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 […]
