trucks has inaugurated a factory for battery assembly in Ghent, aside from its plant for truck assembly to support its electrification program. The site will not complete cells but put together packs supplied by Samsung SDI. Volvo Trucks already has several all-electric heavy-duty vehicles in its portfolio with the FH, FM, FMX, FE, and […]
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
In his eagerly awaited report, the intendant appointed by the Belgian government, Guy Vloebergh, concludes that the Ventilus line is best placed above ground. The high voltage connection, which must bring wind electricity from the North Sea onshore, has been strongly debated. Action groups now threaten with legal procedures, which would stall the project resulting […]
May 17, 2022
After the ID.3, the ID.4, ID.5, and the ID. Buzz, it looks like the next in line of VW’s electric ID. products will be the compact ID.2. Earlier, VW already showed a concept version in the form of the ID. Life. So it looks like the production version of that ID. Life will not be […]
May 17, 2022
SOLiTHOR, a spin-off of the Leuven-based research company Imec, will develop and market solid-state batteries under the brand name SOLiTHOR. These batteries should also be usable in automotive applications within five to ten years because they are safer, weigh less, and, above all, are cheaper than the current generation of batteries. Ten years of research […]
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 13, 2022
The Environmental Committee of the European Parliament has voted in favor of a sales ban on internal combustion engines for cars and vans as of 2035. The Committee dismissed synthetic fuels as a solution and didn’t adopt new interim CO2 targets for the automotive industry. The European lawmakers stayed close to the original proposal by […]
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
On Wednesday, March 11th, energy provider Engie inaugurated its 200th wind turbine on Unilin Insulation’s site in Seneffe. Unilin Insulation is a construction company manufacturing thermal insulation materials. And the energy project contributes to the company’s target to reduce its CO2 emissions by 42% by 2030 and achieve climate neutrality by 2050. The two new […]
May 12, 2022
More than a third of Belgian companies will not make the switch to a fully electric car park by 2026, the deadline the government is setting for new company vehicles sold to be electric. This is shown by an online survey by insurer AON and FLEET Magazine. The reasons are diverse, the 200 respondents say. […]
May 12, 2022
Many manufacturers are already sold out of vehicles (especially EVs) in 2022. The delivery delays are getting longer than a year, making some stop taking orders. VW was the first, and now Tesla and Mercedes-Benz seem to be following, among others. Recently, Volkswagen was the first to announce that it is “basically sold out” of […]
May 12, 2022
Volkswagen Group will launch an all-electric pickup and rugged SUV in the United States. The decision of the Board of Management was confirmed today by the Supervisory Board of the Volkswagen Group. The cars will be sold under the Scout brand. The vehicles will be designed, engineered, and manufactured in the US for American customers. […]
May 11, 2022
The Vietnamese car manufacturer VinFast has published more technical specifications and price details of the VF 8 and VF 9 SUV models to be sold soon. There are also prices and details on battery rental in the firstly targeted European markets: Germany, France, and the Netherlands. The VF 8 is available for €43 900 plus […]
May 10, 2022
On ‘Mobilize Day’, the Mobilize department has shown its ambitions in services and technology inside the Renault Group. Its target is 20% of the total turnover of the Group by 2030. At the same time, Renault’s RCI Bank and Services become Mobilize Financial Services. At the start of the day, Renault CEO Luca de Meo […]
May 10, 2022
The BMW Group says it has reached significant milestones in the ramp-up of e-mobility at its largest European production site in Dingolfing near Munich. A second production line for electric motors is up and running, and the production of a new generation of PHEV batteries has also started. BMW announced that the production line for […]
May 09, 2022
This is already starting to become a trip down memory lane. The Swiss company Micro Mobility Systems was the first to clone the iconic BMW Isetta bubble car under the name of Microlino. Unfortunately, with some hostility, it was taken over by the German (sports car) manufacturer Artega, and they showed their version of the […]
May 09, 2022
Taiwanese scooter manufacturer Kymco has plans to bring its range of electric scooters to Europe. The two-wheelers will be sold through the ionex brand and use battery swap. The arrival of an electric scooter of Kymco origin is not big news, as the manufacturer is already present in our market. However, the appearance of an […]
May 09, 2022
Anglo-American Mining has put its first hydrogen-powered mining truck on duty. This zero-emission behemoth is poised to replace the mining giant’s diesel-powered fleet and kickstart an entire carbon-free ecosystem if the trial goes well. The gargantuan dump truck, running on six tires the size of a bungalow, can transport 290 tons of ore and has […]
May 06, 2022
The European car manufacturers association ACEA just released the total European car sales figures for the first quarter of 2022. There’s a noticeable growth for alternatively fueled cars, especially electrified ones. Battery electric vehicles (BEV) now account for 10% of the market, hybrid electric vehicles (HEV and PHEV) for 25,1%. Together, the electrified vehicles represent […]
May 05, 2022
The Californian electric car manufacturer Fisker has announced its third model under Ronin’s project name. The all-electric GT sports car comes after the Ocean (to start production end of this year) and the Pear (coming in 2023). Fisker has now published a first teaser image and initial information. The Ronin is planned for the official […]
May 05, 2022
In a television interview, Norwegian Minister of Transport Jon-Ivar Nygård has unveiled that the government is reconsidering the EV incentives that helped push electric car sales to almost 90%. Scrapping the benefits must get more people out of their cars. Free municipal parking. No tolls on ferries. Access to bus lanes. No annual road tax. […]
May 05, 2022
The German car manufacturer Volkswagen Group confirmed yesterday that it wants more than double its market share in the United States. In the wake of Dieselgate, the Group partly abandoned/neglected the North-American market, but “in a more polarised world, it’s a market of growing interest.” The Volkswagen Group is not doing badly at the moment. […]
May 04, 2022
The tiny British sports car manufacturer, TVR, is planning a limited edition all-electric offshoot of its Griffith V8 model for 2024. Normally, there will be a second, as yet unspecified electric model joining it. TVR made the announcement as part of a sponsoring partnership with the Formula E electric racing series. The manufacturer, previously known […]
May 02, 2022
On Friday, the RATP, the Autonomous Management of Parisian Transport, temporarily removed 149 electric buses from circulation as a precaution. The reason is two recent fires in such vehicles in the middle of the street in the French capital. The vehicles involved are from the Bolloré Bluebus 5SE series. On Friday, an e-bus running on […]
May 02, 2022
Indian car group Tata has unveiled the Avinya, a mold-breaking and fast-charging EV concept that preludes a production version scheduled for 2025. In contrast to the overwhelming majority of futuristic studies, the Avinya has a completely screen-less interior. According to the carmaker, less screen time is the way forward. While Tata’s reputation isn’t one of […]
April 29, 2022
The new Port of Antwerp-Bruges, a fusion of the harbors of Antwerp and Zeebrugge, wants to become “the green entry to Europe”. Its ambitions are not to be sneezed at: Port of Antwerp-Bruges wants to become Europe’s largest international export harbor, and at the same time reconcile economy and climate. Port of Antwerp-Bruges is determined […]
April 29, 2022
On the eve of the sixth E-Prix in Monaco, which will take place next weekend, the third generation of Formula E cars has just been presented. These new racing cars will be seen on the inner-city streets of major cities from 2023 onward. The vehicles will be faster, lighter, and more efficient. The future of […]
April 28, 2022
Belgian materials group Umicore has struck a deal with Automotive Cells Company (ACC), the battery joint venture between Mercedes, Stellantis, and TotalEnergies. Umicore will supply the battery factories from ACC with next-generation high-nickel cathode material through its Polish factory. The Belgian company now has three major auto groups in its portfolio since it has already […]
April 26, 2022
Through its Twitter account, Chevrolet has officially confirmed that it will launch an all-electric Corvette shortly after the introduction of a hybrid version. An accompanying movie unveiled test and development work with a prototype of the latter. President of General Motors Mark Reuss acknowledged on the American news channel CNBC the arrival of a battery-powered […]
April 26, 2022
Alfa Romeo, a brand part of the Stellantis Group, is considering a comeback of its MiTo. Production of the smallest Alfa was discontinued three years ago, and it would now resurrect as a purely electric model. Conceptually, the MiTo will change as it will share familiar technology with other brands in the Group. According to […]
April 25, 2022
Honda goes for three new all-electric dedicated vehicle platforms. As already mentioned earlier, the plan is to achieve sales volumes of more than two million electric cars per year by 2030. The first of these platforms is set to debut as early as 2024. Speaking to the Reuters news agency, Shinji Aoyama, Honda’s global head […]
April 22, 2022
Brussels-based NGO Transport & Environment states in a new analysis report that the charging infrastructure in Europe will keep pace with the uptake of electric vehicles by 2035, when the combustion engine would be banned. T&E forecasts 10,4 million public chargers for 131 million EVs in Europe by 2035. It counters the persistent warnings by […]
April 22, 2022
In its first study on life cycle assessment, Green NCAP, the sustainability branch of safety organization Euro NCAP, has examined the environmental impact of 61 popular models on the European market. Though the electric Fiat 500 showed the smallest carbon footprint, the Skoda Octavia 2.0 TDI made a case for the combustion engine. Life cycle […]
April 22, 2022
The Californian start-up Independent Electric Vehicles (Indi EV), founded in 2017, presented its first electric car at the New York Auto Show. The Indi One can be reserved now, and production is scheduled to start in mid-2023. The vehicle will first be sold in the US but will come to Europe and other continents. Despite […]
April 21, 2022
BMW has presented the new generation of the 7 Series, for the first time also in a fully electric version i7. BMW sees this generation change as a “redefinition of luxury”. When one looks at the technical information, the i7 seems to be the top model of the entire series. For Europe, only electrified models […]
