Mazda withdraws the MX-30 from the US market

August 01, 2023

Mazda is discontinuing sales of its only all-electric model in the US. The Mazda MX-30 will not receive a new model year. Instead, the Japanese company is going all-in on hybrids for electrification in North America. The automaker in a short statement: “Mazda will discontinue MX-30 EV for the US market following the 2023 model […]

Is there a new Saab coming?

August 01, 2023

The spirit of Saab might prevail, finally. An unknown investor has probably purchased the NEVS Emily GT project; hope is glimmering for the ill-fabled manufacturer. There is now a slight chance that a purely electric Saab sedan will occupy the streets again. The mismanagement of owner General Motors and the horrendous fumbling of potential overtakers […]

VW gives more details about the ‘China deal’ with XPeng and others

July 31, 2023

After announcing the electric car cooperation between VW and Audi with the Chinese manufacturers Xpeng and SAIC, Group CEO Oliver Blume gave more details. He spoke about the opportunities for the VW brand with the Xpeng cooperation and what Audi plans to do with the SAIC technology. VW’s own PPE and SPP platforms are not […]

IEA: ‘Demand for coal remains at record levels’

July 28, 2023

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), demand for coal remains at record levels this year. At the same time, extreme weather conditions prove the earth is warming up faster than ever due to C02 emissions. “Climate change is here, it’s terrifying, and this is just the beginning,” said United Nations top man António Guterres […]

China exports 800 000 NEVs in first half of 2023

July 28, 2023

China exported 2,34 million vehicles in the first half of the year, up 73% from last year, according to data released Thursday by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA). Exports of new energy vehicles (NEVs) in the first half of the year amounted to 800 000 units, up 105% year-on-year, accounting for 34% of all […]

Elia wants higher tariffs to finance beefier high-voltage grid

July 27, 2023

Elia, the operator of Belgium’s high-voltage grid, wants to introduce higher grid tariffs to finance its 15,9 billion euros planned investments, increasing electricity bills for households and businesses. According to Elia, this tariff increase is essential for the vast infrastructure investments the company faces to tackle the energy transition, which is proceeding much faster than […]

Renault Zoe bows out in March 2024

July 27, 2023

Renault will cease production of its Zoe electric car on 30 March 2024. It was already clear that there would be no new Zoe generation, but now the date has been set for the end of production at the Flins plant. The electric Renault pioneer is making room for a new generation of Renault electric […]

Brussels university creates faster and more efficient charging tech

July 27, 2023

The Belgian VUB University (Brussels) is developing a charging technology “to make electric driving more pleasant and efficient”. Researchers at EPOWERS, a research group that works at the VUB MOBI research center, have developed a technology that significantly extends the range of electric vehicles (up to 1 000 km) with a limited number of recharges. […]

Seven carmakers unite to create EV charging network in North America

July 27, 2023

Seven of the world’s leading carmakers have created an alliance to jointly invest in fast-charging infrastructure for electric cars in North America. BMW, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, and Stellantis intend to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles in North America by making EV charging more accessible, reliable, and convenient. Together, they aim to […]

VW takes almost 5% in Xpeng and signs technology agreement

July 27, 2023

The Volkswagen brand has concluded a technological framework agreement for long-term cooperation with the Chinese electric car start-up Xpeng. The Wolfsburg-based company is also taking a stake of about 5% in Xpeng, and the Audi deal with SAIC was also confirmed by the Group. With the new collaboration with Xpeng, Volkswagen wants to further advance […]

Stellantis grows in first half of 2023

July 26, 2023

Stellantis posts strong growth again in the first half of 2023 and sets new records in net revenues, adjusted operational income (AOI), and net profit. Net revenues of €98,4 billion are up 12% compared to H1 2022, primarily due to higher shipments. The adjusted operating income of €14,1 billion is up 11% compared to H1 […]

Shell opens first ‘all-electric fuel station’ in heart of Brussels

July 26, 2023

In Etterbeek, near the Shuman traffic circle, the first all-electric fuel station on Brussels territory has opened. Shell’s public charging station has both fast chargers (DC) and regular chargers (AC). It is a break in trend for Brussels, as with the announced era of the electric car and the reduced support for fossil energy exploitation […]

Renault and Nissan definitively agreed on Alliance links

July 26, 2023

Renault Group and Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. today announced that they have entered into the definitive agreements contemplated by the binding framework agreement announced in February 2023. Jean-Dominique Senard, Chairman of The Alliance (Mitsubishi, Nissan, Renault), commented: “The agreements that have been signed today allow us to step into the next chapter of the Alliance. […]

Mercedes tinkers with its BEV objectives

July 26, 2023

Mercedes-Benz is trying to improve its sluggish BEV sales, especially in China, but also in other markets. The answer of CEO Ola Kälenius and his management team is to heighten the investments. “Sales may be slow for the moment; changing strategy would be really dangerous,” he says in an interview with the German Handelsblatt. According […]

Mitsubishi to leave China

July 25, 2023

Alliance partner Mitsubishi is discontinuing its China business. The Japanese carmaker justifies withdrawing from the Chinese market by saying that the shift from internal combustion to electric vehicles in China has hit its existing range, and sales have fallen far short of expectations. Production at the Changsha plant in Hunan province was already halted in […]

Stellantis and Samsung to build 2nd battery factory in US

July 25, 2023

Stellantis, the French-Italian-American automotive manufacturing corporation, and Samsung SDI, the Korean battery and electronic materials manufacturer, have signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a second battery factory in the US. The plant should start production in 2027 with an initial annual production capacity of 34-gigawatt hours (GWh). Last year, in May 2022, both partners […]

New JLR Group CEO is Adrian Mardell

July 25, 2023

The JLR Group (previously Jaguar Land Rover) has finally appointed Adrian Mardell as its new permanent CEO. Mardell had already held the post on an interim basis since the resignation of former CEO Thierry Bolloré at the end of 2022. A new chief financial officer has also been appointed. The brand Land Rover is dissolved. […]

More details about ‘Chinese’ Audi-SAIC cooperation

July 25, 2023

For weeks already, there have been rumors that VW’s daughter Audi is considering buying an electric car platform from a competitor in China. This comes as the VW Group’s SSP platform accumulates delays, and Audi can’t (and does not want to) wait longer. The company Audi is talking to is the Chinese SAIC Motor Corp. […]

Germany increases budget for environmental bonus

July 24, 2023

The German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Klimatschutz, or BMWK in German) will increase the budget for the environmental bonus this year. It had initially earmarked €2,1 billion for this purpose in 2023. That will now be increased to at least €2,5 billion. The information comes from a report […]

Belgian Seavolt project launches first floating solar panels

July 20, 2023

The Belgian Seavolt project, announced earlier this year, is taking concrete shape. The consortium will soon launch its first floating solar panels in Ostend. If the initiators succeed in making solar energy profitable at sea, they hope to turn it into a new Belgian export product. In March, the Belgian marine engineering companies DEME and […]

Volvo Cars on track for transformation

July 20, 2023

Volvo Cars reported a 39% increase in operating profits, excluding joint ventures and associates, and a corresponding EBIT margin of 6,3% for the second quarter of 2023. Regarding its operational performance during the second quarter, Volvo Cars recorded an increase of 43% versus the same period in 2022. It also saw a solid global sales […]

Tata to build battery ‘gigafactory’ in the UK

July 20, 2023

The Tata Group will build its first battery cell factory outside India in the UK. The British government has now officially confirmed what had already become apparent. At the beginning of February, it became known that Tata Motors was looking for a location for its European battery cell factory in Spain or the UK. However, […]

Renault is rapidly recovering

July 19, 2023

The Renault Group is recovering swiftly from the difficult years behind and the problems encountered. Its worldwide sales amounted to 1 133 667 vehicles in the first half of 2023, up 13% versus H1 of 2022. In Europe, Group sales were up 24% in a market up almost 18%. The Group’s sales policy, focused on […]

Ford F-150 Lightning $10 000 cheaper in the US

July 19, 2023

Ford is slashing the price of its F-150 Lightning in the US. Depending on the variant, the electric pickup now costs up to 10 000 dollars less. The new base price for the F-150 Lightning is $49 995. According to the manufacturer, it is “taking advantage of increased plant capacity, continued work on scaling production […]

T&E: ‘Smaller cars can reduce demand for critical metals’

July 18, 2023

Cutting battery sizes, improving chemistries, and reducing private car journeys can cut the expected consumption of critical materials in BEVs by 36-49% by 2050, says the NGO Transport & Environment based on a new analysis of a study ordered and conducted by the green group. Demand for battery raw materials in Europe will increase rapidly […]

Volkswagen between hope and fear

July 17, 2023

Volkswagen Group increases its BEV deliveries by 48% in the year’s first half. Also, it ups its total sales worldwide to 4,37 million (+13%) but stays prudent on forecasts because of the slower results in China and diminishing orders for BEVs in the future. Meanwhile, there’s an actual ‘musical chair’ going on at the top […]

Hyundai presents high-performance N version of Ioniq 5

July 17, 2023

Hyundai has unveiled the high-performance version of its Ioniq 5 electric model at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The launch of the new electric Ioniq 5 N is expected in the second quarter of 2024. The basic concept of the Ioniq 5 N and the Kia EV6 GT is the same: both E-GMP models rely […]

Mazda to speed up BEV launch process by 2027

July 17, 2023

Mazda Motor Corp. will launch its first electric-vehicle-only model in 2027, the new CEO Masahiro Moro said in a recent interview in Tokyo, to speed up its electrification efforts and catch up with global rivals. Mazda already has a BEV; in 2021, it started selling an electric model of the compact MX-30 sports utility vehicle,  […]

Porsche shows electric Vision 357 Speedster at Goodwood

July 14, 2023

Porsche marks the 30th anniversary of the famed Goodwood Festival of Speed with the Porsche Vision 357 Speedster. The new concept car is the sister model to the closed Porsche Vision 357, with which the sports car manufacturer launched its own anniversary-year celebrations recently. In design terms, an homage to the 356, technologically, the all-electric […]

Renault’s new electric Scénic to be revealed in September

July 13, 2023

The all-new Renault Scénic E-Tech Electric will make its world premiere during the IAA Mobility 2023 event in Munich on September 4. The car starts to reveal its final silhouette as a fleet of pre-production cars will be driven on open roads this summer by Renault engineers. Made in the Douai ElectriCity factory, the pre-production […]

Caterham presents sports EV concept

July 13, 2023

The British sports car manufacturer Caterham has presented Project V, a lightweight, fully electric coupé concept car. The aim is for a market launch of the series version in late 2025 or early 2026 at prices under £80 000 (€93 000). Unlike the electric version of the Caterham Seven, which the company presented as a […]

Dacia means business, also with EVs. We drove the Spring ‘Extreme’

July 12, 2023

‘Dacia goes extreme’ is the new slogan of Renault’s daughter Dacia. ‘Extreme’ is, in fact, the new top-of-line version for all Dacias, but the Spring gets a second, more powerful variant with it. We drove it on Belgian roads. Until now, the Dacia Spring, the cheapest EV on the Belgian market, had a 188 kg […]

From 2026 a fast-charging station every 60 km on EU highways

July 12, 2023

The European Parliament took a final decision on Tuesday: from 2026, the main European highways must be equipped with fast-charging stations for electric vehicles every 60 kilometers. From 2028, this should apply to half of the European road network. Those charging stations must have a capacity of at least 400 kW and be able to […]

Renault readies production version of new electric R5

July 12, 2023

Renault recently gave a glimpse into readying the production version of its next-generation EV model. The Renault 5 is on a prototype production run in a ‘secret and high-tech miniature plant’. As a part of the brand’s Technocenter engineering complex near Paris, the location itself is not so secret. Created 25 years ago, the Global […]

Mercedes more than doubled EV sales in Q2

July 12, 2023

Mercedes-Benz Passenger Cars more than doubled its sales of battery-electric cars in the second quarter to 56 300 units (+123%). This growth was mainly due to demand in three model series. The van division also posted gains in Q2, but not as strong as the passenger car business. With these 56 300 fully electric vehicles […]

Audi apprentices create ‘electrical prince’ EP4

July 11, 2023

To mark the 150th anniversary at the Audi site in Neckarsulm, twelve brand apprentices have electrified the iconic, classic EP4. The ‘E’ in the name of this futuristic one-off stands for the electric drive, and ‘P4’ refers to the NSU Prinz 4, a model that the former NSU Motorenwerke brand built in Neckarsulm from 1961 […]

Fastned installs 1.500th fast-charging station in Europe

July 11, 2023

At the beginning of the summer, Fastned, the Dutch fast-charging infrastructure provider, installed its 1 500th charging station northwest of Paris in Rouen. Since last summer, Fastned has opened more than 60 stations in Europe – usually locations with a lot of traffic. The most recent fast-charging station is located along the A13 at the […]

Renault and Geely create joint venture on powertrain development

July 11, 2023

Following the framework agreement announced in November 2022, Geely Holding Group and Renault Group have signed today a binding 50/50 joint venture agreement to launch a new powertrain technology company. It aims to become the global leader in developing, manufacturing, and supplying best-in-class hybrid powertrains and highly efficient ICE powertrains. Aramco, which signed a letter […]

Flanders ‘on track’ with 25.000 charging stations

July 10, 2023

Flanders has more than 25 000 charging stations for electric vehicles and is, therefore, on track to achieve the objectives of the ‘Clean Power for Transport’ agreement: to have 35 000 public and semi-public charging points along the highways and important traffic axes by 2025 The Flemish government wants to increase the number of charging […]

VW to test autonomous ID. Buzz

July 10, 2023

VW plans to put self-driving cars on the streets of Austin, the capital of Texas, later this month. It is the first time that the company is tackling such a project in the USA. A total of ten units of the VW ID. Buzz with autonomous driving technology will be deployed. Tests in Germany are […]

Is there an EV price war coming up in Europe?

July 10, 2023

In the battle for the top spot in the German electric car market, Tesla was ahead again in the first half of the year, but its lead over the Volkswagen (VW) brand is shrinking. Analysts see a price war coming up in Europe on the EV market, also as a result of the Chinese price […]

BMW doubles EV sales again, PHEV sales decline

July 10, 2023

The BMW Group delivered 88 289 fully electric vehicles of the BMW and Mini brands to customers in the second quarter. This means the company again succeeded in more than doubling BEV sales compared to last year’s period (+117,5%). Plug-in hybrid registrations, on the other hand, are falling behind at the moment. According to the […]

Mercedes joins NACS charging standard

July 10, 2023

Mercedes-Benz just became the first German carmaker to join the NACS or North American Charging System initiated by Tesla in the U.S. The company will integrate it into its EV fleet in the US and Canada in 2025. At the same time, Mercedes is sticking to its plans for its own HPC network. Mercedes-Benz follows […]

SNCF wants to generate massive green electricity

July 07, 2023

French railway company SNCF plans to earmark 1 000 hectares of solar panels by 2030 to cover 15 to 20% of its own electricity needs. The plans would make the railway company one of France’s largest green power producers. The SNCF is making this switch to secure supplies and control costs (between 2022 and 2023, […]

New Mercedes CLE also as PHEV

July 07, 2023

In November, Mercedes-Benz will bring the CLE on the market, a Coupe that uses the technology of both the C- and (recently updated) E-Class. Later (in 2024), there will also be a cabriolet version and a PHEV variant. Although coupes and cabriolets seem to be an extinguishing species in car land, premium manufacturers like Mercedes […]

Belgium’s first hydrogen pipeline law is a fact

July 07, 2023

Belgium’s ambition to lead in developing a hydrogen grid was proved once again last Thursday: the plenary of the House of Representatives approved the first hydrogen law to regulate the transport of green hydrogen via pipelines. It may be the first such law worldwide, according to the cabinet of Energy Minister Tinne Van der Straeten […]

Volvo Cars to use renewable fuels for ocean freight

July 05, 2023

The Swedish/Chinese car manufacturer Volvo Cars switches to renewable fuels for ocean freight. The company claims that this will cut fossil CO2 emissions by 84%. “Every year, tens of thousands of containers of production material destined for Volvo Cars factories are carried across the world’s oceans on container ships. From now on, most seafaring journeys […]

Belgium saw lowest energy consumption in quarter of a century

July 04, 2023

Energy consumption in Belgium dropped last year to its lowest level since 1995. This is according to the most recent Federal Government Agency Economy data. In the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, high energy prices meant that Belgians consumed less energy than in the corona year 2020. The share of renewable energy in […]

VW and Polestar also opt for NACS charging standard in the U.S.

July 03, 2023

The Volkswagen Group also opens up to Tesla’s fast charging system in North America. VW’s charging infrastructure subsidiary Electrify America announces that it will integrate the NACS connection into its fast charging stations in the USA and Canada. While Volkswagen is still weighing its options to avoid losing US customers, Polestar confirmed the move entirely. […]

Engie deal won’t suffice for Belgian EV switch

June 30, 2023

The Belgian government has agreed with French energy giant Enigma on keeping the Doel 4 and Thihange 3 nuclear power plants open until 2035. Engie will also pay 15 billion euros for the future disposal and processing of all nuclear waste. But on the very day that the deal is knocked off, Elia, the transmission […]

Comprehensive facelift for Polestar 2 (update)

June 30, 2023

At the beginning of the year, Polestar released a comprehensive facelift for the 2024 model year of the 2, including new e-motors and more powerful batteries. Variants with a single-motor switched to rear-wheel drive, analogous to the electric drive system update for the Volvo models XC40 and C40, technically a twinned model. There’s one big […]

Lotus finally launches its Eletre SUV (Update)

June 30, 2023

Lotus has already revealed the final pricing and specifications of its Eletre electric ‘Hyper-SUV’, and the first all-electric Lotus is now available for configuration in Europe. Lotus is launching sales of the Eletre in parallel in Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Italy, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland. In the UK, the electric SUV is […]

Denmark to review energy island project because of high costs and risks

June 29, 2023

Denmark will review the energy island project in the North Sea because of the high costs. That is what the Danish government announced on Wednesday. “The project is challenging, the costs are too high, and the risks are too great,” the Danish Ministry of Energy explains in a press release. “The island would cost the […]

EU invests €20 million in Ostend HOPE hydrogen project

June 29, 2023

The European Commission will invest 20 million euros in a hydrogen project off the Belgian coast by 2026. It will build and operate hydrogen facilities off the coast of Ostend, in an offshore testing zone intended to be the nerve center of the green hydrogen industry in Belgium. The HOPE project as it is called […]

Volkswagen to temporarily slow down EV production?

June 28, 2023

According to the works council, Volkswagen has temporarily reduced the production of electric cars at its Emden plant. The reason for this is weakening sales. This apparently affects not only the ID.4 but also the production start-up of the new electric sedan ID.7. Demand is almost 30% below the planned initial production figures, it was […]

BMW breaks ground for new high-voltage battery plant in US

June 28, 2023

On Tuesday, the BMW Group took a significant step toward building electric vehicles in the United States as it broke ground for a new high-voltage battery assembly plant in Woodruff, South Carolina. The Woodruff plant will produce sixth-generation batteries to supply fully electric vehicles at nearby BMW Manufacturing in Spartanburg. More than 300 jobs will […]

Volvo joins the NACS charging standard in North America

June 28, 2023

As part of Volvo Cars’ aim to be a fully electric carmaker by 2030, Volvo joins Tesla, Ford, and GM in North America using the North American Charging Standard (NACS), recently launched by Tesla. “The company is the first European carmaker to sign an agreement with Tesla, giving current and future electric Volvo car drivers […]

Belgian ABEE to build gigafactory for EV batteries in Romania

June 28, 2023

Avesta Battery and Energy Engineering (ABEE), a Brussels-based start-up specializing in battery and energy technologies for e-mobility, plans to build a large-scale battery factory for electric vehicles in the Romanian city of Galați. That is what the ABEE founder and CEO Noshin Omar announced on Tuesday during a press conference in Ninove (Belgium), where Prime […]

Stellantis launches Free2Move Charge as EV ecosystem

June 28, 2023

The 14-brand-strong group, Stellantis, is launching a new ecosystem for electric vehicle charging under the umbrella of Free2Move Charge. The new entity will allow clients to install and finance home chargers, with options ranging from AC charging to Vehicle-2-grid (V2G) systems. Furthermore, it’ll give access to almost all of Europe’s charging points. The Stellantis group […]

Next-gen Skoda Kodiaq PHEV gets +100 km electric range

June 27, 2023

Skoda has unveiled some technical details of its next-generation Kodiaq family SUV, which will get a plug-in hybrid drivetrain for the first time. The model is launching before the end of 2023 and should share its technical basis with the future Superb. The second-generation Skoda Kodiaq will build on the practical strengths of its predecessor, […]