November 10, 2026
One of Volkswagen’s most extraordinary engineering experiments is back on the market. A virtually unused Volkswagen XL1, the futuristic diesel plug-in hybrid designed to consume just 0.9 liters per 100 kilometers, is being auctioned in the Netherlands. But behind its €110,000–€125,000 estimate lies an intriguing question: was this very car sold for less than €30,000 […]
November 10, 2026
Through an over-the-air update, Volkswagen is adding battery preconditioning to earlier ID: models and the first versions of the Skoda Enyaq. Just before winter sets in, these owners can profit from faster charging times in cold conditions. The catch is that it only works manually. When the ID.3, ID.4 and Enyaq arrived in 2020, the […]
November 10, 2026
Today, the 31st UN Climate Summit begins in Antalya (Turkey), with several open questions. One of the first questions is: who is actually in charge? While Turkey hosts COP31, Australia has been tasked with leading the negotiations. It remains unclear who truly holds the reins. And what will it be about? In any case, the discussion […]
November 09, 2026
Electric trucks made up 50.3% of all heavy trucks sold in China in September. That’s 33,100 in a single month, up 37% from a year ago, while the overall heavy-truck market shrank by 21%. The specialized website Electrek dug up some numbers, and the results are telling. In 2024, new-energy vehicles (NEVs) accounted for 13.6% […]
November 06, 2026
According to an analysis by the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) published by Carbon Brief, China’s CO2 emissions fell 3.1% in the third quarter of 2026, the fastest pace since the Covid-19 pandemic. The war in the Middle East and the disruptions to maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz have […]
November 06, 2026
A constant 800 volts, no matter how full or how old the battery is. No separate on-board charger for converting AC to DC. And perhaps even different cell chemistries in a single pack. Mercedes-Benz has unveiled the Power Converter, a research project aimed at reinventing the traction battery in electric cars. An 800-volt EV battery […]
November 05, 2026
Belgium has once again missed the deadline in negotiations with energy giant Engie regarding the potential acquisition of the 7 nuclear power plants located in Belgium. Both parties have agreed to give themselves more time. This is already the second time the deadline has been postponed. The deadline for the negotiations has now been moved […]
November 04, 2026
Brazil says governments must ‘completely change’ the way they deal with climate change. The country, the host of last year’s United Nations climate conference, is ending its year-long presidency of the UN climate process and has set out the world’s first global ‘roadmap’ for phasing out fossil fuels. It shows that countries can boost their […]
November 03, 2026
According to two new reports published on Monday by the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative (ICCI), in cooperation with the UN Environment Program (UNEP), the ice caps in Greenland and Antarctica are melting at around six times the rate of the 1990s. Scientists warn that exceeding 1.5°C of global warming will have “irreversible” consequences for glaciers, sea […]
November 02, 2026
Charging an electric car in Belgium can cost more than twice as much at one public charger as at another. Belgian mobility organization VAB calls it the ‘Wild West’ and wants maximum tariffs. Belgian Consumer Protection Minister Rob Beenders has responded by calling for stricter European rules to make charging prices simpler and more transparent, […]
November 02, 2026
As the Iran war drives up fuel and energy prices, oil majors are reporting extraordinary profits. BP’s earnings have nearly quadrupled, Shell is making billions from refining, and even US President Trump’s oil investments are gaining value. Meanwhile, European governments are struggling to agree on how to ease the burden on consumers. British oil giant […]
October 30, 2026
Kia will build its first hydrogen-powered vehicle from 2029, a fuel-cell version of the Carnival minivan. It is the first time the car maker has committed to building a hydrogen driveline, putting it in the same camp as sister brand Hyundai, where Toyota and BMW remain. Kia’s hydrogen surfaced unusually. Where automotive news these days […]
October 29, 2026
Two climate organizations, Project InnerSpace and Future Cleantech Architects (FCA), have assessed geothermal energy’s potential as an energy source in the European Union. The study highlights thirty industrial clusters across twelve European countries, including Belgium. Belgium has both the geological resources and industrial concentration to benefit from geothermal heat, but has developed the technology far […]
October 29, 2026
In the third quarter of 2026, battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales hit record highs across Europe, with 13 of 27 EU countries posting their highest-ever quarterly BEV sales. BEVs are now the top powertrain sold in 11 European countries. Of course, markets still differ significantly. The BEV share in newly registered cars ranges from 4.5% […]
October 28, 2026
Heat now claims roughly as many lives worldwide as HIV or malaria, according to the latest Lancet Countdown report, which estimates 710,000 heat-related deaths in 2023. As scientists warn that climate change is becoming a global health emergency, the European Commission has unveiled a new climate resilience framework requiring member states to prepare for increasingly […]
October 27, 2026
A new Oxfam analysis estimates that the world’s richest 0.1 percent (8 million people) produce more carbon pollution than the world’s poorest 44% (3.5 billion people) combined. A person in the richest 0.1 percent has contributed nearly 400 times more to today’s extreme heatwaves than someone in the poorest 50%. Oxfam collaborated with researcher Sarah […]
October 27, 2026
Chinese EV maker NIO has opened its 22nd battery-swapping station in Germany, bringing its European network to 61. But behind the promise of a fully charged battery in just three minutes lies an uncomfortable reality: too few compatible cars, limited use of expensive infrastructure, and little sign of further expansion. Belgium illustrates the dilemma particularly […]
October 26, 2026
The Swedish company EasyPark, owned by a British and Norwegian investment fund, among others, now also offers charging and parking services in Belgium. France and Spain will also receive this service before the end of the year. This means that drivers who frequently park their EVs in cities can use a single app for both […]
October 23, 2026
A former coal-fired power station in Genk is being transformed into a giant battery-storage hub, with Belgian energy developer Storm installing 106 Tesla Megapack 2XL units on the Langerlo site. Flemish Environment Minister Jo Brouns and Genk Mayor Wim Dries visited the construction site on Thursday, October 22, as installation of the batteries progressed. Once […]
October 23, 2026
BMW, Toyota, and Hyundai insist hydrogen cars still have a future, even as battery-electric vehicles become cheaper, faster-charging, and capable of traveling further. At a driving event in Halle, Belgium, journalists could put that claim to the test. Meanwhile, the Belgian hydrogen sector warned of falling behind its neighboring countries. Driving BMW’s hydrogen-powered iX5 through […]
October 23, 2026
The Belgian postal company Bpost is accelerating the electrification of its delivery fleet. By the end of October, Bpost will have 4,165 electric delivery vans on the road, accounting for 42% of its delivery transporter fleet and four times the number it had three years ago. The procurement pace corresponds to an increase of about 1,000 […]
October 22, 2026
CATL has unveiled a rather intriguing range extender for electric trucks. The architecture doesn’t use a combustion engine; instead, it uses a dual-battery system that pairs a large, swappable main pack with a small, permanently installed reserve battery. On paper, it is a neat fix for range anxiety, but almost everything that makes it work […]
October 14, 2026
The world is installing renewable energy at record speed, but its electricity networks and storage capacity are struggling to keep up. In its new World Energy Transitions Outlook 2026, published on 13 October, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) explains that renewable electricity is expanding faster than the infrastructure and energy systems needed to use […]
October 14, 2026
In the third quarter of this year, the BMW Group delivered 551,072 cars, down 6.3% from Q3 last year. In contrast, the group sold 110,257 all-electric cars worldwide, up 7.2% year on year. Sales grew significantly in Europe and Germany. However, in the first nine months, the electric-vehicle balance sheet still showed a deficit. In […]
October 14, 2026
Electric cars are becoming an unexpected buffer against the global oil crisis. In the Benelux alone, EVs now displace an estimated $1 billion in oil annually, according to the energy think tank Ember. Across the EU, electric mobility avoided $3.1 billion in oil consumption in just six months. And with battery-electric cars accounting for more […]
October 13, 2026
The European Commission has selected 46 new strategic projects to strengthen the extraction, processing, and recycling of critical raw materials in the European Union, to reduce dependence on countries such as China. Two Belgian projects – one by Umicore in Hoboken and one by Comet Traitements in La Louvière – were also selected, as were […]
October 12, 2026
The Antwerp-based. shipping group CMB.TECH has launched the world’s first dry bulk carrier powered by ammonia. The vessel Mineral Europa has set sail on its maiden voyage to Australia. It is a Newcastlemax, an ore and coal carrier with a deadweight tonnage of approximately 210,000 metric tons. “The Mineral Europa heralds the fifth revolution in […]
October 12, 2026
Tens of thousands of people returned to the streets of Brussels on Sunday in one of Belgium’s largest climate demonstrations since the historic school strikes of 2019. Police counted 45,000 participants, while organizers estimated 60,000, roughly twice last year’s turnout. Yet the renewed mobilization comes as climate ambitions increasingly compete with economic pressures, wars, and […]
October 08, 2026
European electric car drivers are venturing further afield than ever, with Austria and Italy recording spectacular growth in holiday charging sessions. But while range anxiety is fading, unpredictable charging bills remain a headache. One Dutch driver even received a bill exceeding €400 for a single charging session in Paris. New figures from the Dutch motoring […]
October 01, 2026
No decision will be made on October 1 regarding the possible nationalization of the nuclear reactors in Belgium operated by energy giant Engie. The Belgian government and Engie have agreed to postpone the deadline for negotiations on a possible takeover until November 4. According to the joint statement from the Prime Minister, the Ministry of […]
October 01, 2026
Electric cars may retain considerably more of their value than conventional leasing calculations suggest. A new analysis by Transport & Environment (T&E) claims that the residual-value gap between battery-electric and combustion cars could be around 80% smaller once taxation, subsidies, inflation and falling new-EV prices are taken into account. Based on 2025 used-car transaction data […]
September 30, 2026
Electric trucks deliver a lower total cost of ownership (TCO) in six out of nine major EU markets, which together account for 46% of all new heavy trucks sold in the EU, a new T&E report shows. In the Netherlands and Germany, savings can reach €100,000 and €85,000 respectively over five years, with electric trucks […]
September 30, 2026
Volkswagen has agreed on new joint ventures with its Chinese battery partner Gotion to bring LFP production to Europe. The move must speed up the switch from NMC to cheaper LFP chemistries while complying with the European Commission’s new Made in Europe draft. The deal between VW and Gotion reorganizes three projects already under construction […]
September 30, 2026
BMW has unveiled its new 3 Series, which for the first time includes an electric sedan, the i3. Based on the Neue Klasse platform, the i3 shares its technical toolkit with the iX3 SUV but pulls ahead on range. The Munich-based automaker is calling for a starting price of €59,900 in Germany (€58,450 in Belgium), […]
September 29, 2026
The Belgian car market seems to have finally turned toward electrification. But mobility organization Touring says the transition is largely due to company cars, and warns that issues remain for private buyers. For example, the ease and cost of public charging. For the first time ever, there are more hybrid and electric cars on the […]
September 29, 2026
Geely Auto, the mother company of Volvo and Polestar, has taken a 30% stake in Nio Power, the battery-swapping and charging unit of its Chinese rival. The interest seems bizarre. Barely a week earlier, Geely unveiled a fast-charging technology that makes swapping redundant. Only a few days ago, Geely unveiled a 2.2 Megawatt charger, topping […]
September 29, 2026
The Trump administration finalized a significant weakening of federal fuel economy standards for automobiles, rolling back a key policy that had pushed the industry to improve the efficiency of cars and trucks and sell more battery-electric vehicles. Automakers are expected to achieve a fleet average of 34.9 miles per gallon (mpg) for cars and light […]
September 28, 2026
European Rally Champion Miko Marczyk has set a Guinness World Record with an Audi A6 Sportback e-tron Performance. On a single battery charge, he covered 1,338 kilometers with an average consumption of 7.09 kWh/100 km. Normally, Miko Marczyk’s focus is on losing as little time as possible on the road. But for his latest outing […]
September 28, 2026
At InnoTrans 2026 in Berlin, the Swiss train manufacturer Stadler unveiled the world’s first hydrogen-powered train developed specifically for narrow-gauge railways. In collaboration with 3 Italian rail operators, Stadler is building 21 trains for Sardinia, Calabria, and Sicily. 10 of these hydrogen-powered trains will save more than 2,100 tonnes of CO2 per year compared to […]
September 25, 2026
Geely Auto has unveiled a 2.25-megawatt smart-charging system that charges its electric cars from 10 to 70% in four minutes and 30 seconds. That is roughly thirty seconds quicker than BYD’s latest Flash Charging 2.0 platform, the previous benchmark. The company officially announced the record-breaking charging system at its Safety Center in Ningbo. It’s not […]
September 24, 2026
A few days before the official introduction of the first fully electric Bentley, the Torcal, a set of near-official pictures has leaked, thanks to the unstoppable hunger for exclusive news from sites like Cochespias. Bentley reacted by officially unveiling the car three days later, so in this update we replace the ‘spy photos’ with the […]
September 24, 2026
Brussels Airport is the first European airport to test a mobile blending facility to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The project is the final phase of the Stargate project, established with the support of the European Commission, through which the airport has explored more than 30 sustainability measures in recent years. “We remain committed to […]
September 24, 2026
Chinese carmakers grabbed a record share of the European car market last month. But their advance is increasingly driven by plug-in hybrid sales. As many as one in three PHEVs now carry a Chinese badge. Chinese brands accounted for almost 12% of European new-car sales in August, according to figures from German market researcher Dataforce. […]
September 24, 2026
Nissan presents its electric microcar as the Pixo. It is closely related to the Renault Twingo Electric and the new Dacia Spring. All three electric vehicles will roll off the production line at the Renault plant in Novo Mesto, Slovenia. Nissan is scheduled to start deliveries of the Pixo in early 2027. Pricing remains a […]
September 22, 2026
Electric cars come with a few side costs that make them rather unique. The charging post is one of them. A Dutch company now offers to lease the charger first instead of paying the upfront cost. Similar initiatives are emerging in other countries. Service model Charging is increasingly turning into a service model. Two parallel […]
September 21, 2026
Twente University’s Top Dutch Solar Racing has won the 24h iLumen European Solar Challenge on the circuit of Zolder. The Belgian Innoptus Solar Team, run by KU Leuven students, came second in their BluePoint Atlas car, losing its European title. Over the past weekend, the Belgian Zolder circuit was the place to be for solar […]
September 18, 2026
According to EV Belgium, Belgium’s Electric Vehicle Association, current fossil fuel pump prices demonstrate, above all, that Belgium must look beyond temporary measures when oil prices rise. For EV Belgium, this trend confirms that the transition to electric mobility is no longer merely a climate issue, but also, increasingly, a matter of purchasing power, energy […]
September 18, 2026
For the first time, Belgium’s roads carry more electrified cars than diesel vehicles. For a country where most citizens once had diesel flowing through their veins, that is an important milestone. Petrol remains dominant Official figures released by Statbel show that the combined electrified fleet in Belgium reached 1,512,874 units at the beginning of last […]
September 17, 2026
Volkswagen has revealed the ID.3 GTI, based on the ID.3 Neo. When it comes to market in the spring of 2027, it will be the brand’s second electric GTI after the Polo, and the most powerful GTI ever made. It will also be the first rear-wheel-drive GTI ever. The ID.3 GTI uses VW’s MEB+ with […]
September 16, 2026
The U.S. company Power to Hydrogen will start production of green hydrogen this Friday in the Port of Antwerp. The site opens at the so-called NextGen District, the innovation hub of Port of Antwerp-Bruges on the premises of the former Opel factory. The goal is to produce 50 metric tons of green hydrogen annually. The […]
September 15, 2026
Volkswagen has presented a new electric concept car, the Mission Efficiency. The aerodynamic and ‘production-ready’ 2+2 was built on the brand’s MEB+ platform and promises a record-low power consumtion. Volkswagen’s Mission Efficiency concept looks like a modern reinterpretation of the brand’s iconic XL1. But unlike the innovative coupe VW launched in 2013 and sold in […]
September 11, 2026
Russians are increasingly looking for survival measures to keep their daily life going as the Ukrainian war lingers. One of them are electrified cars. Russian battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicle sales more than doubled between June and August this year, climbing to 26,543 units. This represents an increase of 118 per cent. The cause […]
September 11, 2026
After BYD, Geely is joining the race to superfast charging. The company claims it is running test cars in China filling up in five minutes at 1.800 kW superchargers. Europe is also on the radar. Tesla once built an empire by selling electric cars accompanied by the charging stations that power them and that could […]
September 09, 2026
Fastned has officially inaugurated its largest charging station in Wallonia, with twelve ultra-fast charging points along the E411 at Libin. But behind the new yellow canopy lies another story: the ambitious Fastned-IDELUX network announced two years ago is taking considerably longer to materialize than initially planned – and one of the original eleven locations has […]
September 07, 2026
According to a report from the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), the financial case for battery cars has tipped into positive territory across much of Europe. At the heart of the transition sit lower battery prices. As the oil market is increasingly pressurized, the cost gap with combustion engines is projected to widen further. The […]
September 03, 2026
The federal energy regulator CREG, the Commission for Electricity and Gas Regulation, warns that the numerous projects planned by high-voltage grid operator Elia over the coming years will lead to high electricity rates for households and businesses. The plans include, among other things, the energy island, new high-voltage lines such as Ventilus and Boucle du […]
September 03, 2026
A massive analysis of more than 500,000 EV battery tests suggests that most electric cars retain at least 90% of their original battery capacity after 150,000 kilometers. But the averages hide large differences between individual cars – precisely why Belgium is already adding battery-health data to the Car-Pass and why calls for an independent battery […]
August 31, 2026
The British car magazine AutoExpress has ranked all 161 EVs currently available on the UK market, and the somewhat surprising (or not?) winner is the new Nissan Leaf. The magazine presented its road testers with a complete list of every UK market electric car available to buy and asked them to rank each model on […]
August 31, 2026
Volkswagen’s planned electric small car for 2027, with a projected base price of around €20,000, will be called ID. Up, not ID.1, according to a Spanish media report. The publication writes that VW has already finalized the model’s name as ID. Up. The specifications of the new ID. Up are expected to largely match those […]
August 27, 2026
BMW’s Neue Klasse is apparently providing strong momentum for fully electric vehicle sales. Two million BEVs have been handed over to customers since sales of the very first BMW i3 launched in late 2013. Including plug-in hybrids, BMW has delivered around 3.5 million electrified vehicles to customers worldwide since 2013. In the first half of […]
