February 26, 2020
Retail discounter Lidl is expanding its network of free charging points at its supermarkets from 61 to 100 in the next months. With two connections per charging station, a total of 200 plugs are offered. Clients can use fast-chargers for free while shopping. Lidl already started in 2012 to install the first chargers for electric […]
February 25, 2020
VW wants its own battery technology and strategy. That’s why it’s joining with Northvolt to build a giga-factory in northern Sweden and another one in German Salzgitter. In doing so, VW is showing it wants to be a free-rider in the battery competition. Car manufacturers are all aware of the importance of batteries. To be […]
February 25, 2020
The Dutch consultant KPMG had warned about this last week: black EV charging station Saturday. After all, people who are on winter sports with Tesla are suffering from a new kind of traffic jam, namely at the charging stations. On social media, films appear of long rows of Tesla cars at charging points of the […]
February 25, 2020
European companies are expected to double the share of their low-carbon investments if Europe wants to reach its 2050 carbon-neutral target. This is evident from figures collected by the specialist association Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), a British NGO that collects information on the climate behavior of businesses. According to the annual report of CDP, some […]
February 21, 2020
Volvo Trucks North America is starting an extended project called ‘LIGHTS’ to deliver freight to and within the Los Angeles area by its fully ‘Class 8’ VNR Electric trucks, the heaviest class in its line-up. Starting with five of these, making round trips from 120 to 280 km, the program will build up to a […]
February 20, 2020
The City of Brussels signed on Wednesday with Bertrand Piccard, the Solar Impulse pilot with two world tours under his belt, a collaboration agreement for its ecological transition. The agreement aims at providing concrete and immediate responses to the climate emergency. It is valid for a renewable period of two years, but the partnership is […]
February 19, 2020
American electric carmaker, Tesla, is said to be negotiating with Chinese battery producer, CATL, to use their ‘cheaper’ cobalt-free modules for Shanghai-built Model 3s. Tesla would be the first US automaker to use lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries. Sources close to the dossier say price reductions for these batteries could be “a double-digit percentage”. Waiting on solid-state […]
February 19, 2020
The capacity of the Dutch electricity network threatens to become problematic rapidly as demand for new connections grew sevenfold already. Grid manager Alliander calls upon the government to come with a ‘master plan’ and ‘all hands on deck’ to avoid major blackouts at the end of the decade. Alliander’s CEO Ingrid Thijssen chose an electricity […]
February 18, 2020
Amsterdam is doing it already, but elsewhere in the Netherlands, grid managers are also planning to limit EV-charging during peak hours to avoid blackouts in a whole district. Considering one powerfull electric car slurps as much electricity as ten households, they see no other option as the EV’s popularity is growing. Last month, Elaad.nl (e-charge.nl), […]
February 17, 2020
Rolls-Royce, the British aviation engine manufacturer (not the carmaker owned by BMW), told the BBC it is going to build ‘mini nuclear reactors’ in series by 2029. By doing this on an industrial scale in modules, made in a factory instead of at the site, the costs of building nuclear power plants would be far […]
February 17, 2020
The Belgian shipping company, CMB, is planning to have a first large container ship operational on hydrogen. “We have to do something about the climate,” the company says. Turning point Shipping is a polluting sector. More than 95% of the 60 000 vessels that transport 12 billion tons of goods overseas use polluting fuel oil. […]
February 17, 2020
Volvo/Geely’s electric brand, Polestar, is really coming on the market now. Apparently, the interest of the visitors at the Brussels Motor Show, its first public appearance as a car to be bought, was higher than expected. From Friday on, orders are happily awaited. We were invited to Volvo’s confined testing site near Gothenburg to make […]
February 14, 2020
Electricity production through solar panels and windmills grew 20% in Belgium in 2019. The jump from 9,7 TWh in 2018 to 11,5 TWh in 2019 is mostly due to wind energy. Those are the results published by the Regulating Commission for Electricity and Gaz (CREG). Solar and wind energy installations represented 16% of the total […]
February 13, 2020
The ‘floating hydrogen and solar energy lab’ of French captain and sailor Victorien Erussard, the Energy Observer, is ready to start next week the second phase of its six-year round-the-world tour with zero emissions. The goal is to show the world the technologies that can make a difference in the battle to fight climate change. […]
February 13, 2020
DEME, the Belgian world leader specialized in dredging operations, has developed a special kind of sea drill, together with the German construction expert Herrenknacht. A world first. The company usually uses a giant hammer to anchor the foundations of an offshore wind farm into the sea-floor. For some locations, however, like the French wind farm […]
February 12, 2020
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), global CO2 emissions from energy production barely increased last year. Emissions amounted to 33,3 billion tons in 2019 compared to 33,1 billion in 2018. And this despite the growth of the world economy by 2,9%. Total CO2 emissions are still going up, though. The stagnation is mainly because […]
February 11, 2020
Flemish authorities are turning a deaf ear to the warnings of the climate experts that were selected to assist the Flemish government in working out a Climate and Energy Plan. Hardly one year ago, former Minister for the Environment, Koen Van den Heuvel (CD&V), decided to make up a team of scientific experts to support […]
February 07, 2020
Volvo CEO, Hakan Samuelsson, was in Brussels on Thursday to comment on the good results of the Swedish/Chinese car manufacturer last year. The Ghent factory is playing a major part in these positive evolutions. In 2019, Volvo sold 705.000 cars (+9,8%), (first time more than 700.000), and turnover increased with 8,5% to 26 billion euros. […]
February 06, 2020
French car manufacturer Peugeot, part of the PSA Group, has no fear about the stringent EU average CO2 rules. At a driving presentation of all their electrified models, they confirmed to be ‘right on track’ to meet the European standards. The brand strategy of Peugeot is focused on three elements: serenity, pleasure, and simplicity. Peugeot […]
February 05, 2020
Several young companies like German Sono Motors and Dutch Lightyear are fighting for the breakthrough of the so-called solar car, but is there a future for this type of car? A year ago, the Dutch startup showed the Lightyear One, an electric car with a 600 km range that recharges itself with solar panels and […]
February 05, 2020
German vehicle manufacturer, Daimler, has announced that it will no longer develop new internal combustion engines (ICE) for passenger cars. Instead, it will concentrate on battery technology and electric motors. It was the Head of Development, Markus Schäfer, who declared that there were no development projects anymore for future ICE. Emission rules and fiscal measures, […]
February 05, 2020
Britain is going to ban – ‘subject to consultation’ – the sale of new gasoline and diesel cars, even hybrids by 2035. That’s five years earlier than initially planned and it can be even sooner, if feasible. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the UK has a responsibility to compensate for the historic CO2 emissions of […]
February 04, 2020
The municipality of Hoogeveen is going to build the first hydrogen-powered housing project in The Netherlands, called Van der Veen home zone. The project will consist of about a hundred houses, and the construction works will start by the end of 2020 to be ready by 2023. Hydrogen-heated homes The installation of technical hydrogen systems […]
February 04, 2020
According to figures from Febiac (Belgian car federation), BMW takes the lead of all brands in January 2020. There are also interesting shifts to be seen between the different drive modes. BMW accounted for 5.397 registrations or a market share of 10,41 %. Volkswagen ranks second with 5,071 registrations (market share of 9,78%), Peugeot third […]
February 04, 2020
In 2015, Ghent Alderman for Mobility, Filip Watteeuw (Groen) launched the ambitious plan to have 20.000 shared cars by 2020. Today, five years later, his project apparently was too ambitious. In the meantime, there are more than enough cars, but the infrastructure is lagging. Ambitious goal In Ghent, the number of drivers willing to share […]
February 03, 2020
Flemish newspaper De Morgen interviewed Frans Timmermans, ‘Mister climate’ of the European Commission, about the European Green Deal. Timmermans does not see the Green Deal as a fixed plan, but rather as a guideline with the ultimate goal of climate neutrality by 2050. For Timmermans, the Green Deal combines three major challenges in Europe: the […]
February 03, 2020
Running an engine on iron power, turning it into rust by burning it and extracting a load of energy out of it this way to move a vessel with 15.000 containers; it is theoretically possible. And the good thing is: there are no CO2 emissions, and the rust can be captured and turned into iron […]
January 31, 2020
German automotive supplier Bosch has presented in Feuerbach near Stuttgart (Germany) its new fuel cell stacks for trucks and cars, developed with Swedish PowerCell. American electric truck builder Nikola is the first to order it for its H2, along with a ‘non-disclosed’ carmaker. Fuel cell technology, based on (green) hydrogen, is considered an alternative to […]
January 30, 2020
Norway’s biggest oil company and energy supplier, Equinor, the former Statoil, wants to cut CO2 emissions together with other companies in the oil and gas industry with 40% by 2030 to become CO2-neutral by 2050. Equinor claims that by doing this, in 2030, Norway’s total CO2 emissions will be reduced by 10% already. That’s to […]
January 29, 2020
The French government has launched a ‘call of interest’ to the industry to set up a national bio-kerosine production, five times the size of Total’s current bio-refinery La Mède. It wants to push aviation to use 2% of bio-kerosine by 2025, 5% by 2030, and 50% by 2050, compared to 0,1% today. France is likely […]
January 29, 2020
According to Flemish Environment Minister, Zuhal Demir (N-VA), Flanders is keeping its promises regarding the number of electric vehicles and charging points by the end of the year. The installing companies, on the other hand, sound the alarm bell. Five years ago, the previous Flemish government launched a plan of action called ‘Clean Power for […]
January 29, 2020
Advanced Metallurgical Group (AMG) wants to build a lithium plant in Germany. The aim is to prevent a shortage of batteries once the European production of electric cars is running at full speed. The German automotive world warned for such a crisis last week. According to analysts, there will inevitably be a shortage of raw […]
January 28, 2020
While the price of cobalt has decreased due to an over-offer on the market, car manufacturers are nevertheless negotiating multi-year contracts to secure supplies. Tesla, for example, is negotiating with Glencore for its cobalt supply, like BMW already did. But why are manufacturers trying to secure a material that seems abundant? According to George Heppel, […]
January 28, 2020
The Port of Ostend and two partners, dredger DEME and the Flemisch investment trust PMV are planning a 50 MW ‘green’ hydrogen plant by 2022, to result in a 300 MW installation by 2025. ‘Hyport’ is to convert surplus electricity of offshore wind parks into hydrogen both for energy backup as for transport use. The […]
January 28, 2020
“If we want to keep the existing nuclear power plants open after 2020, it is time for action,” warns the CEO of Electrabel, Philippe Van Troeye, in a press release, in which he presents the 2020 plans for the company. Environmental effects As of 2021, it will become very difficult to keep them open due […]
January 27, 2020
Can e-fuels or synthetic fuels based on ‘green hydrogen’ keep the combustion engine alive in the future? In theory, it looks promising, but being twice as expensive as fossil fuels today, it will be hard to find an economical business case. The petrochemical industry is very much in favor: it is a question of survival […]
January 24, 2020
Flemish investment company GIMV is participating in a Canadian nuclear fusion project which, if it ever succeeds, could be a solution to the climate problem. Harnessing nuclear fusion could provide a nearly inexhaustible source of energy, the holy grail of the energy world. Nuclear fusion is the process that makes the sunburn. When the nuclei […]
January 23, 2020
The German daughters of Dutch Gasunie and grid operator Tennet are joining forces with gas manager Thyssengas to build a 100 MW power-to-gas hydrogen plant in Diele, near the Dutch border. When operational in 2022, it should be one of Germany’s biggest hydrogen operations. The location for the so-called ‘Element Eins’ project was chosen after […]
January 22, 2020
Children’s toy retailer ToyChamp is going to use trucks to supply batteries to its stores in Belgium and the Netherlands. The batteries will be charged by the solar panel park on the roof of its distribution center in Genk. Flemish Minister for Energy, Zuhal Demir (N-VA), was invited to the presentation of the project. Demir […]
January 21, 2020
European Commissioner Johannes Hahn estimates that the European ‘Green Deal’ will cost at least 1.000 billion euros. He now has to convince the European finance ministers of the ‘Sustainable Europe Investment Plan’. That plan is the investment structure of the ‘Green Deal’ that was proposed in December. To achieve its main goal, a climate-neutral Europe […]
January 20, 2020
After a joint tender, three Dutch provinces, Noord-Holland, Flevoland, and Utrecht, are ordering 20.000 additional public charging stations on top of the 5.000 installed today. The Netherlands is a worldwide forerunner in public chargers and counts on needing two million of them by 2030. The order was announced on Monday by MRA-E (Metropool Regio Amsterdam […]
January 17, 2020
While Brussels grid management company Sibelga just stated that it would be capable of coping with charging 20 to 30% of the car fleet being electric by 2030, experts say there is a problem for fast charging. 88% of the streets in Brussels are equipped with 230-Volt cables, while 400 Volt is needed. At least […]
January 17, 2020
On Wednesday, the city of Bruges has launched its first electric tourist boat. The ceremony took place near the Gruuthuse company along the Dijver watercourse. It is the first boat in a series of five that have to replace a fleet of diesel vessels. No emissions, no odors The electric boat is nine-meter-long and has […]
January 16, 2020
An electric car has a smaller ecological footprint than a car with an internal combustion engine. However, the critical question is whether there will be enough electricity in the future to charge these cars. For example, is the Brussels electricity network capable of supplying the electricity that a new fleet would require? According to the […]
January 16, 2020
According to the Global Automotive Consumer Study 2020, done by Deloitte, 29% of the Belgian consumers are ready to buy a hybrid electric car, and 9% want a fully electric vehicle. These findings corroborate the study of the Belgian car magazine, AutoGids/Le Moniteur Automobile, where one-third of the respondents was ready to drive an electrified […]
January 16, 2020
A French start-up has found a solution to prepare existing motorcycles to run on E85 biofuel via an electronic unit that is being retrofitted. In this way, motorcycling becomes ‘greener’, as the CO2 emissions of the motorized two-wheelers are significantly reduced. Different mapping The unit will check the quality of the fuel, and adjust the […]
January 15, 2020
Metaforum, the interdisciplinary think tank of the KU Louvain, has published its vision on sustainable and feasible energy and climate policy. The text ‘Sustainable Energy Provision for Belgium’ sides with the Paris climate agreement and the European Green Deal and works out how Belgium can contribute. Renewable energy The authors of the text took up […]
January 14, 2020
The Danish company GreenMobility, which operates electric car-sharing services in Copenhagen and Aarhus, becomes active in Antwerp in April. Brussels and Ghent would follow. The company will set up its services in Antwerp in a joint venture with local partner Deurnese Transportmaatschappij (DTM), Green Mobility reported in a press release on Monday. GreenMobility will start […]
January 14, 2020
A massive switch to electric cars in Belgium will inevitably lead to electric car taxation. That’s the opinion of a number of experts. Most think road-pricing will be used to do so. Others fear the electricity used to charge cars will be taxed. In 2018, the state raised 8,6 billion euros in excise duties and […]
January 14, 2020
Driving electric can be 50 to 80% cheaper than driving on diesel if you can charge at home at night or at the company during the day at a lower tariff. Financial newspaper De Tijd did the calculations but warned that charging is not always that advantageous. If you want to get away quickly, using […]
January 13, 2020
Researchers at the Technology University Eindhoven want to use iron as a fuel because no CO2 is released during combustion, and the powder can be endlessly recycled. Iron powder like a charged battery Professors Niels Deen and Philip de Goey (TU Eindhoven), together with Mark Verhagen, manager of Team SOLID, have built a pilot plant […]
January 13, 2020
For most private users, a diesel car is no longer economically interesting. This is the conclusion of the mobility association, VAB, based on a new budget test. As a result of this ‘diesel anxiety’, second-hand gasoline cars have become 22% more expensive in two years. “Hardly anyone wants a diesel that is no longer allowed […]
January 13, 2020
While fuel cards are taxed as a benefit in kind by the Belgian government, electricity charged at home and even the EV charging station installed at the bosses’ expense aren’t. At least for the time being, financial newspaper De Tijd dug out. With company cars being more and more electric, often, a specific EV charging […]
January 10, 2020
According to HR organization Acerta, 0,6% of the Belgian company car fleet currently has electric propulsion. There is still a lack of infrastructure, although in the near future car taxation will discourage internal combustion engines and promote electric propulsion. Switch from diesel to gasoline Acerta publishes these figures based on an analysis of more than […]
January 08, 2020
Last year, the total consumption of electricity in Belgium decreased by 3%. In 2019, consumption was 84,7 terawatt-hours or the lowest level since 2014. Older figures are not available. Decreasing consumption “We have seen a decline in the energy consumption for some years now,” says Elia spokeswoman, Marleen Vanhecke. “Especially the industry has improved its […]
January 07, 2020
Together with the leasing company Arval, the energy company Engie will lease electric cars. Under the name Numobi, they want to manage a fleet of 30.000 electric cars in Belgium by 2030. All-in The energy company Engie and the leasing company Arval expect the demand for electric company cars to skyrocket in the coming years. […]
January 06, 2020
The first tangible example of what has to become Europe’s ‘Airbus of Batteries’ will be inaugurated in Nersac (France) on January 24th by the French Minister of Economics, Bruno Le Maire, and his German colleague, Peter Altmaier. It’s a pilot project involving Opel, Peugeot, Total, and its daughter Saft. The new plant will employ 200 […]
January 03, 2020
The East Flemish family company, Quatra, collects 65.000 tons of used deep-frying oil annually, which is used as fuel for cars and will soon also be used for airplanes. “In ten years’ time, we have become the biggest in Europe.” At the beginning of 2019, Quatra invested 10 million euros for the construction of a […]
January 02, 2020
Switching to an electric car might imply a few hidden and unexpected costs, especially concerning charging issues. Home electrical grid updates could be required for optimal charging performances. Contrary to what the electric car aficionados and some members of the government would make us believe, everyone isn’t ready to switch to an electric car. In […]
