November 25, 2022
Mercedes-Benz USA has posted a new product called ‘Acceleration Increase‘ to its online shop’s website. The new service costs $ 1 200 for one year (excluding tax) of the service, which can improve an EQ vehicle’s acceleration by 0,8 to 1,0 seconds. On its website, the car manufacturer writes that the new service will “unleash […]
November 25, 2022
It’s called the Caterpillar 793 Electric. The American construction equipment behemoth showcased its prototype of a zero-emission mining truck at its proving ground in Arizona. The test area is also being transformed into a sustainable project to inspire mining companies in their decarbonization goals globally. Without providing exact specifications, Caterpillar showcased the prototype of its […]
November 25, 2022
The anniversary edition of the Brussels Motor Show (BMS), taking place from 14 to January 22nd, 2023, is not to be considered the 100th edition of the ‘old school’ motor show but the first of a new kind. The aim is clear: inform the visitor/customer about the energy transition and its (electric) influence on mobility. […]
November 23, 2022
The German supplier ZF presented a new generation of electric drives for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles. With numerous innovations at the component and system level, these are to “set standards with outstanding power density and energy efficiency”. According to the company’s press release, these standards include the compact design of the drives, the […]
November 23, 2022
Persistent rumors exist that the VW brand is about to replan its product strategy for further electric models fundamentally. According to some reports, more electric cars based on the MEB platform will be launched on the market. This means that MEB will have to be modernized, with an investment of billions. Last week, we mentioned […]
November 22, 2022
Swiss/Swedish technology group ABB has raised CHF 200 million (± €204 million) for its E-mobility division. Shares to raise said capital are being issued as part of a pre-IPO private placement. The transaction is expected to close before the end of 2022, and the capital will be used to implement the growth strategy. The private […]
November 22, 2022
On Monday, November 21st, Elia Group welcomed Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo (Open Vld) and the Belgian Federal Minister of Energy, Tinne Van der Straeten (Groen) to visit the Baltic Eagle offshore transmission platform. The project is a joint responsibility of Spanish energy group Iberdrola and 50Hertz, German subsidiary of Belgian Elia. The offshore […]
November 22, 2022
Belgian retail giant Colruyt Group will have its own truck fleet running on electricity or hydrogen by 2030 and forces all its suppliers to deliver using zero-emission transport by 2035. CEO Jef Colruyt announced the latter at the opening of the group’s fourth DATS 24 hydrogen station near its distribution center in Ollignies. According to […]
November 21, 2022
Volkswagen’s electric car plant in Zwickau set a production record in the week from 7 to 11 November when 7 100 electric cars were produced, more than in any previous week. This means that the plant is close to reaching its maximum capacity. Concerning the future of the VW icon Golf, the CEO has indicated […]
November 18, 2022
The production of the Fisker Ocean has started on schedule at the contract manufacturer Magna in Graz (Austria). However, this production of the electric SUV, for which Fisker has registered more than 63 000 reservations so far, is not expected to really pick up speed until next year. In addition, the configurator with the final […]
November 18, 2022
According to German media sources, the new Volkswagen Group boss Oliver Blume is questioning the construction of the new electric car plant initiated by his predecessor Herbert Diess in the Warmenau district of Wolfsburg. It also means that the first EV planned to be produced there, the prestigious ‘Trinity’ sedan, will also be (at least) […]
November 17, 2022
The Agoria Solar Team, the student team of the KU Leuven, has succeeded in covering the longest distance in 12 hours with the solar car they developed. In 12 hours, the BluePoint Atlas, as their newest solar car is called, covered 1 051 kilometers, breaking the previous record of the Dutch Solar Team from Delft […]
November 17, 2022
The Danish shipping company DFDS has ordered 125 e-trucks from Volvo Trucks. The first new Volvo FH Electric Truck was delivered in Ghent (Belgium) on Wednesday during a launch event in the presence of Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. DFDS, one of the largest shipping companies in northern Europe, intends to run one-quarter of its […]
November 16, 2022
Gas network operator Fluxys, dredging company DEME, and the Port of Antwerp-Bruges port authorities are planning to produce green hydrogen in Egypt. The green hydrogen could be transported via the port of Antwerp or Zeebrugge, where Fluxys has already announced a first project. The project in Egypt should help meet the expected strong growth in […]
November 16, 2022
According to a recent study by Brussels University’s research center Mobi, the typical Belgian EV driver is a 47-year-old, technology-loving male. He’s highly educated and lives in a free-standing house. The Belgian charging station manufacturer Powerdale commissioned the study. VUB’s research center Mobi analyzed the data of 489 drivers with a hybrid or fully electric […]
November 16, 2022
The biggest car manufacturer in the world, Japanese Toyota, persists in its ‘self-charging’ hybrid technology approach and launches the fifth generation of the hybrid icon, the Prius. The car has its worldwide premiere today in Japan and at the Los Angeles Motor Show. The European introduction will be on the 5th of December. The car […]
November 16, 2022
Within a few weeks, the European Commission will review the truck’s CO2 standards, and lobbying groups of the industry and the environmental NGOs are bringing the heavy cannons to bear for the last influencers’ battle. So does Transport & Environment, publishing a study proving e-fuels can’t compete with battery electric trucks even in the most […]
November 15, 2022
The Chinese joint venture BMW Brilliance Automotive (BBA) has announced an investment of some € 1.4 billion in the expansion of its electric car battery production in the city of Shenyang. This is to supply the vehicle plants there. This still involves the assembly of purchased cells into ready-to-install batteries, not in-house cell production. The […]
November 15, 2022
Tesla is opening its new Supercharger EV connector design to the world, pushing a new fast-charging standard up to 900 kW to one megawatt. It has no moving parts, needs no external cooling, is half the size, and is twice as powerful as Combined Charging System (CCS) connectors commonly used in European EVs today, the […]
November 15, 2022
Volkswagen seems to be on track with the electrification of its vehicle fleet. One year earlier than planned, the company delivered 500 000 vehicles from the ID. family worldwide – despite the strained supply situation and the teething troubles with the ID.3 in the beginning. “Delivery of half a million ID.s confirms that the Volkswagen […]
November 15, 2022
The electric car manufacturer Polestar achieved a turnover of €420,8 million in Q3 of 2022. Compared to the same quarter of 2021, Polestar more than doubled its revenue. Nevertheless, the company is still in the red, but the operating loss fell from €292 million in Q3 of 2021 to €189 million from July to September […]
November 14, 2022
BMW has started series production of the iX1 electric SUV at the plant in Regensburg. Meanwhile, new details about the electric car platform New Class have been revealed by BMW development board member Frank Weber. At the same time, BMW will apparently continue to have electric cars produced in England for the Mini brand and […]
November 12, 2022
Lately, almost all manufacturers are talking about becoming more premium in their future plans, abandoning the lower A- and B-segments. One should expect from a premium/luxury player like BMW the same. But this has been recently denied by the big boss himself, Oliver Zipse, talking at an event hosted by car supplier Bosch. A few […]
November 10, 2022
Yesterday, Volvo Cars unveiled the EX90 in Stockholm. The revamped e-SUV and XC 90 successor is exclusively electric and boasts numerous new features. Visually, on the other hand, it could pass as a facelift of the familiar model. Those who fancy a somewhat bolder or more innovative design have to look for its technical brother […]
November 09, 2022
Zero Motorcycles developed an electric adventure model. It immediately gets the largest battery capacity Zero has ever built, achieving a driving range of just under 200 km, making it perfect for use as a commuter vehicle. We drove it. Zero is a small motorbike manufacturer that exclusively builds electrically powered motorbikes. The manufacturer has just […]
November 09, 2022
Volvo Cars announced years ago that its strategic goal was to become fully electric by 2030. In line with those strategic ambitions, Volvo Cars will now divest its 33% share in Aurobay to the mother company Geely Holding. Aurobay will participate in Horse, the ICE and hybrid development company Renault Group shares with Geely. The […]
November 08, 2022
It’s getting colorful but complicated. We already know grey hydrogen, the least environmentally friendly form, as it still generates CO2 when produced from gas, and blue hydrogen, where the CO2 is captured and stored. There is ‘green’ hydrogen, generated mainly by electrolysis using renewable electricity from solar or wind energy. But why not consider ‘turquoise’ […]
November 08, 2022
The German automotive supplier ZF will, as a part of its ‘Next Generation Mobility’ strategy, convert its transmission plant in Saarbrücken into a lead location for pure electric drives. It will invest a three-digit million sum for this purpose. Electric drive production is scheduled to start there in 2024. For the future production of driveline […]
November 08, 2022
Ahead of its initial targets, Renault Group opens the third chapter of its Renaulution plan: revolution. Renault Group aims at becoming a Next Gen automotive company built on 5 focused businesses addressing all the new value chains: electric vehicles, software, new mobility services, and circular economy, in addition to ICE and hybrid vehicles. At the same time, […]
November 08, 2022
According to Israelian battery start-up Storedot, the automotive industry should brace for the interim solution of semi-solid batteries in the medium term. While all eyes are set on a rapid introduction of solid-state technology, the company warns that mass production for that type of battery is still a decade away. Solid-state batteries are highly anticipated […]
November 07, 2022
The Belgian company and start-up ABEE (Avesta Battery and Energy Engineering) is considering building a large battery factory for electric vehicles and energy storage on the Seneffe-Manage industrial estate in Hainaut. The plant, planned for 2025 and targeting an annual capacity of 3 GWh, could supply millions of batteries ‘with a low carbon footprint’ annually […]
November 07, 2022
General Motors’ Hummer EV, in both pick-up and SUV formats, is “sold out for two years or more”, according to GMC Global Vice President Duncan Aldred. GM currently holds 90 000 reservations of the Hummer EV models and has only produced 2 570 units of the pick-up version as of September 2022. The news doesn’t […]
November 04, 2022
Volvo Cars will support the growth and development of Polestar by providing financial support in the form of an 18-month term loan, amounting to a total of $ 800 million. The loan includes an option for Volvo Cars to convert to equity on a pro-rata basis in a potential future equity raise by Polestar. Meanwhile, […]
November 04, 2022
BMW Group has communicated a 23% increase in its net benefit for Q3 of 2022. While sales won’t reach record heights again, the financial figures are very good. It gives the group enough confidence to realize a successful transformation into the new, ‘electric’ era. “In an uneven economic environment, the BMW Group once again delivered […]
November 03, 2022
In the Belux market, 30 541cars were registered last month, a 21,6% increase compared to October 2021. However, the high figures from before the pandemic aren’t back yet. In Europe, BEVs are confirming hybrid cars are still growing for the first three quarters of the year; PHEVs are starting to lose terrain. Thanks to this […]
November 03, 2022
“TotalEnergies’ greenhouse gas emissions are four times higher than what the French multinational oil and energy giant admits.” That is what the environmental organization Greenpeace’s French branch is accusing TotalEnergies of. The painful detail is that Greenpeace’s report was released just a few days before the start of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in […]
November 03, 2022
General Motors has confirmed its return to Europe with electric cars. This can be deduced from the announcement that Jaclyn McQuaid has been appointed President and CEO of GM Europe. So far, the carmaker has revealed little about its new plans except that they involve a non-traditional approach to mobility centered around electric vehicles. McQuaid […]
November 02, 2022
OPEC, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, expects global demand for crude oil to keep rising until 2035. Africa, India, and other Asian countries will continue to drive demand because they need the oil for transport and in the petrochemical sector, OPEC said in its annual report on long-term expectations. Global oil demand was some […]
November 02, 2022
The new generation E-Class planned for 2023 will be the last new model from Mercedes-Benz on an internal combustion engine (ICE) platform. All subsequent new model series in the future will be based on architectures that the Stuttgart-based company is developing specifically for electric vehicles. Mercedes’ new Modular Architecture platform (MMA) could become the base […]
October 31, 2022
The government in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg will invest more than 4,5 million euros in additional charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. The idea is to construct 672 additional charging points, of which 44 fast chargers. A total of 29 projects from 19 companies have been selected as part of the first call for funding. […]
October 31, 2022
In the third quarter of 2022, VW Group sold 2,2 million cars, 24% more than the year before. Turnover rose comparatively to € 70,7 billion. Net profit, on the contrary, shrunk by 26% to € 2,1 billion. Former VW-daughter Porsche did better: it sold 2% more cars and increased profit by more than 40%. The […]
October 28, 2022
The worldwide energy crisis triggered by the Russian invasion of Ukraine can accelerate the transition to more sustainable energy sources. Many countries take short-term measures to protect consumers against peaking energy prices, but the crisis also forces countries to accelerate the implementation of structural changes. That is the conclusion of the International Energy Agency’s annual […]
October 28, 2022
For the third quarter of 2022, Volvo cars reported an operating profit of 3,5 billion Swedish crowns (some €320 million) and a profit margin of 4,4%. Unfortunately, it means that profits decreased by 71%. But In Göteborg, they are confident that despite multiple headwinds, things will improve because demand continues to be robust. “Macroeconomic uncertainties […]
October 27, 2022
Ford Europe is planning to accelerate the switch to electric vehicles in Europe. On Wednesday afternoon, reports in German and UK media were already hinting at it. Ford Europe Model e boss Martin Sander announced with a Twitter message that production of the internal combustion Fiesta small car in Cologne will end one year earlier […]
October 26, 2022
Lotus has revealed the final pricing and specifications of its Eletre electric ‘Hyper-SUV’, which will be delivered to customers in the first half of 2023. Lotus offers a choice of two powertrains with up to 918 hp and three equipment levels, with Belgian prices starting from €97 690. The Lotus Eletre will have three variants: […]
October 26, 2022
Spie Belgium will install 252 new chargers for the Flemish public transport company De Lijn. Spie Belgium is the Belgian subsidiary of the Spie Group, an independent market leader in multi-technical energy and communication services, as it claims. Last year, De Lijn signed an agreement with Spie Ekoenergetyka, a new entity, and the result of […]
October 26, 2022
Toyota, the world’s number one car manufacturer, has announced a second EV in the bZ (beyond Zero) sub-brand, an all-electric sedan called the bZ3, developed in collaboration between Toyota, BYD, and FAW Toyota. It will be offered exclusively in China for the time being. In addition, according to some media reports, there are indications that […]
October 26, 2022
The BMW Group has presented plans on how to expand the capacities for EV component production. At the same time, CEO Oliver Zipse declares that, in the future, “hydrogen, not electric, will be the hippest thing to drive”. However, the Munich-based premium manufacturer doesn’t want to put all its eggs in one basket. “To say […]
October 25, 2022
Allier, in the center of France, awaits one of the most promising mining fields for lithium in Europe. Primarily because of its strategic position and size. The industrial minerals group Imerys announced Monday that it will start mining this lithium deposit by 2027. The site in Allier will be “one of the largest” in Europe […]
October 25, 2022
The Japanese electric motor manufacturer Nidec has launched its second-generation E-Axle electric drive system for EVs. Compared to the previous generation, it gains efficiency, uses less rare materials, and is quieter. Nidec supplies electric motors for several Chinese EV manufacturers, including Guangzhou Automobile Group Co (GAC) and Geely. Its first-generation E-Axle, which integrates the motor, […]
October 25, 2022
As the third quarter of 2022 finally ended with a positive sales figure in Belgium and Luxembourg, the importer association Febiac dares to be prudently optimistic again. The months of August and September ended with positive sales figures compared to last year, and this was the first time in more than a year. Also, in […]
October 25, 2022
French President Emmanuel Macron inaugurated the Paris Motor Show ‘Mondial de l’Auto’ last week. But in the wake of the difficulties almost all motor shows are experiencing post-pandemic, the Mondial seems to have lost its global character. As a result, only 400 000 visitors showed up, while the previous edition attracted more than a million. […]
October 24, 2022
General Motors is introducing another all-electric pickup truck. Like the previous combustion model, the Sierra EV runs under the GMC brand and is based on the Ultium platform. In the full option ‘Denali Edition 1’ outfit, the electric pickup has impressive data and can already be reserved. Delivery, however, will not occur before early 2024. […]
October 24, 2022
At the end of last week, Renault published a turnover of €9,8 billion for the third quarter of the year. When you don’t consider the Russian retreat, that’s a rebound of 20,5%. This result is essentially due to an altered price strategy and high demand for more expensive cars (with more significant margins) like hybrids […]
October 21, 2022
On Wednesday, the European Parliament adopted the new ‘Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation’, abbreviated as AFIR, which set forth minimum requirements for charging infrastructure and hydrogen refueling all over Europe. In the new AFIR regulations, every member state is required to build charging stations for EVs at least every 60 kilometers on highways. For hydrogen stations, […]
October 21, 2022
The Chinese manufacturer BYD has finally launched its attack on the European market. After starting in Norway two years ago, BYD now wants to deliver its vehicles to Germany, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. The markets in Austria, France, and Great Britain are still to follow in 2022. To do so, it will […]
October 21, 2022
Despite the remaining obstacles, 30% of French people are considering buying an electric car and 54% a hybrid. Only 12% of French people say they are “attached” to the internal combustion vehicle. This is evident from an online survey of about 1 300 people conducted by Odoxa, a French polling company. In 2035, when it […]
October 21, 2022
At the TRANSfarm, a site near Leuven meant for up-scaling technologies developed at the Louvain University, the Belgian SolHyd research project is readying a 350 m2 production space for its hydrogen panel. The project was presented to the general public on Wednesday, as the province of Vlaams-Brabant provides a subsidy of €146 000 to help […]
October 20, 2022
Cellforce, the joint venture between sports car manufacturer Porsche and battery maker Customcells, is planning to produce ten times more battery cells than originally planned. At a ceremony, laying the foundation stone for its first plant near Tübingen in the south of Germany, the company said it aims to make 1 GWh of high-performance cells […]
October 20, 2022
On Wednesday, the BMW Group announced a $1,7 billion investment in its US operations, including $1 billion to prepare for the production of electric vehicles at the company’s existing US manufacturing facility in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and $700 million to build a new high-voltage battery assembly facility nearby Woodruff. By 2030, BMW Group will build […]
