May 16, 2025
Toyota is set to launch an estate car version of its all-electric SUV model, the bZ4X, next year. It will be called the BZ4X Touring and will be 14 cm longer than the standard car. Its European launch is planned for the first half of 2026. The bZ4X Touring features 33% more trunk space than […]
May 15, 2025
Energy provider Engie started working on a second battery park in Kallo (East Flanders) this week after building one in Vilvoorde. Federal Energy Minister Mathieu Bihet (MR), Mayor of Beveren, Marc Van de Vijver (CD&V), and Engie Belgium CEO, Vincent Verbeke, gave a symbolic groundbreaking ceremony in Kallo on Wednesday. Engie wants to respond to […]
May 15, 2025
Smart energy tariffs are becoming increasingly popular for their flexibility and potential to save costs. Smappee, an award-winning tech company from Kortrijk, is also capitalizing on that market trend by launching a virtual battery. In this service, solar panel owners can stockpile their unused power as a credit that allows them to charge their EV […]
May 15, 2025
According to the latest report by the International Energy Agency (IEA), electric vehicle sales are on course to top 20 million globally in 2025, marking a significant milestone for the automotive sector. This figure translates to one in every four new cars sold this year being electric—a remarkable rise considering the lingering economic uncertainty and […]
May 15, 2025
The Stellantis brand DS Automobile has introduced the DS N°4, a revision of its compact hatchback. The new lineup, a second in the N° nomenclature, features a fully electric E-Tense with a range of 450 kilometers, as well as PHEV and hybrid versions. DS Automobiles says it has focused on technological development with this revision, […]
May 14, 2025
Roughly a year after the major facelift of its electric Gran Turismo, Audi is expanding the e-tron GT line-up with a new powertrain variant. Following the S and RS models, it has introduced a new ‘base model’ with 430 kW of power and a starting price of €108,900 in Germany and €110,500 in Belgium. Since […]
May 08, 2025
Global methane emissions from fossil fuels remain extremely high, while a significant portion could be avoided. Measures to tackle methane emissions are often very cost-effective and could have brought an extra 100 billion cubic meters of gas to market in 2024, the IEA’s Global Tracker shows. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), one-third of […]
May 07, 2025
Ford presented its business figures for the first quarter and reported a 200% increase in sales for its electric car division. As a result, turnover is also higher, and the loss is lower than a year ago. However, the loss still totals $850 million, and the manufacturer seems to be struggling with its EV future. […]
May 06, 2025
Today, the all-new Jeep Compass debuted in Italy and will be manufactured at the Melfi plant, a key hub for Stellantis’ electrification strategy. The new Compass evolves with an expanded engine range, which includes three powertrain options: e-Hybrid, e-Hybrid plug-in, and full electric with up to 650 km range. The latter also offers four-wheel drive. […]
May 06, 2025
KU Leuven Solar Team, the university student team that grabbed the world title twice in 2019 and 2023 in the toughest solar race on earth, the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge in Australia, has presented in Antwerp its trump card to prolong its title: the Infinite Apollo. The new weapons of the solar car are a […]
May 05, 2025
Flemish Environment Minister Jo Brouns (CD&V) is introducing stricter distance rules for large wind turbines. This is reported by the newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws. For windmills higher than 200 meters, the distance to the first residence must from now on be at least three times the tip height. “Flanders is too small to place such […]
April 30, 2025
Belgian startup energy provider EnergyVision launches a new campaign to attract new clients by offering a free wallbox installation at home, worth 2,000 to 2,500 euros, for a minimal subscription price of €10 monthly. In addition, the energy company also launches a ‘happy hour’ at its public charging points on sunny days with overproduction, with […]
April 29, 2025
After much deliberation over different platforms and product strategies to enter India’s EV market over the last two years, Skoda appears to have come to a decision. The company has allegedly begun working on its first locally manufactured EV for this important emerging market. According to a recent report from the Indian newspaper Business Standard, […]
April 29, 2025
The new 2025 Range Rover Electric has completed its second round of winter tests, ahead of its planned release later this year. Technical details have now been confirmed, and the 800-volt SUV runs on a 117-kWh battery with cell-to-pack architecture. The launch of the long-awaited newcomer is planned later this year. The first technical data […]
April 24, 2025
How can Belgium become climate-neutral by 2050 without driving industry out? Research institute VITO/EnergyVille formulated an answer: “The most expensive option is to do nothing.” Vito/EnergyVille launched a study and joined forces with several major players in the Belgian energy market: grid operators Elia and Fluxys, major consumers such as BASF and ArcelorMittal, and producer Luminus. With […]
April 23, 2025
On Wednesday, the Toyota bZ7 all-electric sedan debuted at the 2025 Shanghai Auto Show as the first joint venture (GAC-Toyota) car equipped with Huawei’s HarmonyOS cockpit system, and developed specifically for the Chinese market. The official launch is expected to occur later this year. A Toyota bZ7 concept car previously appeared at the 2024 Guangzhou […]
April 22, 2025
As automakers around the globe recalibrate their electric vehicle strategies amid cooling demand, Horse Powertrain is positioning itself as a timely solution. The Renault Group and Geely joint venture, with additional backing from Saudi oil giant Aramco, has unveiled a novel hybrid powertrain explicitly designed for retrofitting into battery-electric vehicles. The Future Hybrid Concept aims […]
April 22, 2025
Renault is opening reservations for the Renault 5 Turbo 3E ‘mini-supercar’ on 22 April 2025, from 9 a.m. (CET). A modern, electric reboot of the legendary Renault 5 Turbo and Turbo 2 of the 1980s, the new vehicle will be available for €155,000, including VAT as an introductory price, excluding options, accessories, and personalisation choices. […]
April 22, 2025
Subaru of America unveiled its second electric SUV, the Trailseeker EV, at the New York International Auto Show. The model is scheduled for sale in the US starting in 2026. Meanwhile, the brand’s first EV, the Solterra, received a facelift. It’s not clear yet if and when the Trailseeker will come to Europe. Trailseeker EV: […]
April 18, 2025
The US government has stopped the construction of the Empire 1 wind farm on New York’s coast, even though the $5 billion project has the necessary permits. The Trump administration strongly opposes offshore wind farms. According to Donald Trump, “They are dangerous to birds and whales.” Norwegian Equinor’s project The Empire 1 wind farm is […]
April 18, 2025
Lotus Technology Inc. has announced that Geely, the majority owner of its vehicle manufacturing business Lotus UK, exercised its put option earlier this week to sell its 51% stake in the latter company back to the former company. In other words, Geely steps out, and Lotus Tech has to buy back 51% of Lotus UK’s […]
April 15, 2025
Energy company Engie has started constructing a solar park on its site in Rodenhuize, the peninsula in the port of Ghent that already houses three wind turbines and an ultra-fast charging station for EVs. Starting this summer, the installation will produce about 5.7 million kilowatt-hours of green electricity annually, enough for the average consumption of […]
April 15, 2025
The Belgian federal government gave hybrid cars more breathing space in its Easter agreement. The authorities now think that a battery electric car is not yet the right solution for everyone and are providing more room to hybrids. Organisations that promote EVs or environmental associations see the new rules as a serious step back. The […]
April 14, 2025
At the Brussels Motor Show in January, Mazda showed the all-new Mazda 6e, the European version of the EZ-6, the already existing Chinese model developed in cooperation with Chinese car manufacturer Changan and based on the Changan Deepal SL03. The Japanese carmaker will perform the same exercise for its first entirely electric full-size SUV. With […]
April 14, 2025
In a radiation protection study commissioned by the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) and the German Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMUV), all electric cars analyzed complied with the recommendations for protection against the health effects of magnetic fields. According to the researchers, people are not generally exposed to stronger magnetic fields in […]
April 11, 2025
The Volkswagen Group increased its global BEV deliveries by 59% to 216,800 vehicles (commercial vehicles and buses/trucks included) in the first quarter compared to Q1 2024. Polestar’s Q1 sales were up 76% compared to last year. For the Volkswagen Group, things went very well in Europe and the US, but not in China. We can […]
April 11, 2025
The BMW Group delivered 109,516 all-electric cars in the first quarter, an increase of 32.4% and an 18.7% share of total deliveries. Electric car sales increased in Europe in particular. And more than one in three vehicles delivered by the Mini brand was purely electric. Across all drive types, the BMW, Mini, and Rolls-Royce brands […]
April 10, 2025
On Wednesday, Belgian maritime contractor Deme announced that it has agreed to acquire Havfram, a Norwegian company that provides transport and installation services for offshore wind farms. The deal is worth approximately 900 million euros and is expected to be completed by the end of April 2025. Oslo-based Havfram owns and operates vessels for installing […]
April 10, 2025
A new study from the NGO Transport & Environment (T&E) shows significant irregularities in the reported consumption of palm residues used in renewable diesel (HVO) being sold by oil majors. A new T&E study shows that a key ingredient in the ‘renewable diesel’ sold in Europe is likely fraudulent. Nearly twice as much palm oil […]
April 10, 2025
CATL, the world’s biggest battery maker for the last decade, is looking to take a controlling stake in NIO Power, the battery swapping and fast-charging business of Chinese premium EV maker NIO. CATL will not comment, but Reuters quotes four anonymous sources to back up the story. Last month, news broke that NIO, known for […]
April 09, 2025
Porsche significantly increased the proportion of electrified vehicles sold in the first quarter of 2025: 71,470 vehicles (-8%) were handed over to customers worldwide between January and March, 38.5 percent of which were electrified, and more than 25 percent fully electric. Porsche states these electrified vehicles are divided into 25.9% battery-electric cars and 12.6% plug-in […]
April 07, 2025
Belgian high-voltage grid operator Elia is calling for vigilance over solar overproduction. Due to the sunny spring and the large number of solar panels installed, an overproduction could lead to negative prices and a frequency increase, threatening blackouts. Unlike last year, when this phenomenon occurred mainly in the summer, Elia notes that the risk is […]
April 07, 2025
According to charging station operator MobilityPlus, a quarter of all employees with an electric car hardly ever charge their company car at home. Nevertheless, employees with electric company cars usually have a charging station at home. But most fear that charging at home will drive up their energy bill. MobilityPlus discovered that 26 percent of […]
April 03, 2025
Today, Hyundai Motor Company introduced the all-new Nexo fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) at its global launch event at the Seoul Mobility Show in Korea. Hyundai targets more than 700 km of range from a five-minute ‘charge’ and top-tier safety ratings thanks to the comprehensive safety features. The second-generation Nexo reflects 27 years of fuel […]
April 03, 2025
As a symbol for Europe’s rapidly evolving EV infrastructure, four of the continent’s leading charging operators—Fastned, Electra, Atlante, and IONITY—have joined forces to create Spark Alliance. This strategic partnership must leverage the seamlessness, reliability, and user-friendliness of charging experiences across 25 European countries. However, it also tightens the space for smaller or new competitors. Spark […]
April 02, 2025
After Bstor launched a new battery park in La Louvière at the beginning of this year, the battery project developer has started constructing its third and largest battery park, ‘Estor-Lux II,’ in Aubange, in the Belgian province of Luxembourg. Bstor is 40 percent owned by the listed Antwerp holding company Ackermans & van Haaren. In […]
April 02, 2025
More or less a week after BYD lashed out with the news of its ts new electric car platform, called ‘Super e,’ which promises charging at one megawatt, Chinese-Swedish Geely daughter Zeekr parries with the announcement of a 1.2-megawatt charger. Just to be overtaken by Huawei bragging about a 1.5-megawatt charger. This battle of the […]
April 01, 2025
Under its bankruptcy filing, Swedish battery manufacturer Northvolt announced that it will lay off over half its 5,000 employees. The company, founded in 2016, has succumbed to mounting debt and what insiders now admit were strategic miscalculations. Once hailed as Europe’s answer to Asian dominance in EV battery production, Northvolt officially filed for bankruptcy on […]
March 27, 2025
Mobilize, Renault Group’s sustainable mobility arm has opened 25 fast-charging locations in France and plans to open as many as 100 by the end of 2025. The group also hopes to manage 650 EV charging hubs across Western Europe by the end of 2028. Belgium and Spain are a priority here. The Mobilize Fast Charge […]
March 24, 2025
According to the Progress Report on the Programmatic Approach to Nitrogen, nitrogen oxide emissions in Flanders have fallen by 35 percent between 2015 and 2022, and ammonia emissions have fallen by 9 percent in those seven years. Environment Minister Jo Brouns presented the report on Friday, March 21st. Nitrogen oxides (80%) mainly come from the […]
March 21, 2025
The European Union and Belgium have made a clear commitment to climate neutrality to achieve the objectives of the Paris Climate Agreement. However, achieving this objective will require significant investments, leading to a profound transformation of our society. According to a new report from the Federal Climate Change Service in collaboration with the Study Committee […]
March 21, 2025
North Sea Port, the cross-border port area between Vlissingen (the Netherlands) and Ghent (Belgium), has installed a new jetty with shore power. Ships arriving in Ghent must now dock here. With this investment, North Sea Port strengthens its position as a European sustainable port. The sustainable jetty, located at the head of the Grootdok, is […]
March 20, 2025
Four scientists from KU Leuven, the University of Ghent, and Transport and Mobility Leuven have concluded that it makes no sense to choose the train instead of the plane for trips within the European Union to emit less CO2. Due to the European emission ceilings, someone else will emit the saved CO2 anyway. The Emission […]
March 20, 2025
Surprisingly, SAIC Motor’s daughter MG will launch a completely new version of its MG4 EV. This car sells well overseas but has very low sales in China. The new version is larger than the previous one and has a brand-new design. This might signal that the company decided to start all over again with its […]
March 17, 2025
A recent report indicates that London’s air quality has significantly improved since the introduction of the Ultra-Low Emission Zone, an area where polluting vehicles are banned or must pay a congestion charge to enter. Annual roadside NO2 concentrations across the capital have been nearly halved (49%) between 2016 and 2023, while preliminary figures indicate London […]
March 17, 2025
Engie, the French energy giant that owns several nuclear power plants in Belgium, announced that it is “open to talks on Belgium’s nuclear energy policy.” Engie repeatedly emphasized earlier it was a cool lover of the idea and indicated that it wanted to end its nuclear activities. While Belgian Luminus CEO Grégoire Dallemagnes hinted in […]
March 14, 2025
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a dramatic rollback of vehicle emissions regulations. The changes, led by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin under the Trump administration, will relax emissions targets for cars, trucks, and power plants. Critics say it marks a fundamental shift away from the agency’s historic mission of environmental protection. Trump’s oil […]
March 13, 2025
Europe’s pride in battery manufacturing, Northvolt, has filed for bankruptcy in Sweden, marking a major setback for the EU’s efforts to compete with Chinese dominance in the electric vehicle battery market. Despite years of substantial investment from automakers, financial institutions, and government subsidies, the company failed to secure the $1 billion needed to sustain operations […]
March 07, 2025
Getlink, the operator of the Channel Tunnel, posted a net profit of 317 million euros last year, down 5% from 2023. The drop in profits is due to the suspension of services from ElecLink, the high-voltage cable linking France and England through the Channel Tunnel. Competition from ferries also played tricks on Getlink. EuroTunnel, Getlink’s subsidiary […]
March 07, 2025
The Norwegian Transport Ministry is planning to ask the Norwegian Public Roads Administration to prepare legislation to allow municipalities to establish zero-emission zones (ZEZ). It will give the latter the possibility to reduce emissions and push for cleaner transport. The Administration will specifically look at the technical, legal, and practical aspects. It also stresses that […]
March 06, 2025
European fast-charging specialist Electra has opened its first operational station in Capellen, Luxembourg, a well-known ‘tank’ stop for Belgian and Dutch drivers heading south on holiday. The company is active in nine European countries—Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, and Austria—and has 426 stations and 2,520 charging points. The new charging station […]
March 06, 2025
Renault daughter Alpine is currently testing its ‘sport fastback’ A390 in severe winter conditions in northern Sweden. The car will be officially presented on May 27th in its home turf, the Alpine factory in Dieppe near the Atlantic coast. “We are in Lapland to finalize the development in extreme conditions of the future A390, the […]
March 06, 2025
At a big event on Wednesday, Volkswagen showed its concept of the €20,000 BEV it wants to launch by 2027, the VW ID. Every1. The name gives away the whole idea: with this small BEV, ‘Volks-Wagen’ wants to become the manufacturer of ‘the car for all people’ again. With the series model, which will follow […]
March 03, 2025
More than 500 doctors have called on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to uphold the planned 2035 phase-out of combustion engines, warning of serious health risks if the policy is weakened. The doctors criticized efforts to soften carbon dioxide (CO2) emission limits, arguing that delaying the transition would endanger public health. Road traffic […]
March 03, 2025
Dutch fast-charging provider Fastned has opened its 37th station in Belgium in Hoeselt, midway between Hasselt and Liège along the E313 highway. It has two chargers, suitable for four charging bays, each with a maximum capacity of 400 kW. Fastned says electric drivers can charge their cars here with green electricity from the sun and […]
February 27, 2025
BMW Group Plant Munich is gearing up to launch the ‘Neue Klasse’ in the summer of 2026. Three new production halls are being built for the body shop, assembly, and associated production logistics during the ongoing operations. “For the production start of the Neue Klasse, we will have a state-of-the-art plant in Munich characterized by […]
February 27, 2025
The European Commission proposed a significant action plan on Wednesday to accelerate the decarbonization of European industry. The Commission believes that EU countries must act now. The climate crisis, weak economic growth, declining business competitiveness, and significant geopolitical tensions (with Moscow, Washington, and Beijing) require a comprehensive transition plan. Various supporting measures should help with […]
February 26, 2025
The BMW Group has halted its plan to manufacture electric Mini cars at the Oxford plant in England. Two all-electric models were due to roll off the production line at Oxford next year, but this has now been postponed. The BMW Group announced in 2023 that it would build two new all-electric Mini models in […]
February 26, 2025
Milence, the joint venture between Europe’s largest truckmakers created to develop the fast-charging network for battery-electric trucks, has deployed its first two chargers using the Megawatt Charging System (MCS) standard. Belgium has the honor, as these MCS chargers can be found at the Ketenis truck stop in the port of Antwerp. The Megawatt Charging System […]
February 26, 2025
Fast charging specialist Electra and mobility company Bolt are entering into a strategic partnership to strengthen the transition to electric driving. The deal will give Bolt partner drivers access to the largest fast-charging network in Belgium at preferential rates. Through the partnership, which was previously launched in France, the two companies aim to accelerate the […]
