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Tesla’s record profit beats all expectations

Piet Andries Posted On January 27, 2022

“2021 was a breakthrough year for Tesla and electric vehicles in general,” announced Tesla CEO Elon Musk while commenting on the earnings results of his company. It was indeed a record year.

It’s the second consecutive year that Tesla is in the black, but the rise in income is nothing less than spectacular. Compared to the $721 million made in 2020, net profit for 2021 peaked at 5,5 billion, a whole different league.

The car manufacturer managed to deliver 936 172 vehicles over the entire year in an adverse industrial climate. Output nearly doubled.

The result is a few figures shy of what Elon Musk predicted. He aimed at 1 million vehicles, but it’s nevertheless an increase of a stunning 87% compared to the previous year. Despite the supply chain pressure, analysts had forecast a sunny outlook for Tesla, but with a result of $2,54 per share, the company beat the prophets at Wall Street.

Established name

In the last quarter, which traditionally forms a bridge toward the new year, Tesla assembled more than 300 000 units. That’s an increase of 70% compared to 2020, and with a profit of 2,3 billion, it accounts for almost half of the year’s earnings.

Tesla is shooting itself rapidly into the territory of established names like Audi, BMW, and Mercedes, with a forecast of further production growth of 50% soon. Other premium brands like Alfa Romeo, Jaguar/Land Rover, and Volvo are in the back mirror.

Two key models

Two key models account for the surge in deliveries. With deliveries totaling 911 208 units, the Model 3 and Model Y have become top players worldwide. The European market confirms that popularity. The Tesla Model 3 is the best sold BEV in the EU, with sales double as high as the Renault Zoe, which ranks second. The Model 3 accounted for 139 600 units last year.

Despite these flourishing financial results, the American manufacturer of premium EVs takes a cautious attitude toward the year to come. To avoid putting brakes on its delivery pipeline, it was decided not to produce any new models in 2022. This means that the Cybertruck, the Roadster, and the promised budget car have all been delayed.

Nonetheless, the company is looking for new locations to build additional plants. The factory in Berlin is still painstakingly waiting for permits to get going.

Autonomous driving / Europe / Industry / Technology / Top Stories Today

Bosch and VW to accelerate autonomous driving

Piet Andries Posted On January 26, 2022

Practice makes perfect. Only a week after Bosch and Volkswagen announced a collaboration for equipment solutions in battery factories, the two German giants are teaming up for another technology roll-out.

This time the supplier and car-maker will join forces to scale up autonomous driving. Basically, they want to accelerate the market launch, for which both parties signed a memorandum of understanding. Volkswagen did this through its dedicated branch, Cariad.

For everyone

“This cooperation will strengthen Germany’s reputation for innovativeness,” says Bosch. Its board of management member Dr. Markus Heyn added that the collaboration aims “to make the technology available for everyone, across all vehicle classes”. The German supplier has been piling up years of research into autonomous technology and believes the time is due to ramp up the speed.

However, don’t expect to see autonomous driving Volkswagens with Bosch technology anywhere soon. The transition to self-driving cars is very much a gradual process, performed in steps.

Dedicated environment

As such, both parties will start with a development program. Teams from Bosch Cross-Domain Computing Solutions and Cariad will work together on various proving grounds all over the world, putting the software to the test. The most important locations where these mixed teams will be active are Stuttgart and Ingolstadt. It goes hand in hand with the creation of a dedicated and challenging environment, suited to provide the relevant data needed for market-ready offerings.

In the next phase, the proving ground will be swapped for real-traffic situations, enlarging the data pool. That’s one of the shackles where Volkswagen’s contribution is of most importance. That, and their expertise in mass-production and marketing. Supposedly, the partnership should last all the way up to reaching SAE Level 4, or fully automated driving.

Unique alliance

According to Bosch, this alliance is unique in the business. However, due to the extensive reliance on software, partnerships between OEMs and third parties for autonomous driving are happening all over the globe.

An important name missing in this announcement is Ford. Volkswagen has an extensive industrial agreement with its American counterpart, stretching from jointly developed commercial vehicles, licensing their electric-only MEB-platform to the joint development of autonomous drive. If and how this strategic partnership will benefit from the new alliance, remains unclear.

Europe / Technology / Top Stories Today

EU doubts Belgium will meet 5G roll-out target by 2025

Joris Van Roy Posted On January 25, 2022

The European Court of Auditors fears Belgium won’t meet the requirements of the Union for the roll-out of the 5G ultra-fast telecom network in all major cities and along the major transport routes by 2025. Belgium is at the bottom of the class, together with Greece, Cyprus, Bulgaria, and Croatia.

A former Belgian minister, Annemie Turtelboom (Open-Vld), wrote the report stating that only eleven of the 27 member states are on target, eleven others still have a chance, while five of them among which Belgium are trailing. But the current Belgian Minister of Telecom Petra De Sutter (Groen) is quite confident Belgium is catching up in time.

Internet of Things

The roll-out of the 5G network will be crucial for several technologies like linking all kinds of machines together using ultra-fast internet connections in the so-called Internet of Things (IoT). 5G offers several improvements in data rate, coverage, and reliability. Speed and reliability you’ll need to have connected cars talk to each other (V2C) and the infrastructure (V2X), for instance.

The report is the apex stone of an audit the European Court of Auditors, the Guardians of the EU finances, has held throughout the 27 member states. By 2025 all major cities in Europe should have 5G in the major cities and the most important transport routes. By 2030, 5G should cover the whole European Union.

Regional disputes in Belgium

The doubts about Belgium are motivated by the fact that the official spectrum auction among telecom operators has been postponed endlessly due to inter-regional disputes. In most other countries, these auctions have been held, and some have already decided on the suppliers of the critical infrastructure, which might be a national security issue.

In Belgium, the Brussels Region was a troublemaker for a long time, setting radiation standards for 5G way below the limits proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the scientists of the (International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).

The quarrel lasted until July, when Brussels gave in by raising it to 14,5 Volt per meter, including radio- en television antennas, still keeping the country’s strictest standards but opening up the way for auctioning. That auction of the frequencies is set to be held in June 2022, and operators were summoned last week to register.

Enough time left

According to the Minister of Telecom Petra De Sutter, there is enough time left to roll out the 5G network and cover most of the country by 2025. She says the auction will determine the frequencies for the next twenty years, something Belgian companies are waiting for with impatience.

“We’re catching up,” she told Belga. “I’m convinced that our cities will have 5G by 2025, and we’ll meet the European targets. The operators that are bidding at the auction have to meet a requirement of providing 99,8% of Belgian households with qualitative mobile 5G access by 2028 and covering all railway lines to supply fast internet access for travelers.”

She points at the current 4G network in Belgium, which covers 98% of the households with a good quality connection to the internet, one of the best in Europe. The Belgian government has allocated 24 million euros for test projects to accelerate the roll-out of 5G.

”

Europe / Industry / Top Stories Today / Weekly Newsletter

European car sales take a historical deep dive, but why?

Piet Andries Posted On January 19, 2022

Since the beginning of the registrations, dating from 1990, the European market never performed so weakly. According to the federation of European car manufacturers (ACEA), sales fell back in 2021 to 9,7 million units across the EU, a further decline of -2,4 percent compared to the year before. And 2020, heavily affected by Covid-19, was already a record low.

The chip shortage seems to have hit Europe and its car manufacturers harder than China and the United States. The EU pays the price by setting a target to have 30 million EVs on the road by 2030. High prices of electric vehicles make European customers hold their breath and keep their wallets closed.

Belgium second-biggest loser

The end result is 3,3 million units short of the sales figures from 2019, which was the last pre-corona year. December 2021 was the sixth consecutive month of decline with a free fall of -22,8%. Especially the big German market accounts for the loss, with an annual recess of more than 10 percent.

Belgium even saw a decline with 11,2%, falling back from 431 491 cars sold in 2020 to 383,123 in 2021. Apart from Lithuania (-22%), Belgium saw the biggest loss in the EU. Other major markets such as Italy (+5,5%), France (+0,5%), and Spain (1,0%) showed a mild increase. But these countries are saved by a good first half of the year. In the last months, the dip in sales was alarming across Europe.

China and US grow

ACEA points to the global chip crisis as one of the main drivers behind the all-time low results. Next to the pandemic, of course. However, it seems that Europe is suffering from a particular crisis compared to other continents.

Those haven’t remained unaffected by the semi-conductor bottleneck, either. However, both the Chinese and the North-American markets accomplished to bend the curve and grow by respectively 3,7 and 4,4 percent in 2021. This year, China even expects to grow further with 5,4 percent in 2022.

Why, then, didn’t Europe regain traction? Several explanations are heard. One of them is that the Old Continent is a much more competitive marketplace, with a higher penetration of advanced cars, relying to a greater extent on semi-conductors.

Another argument is Europe’s weak geographical position in relation to the chip manufacturers. Those are primarily based in Asia and North America, the two regions that coped better with the negative side-effects of the shortage.

BMW withstands

The sales figures per brand also illustrate this trend. Manufacturers like Toyota (+9,1%) and Hyundai (+18,4%) managed to progress in a declining market. Mercedes, Stellantis, Renault, and Volkswagen all saw their sales slipping. The one exception is BMW, which grew by 1,5 percent. With Belgium as an example, Newmobility provided a backgrounder to that case here.

But there’s more to the European conundrum. The 2030 target of putting 30 million EVs on the road claims its prize. As for now, customers that can afford electric cars (or plug-in hybrids) are found in higher classes with bigger wages.

The democracy of electrification isn’t yet in place, with many people reluctant to spend 50 000 euros on a family car with a battery pack. Even the edge of 30 000 euros, which would give them nothing bigger than a city car with a plug, doesn’t persuade on a big scale. Consequently, most European customers are holding their breath and keeping their wallets closed, waiting for better times.

End of conductor crisis?

2022 might bring a sunnier outlook. But it won’t happen before the second half of the year when the first signs of a recovery from the conductor crisis are to be expected. And there’s another problem looming since the soaring price of lithium carbonate might reverse the declining price of EVs for the first time in ten years.

Climate / Environment / Europe / Health / Legislation / Top Stories Today

T&E survey: ‘76% support stricter EU car emission rules’

Hilde Van Raemdonck Posted On January 18, 2022

According to a YouGov survey, a large majority of people support stricter EU car emission rules for manufacturers to make cars as clean as possible. YouGov, commissioned by Transport & Environment (T&E), questioned more than 8 000 people from seven European countries: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, Roumania, and the Czech Republic.

More than three-quarters of interviewees (76%) said that car manufacturers should be legally forced to reduce emissions from new cars as much as technically possible. Almost two-thirds (65%) even said they would be willing to pay up to €500 extra.

Legal pollution limit

According to the European Commission, costs for manufacturers to make cars cleaner would range between €100 and €500 per car – or just the amount private individuals would be willing to pay. The car industry, on the other hand, fears that cleaner vehicles will affect their profit margins.

Half of those polled (50%) even expect their second-hand vehicle to meet a minimum legal pollution limit. Only a small minority (12%) would not expect this when buying a used car.

Five years of monitoring

Today, new cars are only monitored during the first five years they’re on the road, so the results are not realistic. Many cars stay on the roads much longer, especially in southern, central, and eastern Europe, exposing millions of people to higher emitting vehicles.

Fabian Sperka, vehicles policy manager at T&E: “Keeping pollution down for just five years when most cars stay on the road for far longer is a threat to public health. People want to know that emissions will be kept within legal limits whether they’re buying a new or used car. Manufacturers should be required to ensure that.”

Top priority

In April, the EU Commission is expected to propose new ‘Euro 7’ rules on emission standards for cars, vans, trucks, and buses. The new rules will replace the outdated ones set more than a decade ago. They will determine the amount of toxic emissions that almost 100 million new cars with an internal combustion engine (ICE) – expected to hit the road in 2025-2035 – will be allowed to emit.

Cutting air pollution is a top priority of the EU Green Deal, and the Commission is currently considering recommendations for the standards after convening independent experts to review the best available technology.

Traffic emissions are a major source of air pollution. They’re often at the base of serious illnesses like cardiovascular diseases, lung diseases, and cancer. EU road transport pollution is responsible for tens of thousands of premature deaths a year.

Environment / Europe / Legislation / Top Stories Today

EU Court of Justice dismisses ruling on Euro 6 diesel

Félix Bouland Posted On January 14, 2022

This Thursday, the European Court of Justice overturned the partial annulment of a European regulation relaxing Euro 6 emission standards. It had been requested and obtained back in 2018 by the cities of Brussels, Paris, and Madrid, which saw the relaxing as a ‘license to pollute’.

After the dieselgate scandal was brought to light, the European Commission acted swiftly and modified its Euro norm testing procedure. It will now be done outside, in closer to real-world situations instead of in a laboratory. However, to counter the discrepancies of the portable measuring instrument, a so-called ‘compliance factor’ was introduced.

‘License to pollute’

Back in May 2018, Brussels Mayor Philippe Close along with Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo went to the EU General Court about this new ruling. As the Commission temporarily authorized to multiply the base norm of Euro 6 emission tests (80 mg/km) by 2,1, it allowed cars with emissions of up to twice the NOx limit to be approved and homologated. For the cities, it reassembled to a license to pollute.

A few months later, the General Court ruled in favor of the cities. According to the jury, the Commission was not competent to amend the Euro 6 emissions limit. But the story doesn’t end there. The Commission almost immediately appealed, and so did Germany and Hungary.

Water under the bridge

This Thursday, the European Court of Justice overturned the partial annulment. The reason: the three cities had no business being in Luxemburg, given that they are regional entities and must meet certain criteria to be considered as directly concerned. And it cannot be concluded that the contested regulation directly concerns the applicant cities.

For Philippe Close, talking to newspaper l’Echo, this is an outdated subject as diesel car sales continue to shrink, and Brussels concentrates on electrification. Today, the Euro 6 emission standard, which was set up fifteen years ago, is largely outdated due to technological advancements.

Environment / Europe / Industry / Technology / Top Stories Today

Soaring lithium prices: Europe to open its own mines?

Luc Joris Posted On January 14, 2022

Lithium, cobalt, and nickel, the metals essential to the manufacture of the batteries for electric cars, are so sought after that Europe is preparing to open mines and refineries to reduce its dependence on imports.

After all, Europe is far too dependent on external powers, particularly China, for its energy transition. With soaring prices – in China, which acts as a global barometer, the cost of lithium rose by 400% last year – extreme measures will be needed.

The subject will be on the table of the European Industry Ministers on 31 January and 1 February in Lens during the Competitiveness, Industry, and Internal Market Council. On Thursday, the item was also on the agenda of the Bercy conference with ministers and officials from the European Commission and the EU Parliament.

‘White gold’

In that order, Australia, Chile, and China are the world’s largest producers of the ‘white gold’ of the energy transition, transforming it into lithium carbonate or hydroxide. On the other hand, Europe is not on the lithium map, either for mining or for processing.

And while at least 38 battery factory projects have been announced in Europa, the issue of metal supply is far from being resolved. A French report submitted to the government this week estimates that Europe will not be more than 30% self-sufficient in 2030 in lithium, nickel, and cobalt, used to store and transport electricity.

Environmental impact

Europe has lithium deposits in Serbia, Portugal, Germany, and the Czech Republic. But lithium is also found in France in mineral form in the Massif Central and Armorican, and in a geothermal form in Alsace, according to the French Geological and Mining Research Bureau (BRGM).

But questions about the environmental impact do not simplify operating such sites. In December, the Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto, which has financed exploration studies at Jadar in Serbia since 2004, faced protests from opponents demanding the publication of environmental impact reports.

Pumping of lithium-laden brine and evaporation to isolate the crystals, a production method widely used in Latin America, is, for example, criticized by NGOs for the drying up of water resources that it causes in the environment.

Critical metal

But there is an urgent need for lithium, cobalt, nickel, or even iridium. Lithium, for example, an essential component to produce electric batteries for cars, has been included in the EU’s list of critical metals. And according to the Internation Energy Agency (IEA), global demand is expected to increase 40-fold by 2040, writes AFP.

By 2030, Europe’s lithium needs alone – for batteries – will exceed 500 000 tons per year, which is more than current world production, which amounted to some 475 000 tons in 2021.

French call for projects

To remedy this situation, the French government, for example, is dangling a billion-euro envelope, half of its public funds. It has just launched a call for projects from industrialists with initiatives to extract or refine lithium, cobalt, nickel, or even iridium – provided they have the environmental green light.

In Argentina, in the ‘ABC’ triangle of lithium (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile), the world’s second-largest source of white gold, the French mining group Eramet has announced the opening in 2024 of a plant with the Chinese Tsingshan. It should produce 15% of Europe’s lithium needs, according to its CEO Christel Bories.

Resources in Europe

According to the USGS, the world’s exploitable reserves were estimated in 2021 at 21 million tons, almost half of which were in Chile (9,2 Mt). The resources, identified deposits without considering their exploitation conditions, are estimated at 86 million tons in total.

But there are also resources in Europe. In the old continent, they are estimated at 2,7 Mt in Germany, 1,3 Mt in the Czech Republic, 1,2 Mt in Serbia, 300 000 tons in Spain, and 270 000 tons in Portugal. No figures are available for France, which has rock lithium in the Armorican Massif, the Massif Central, and geothermal lithium in Alsace.

Strategic autonomy

And precisely because the EU produces hardly any lithium, and China and the US are trying to control the resources, Europe wants to develop its own extraction and processing, precisely to achieve ‘strategic autonomy’ and to meet Green Deal standards to combat global warming.

The French Eramet, for example, has also managed to extract lithium from geothermal brine in Alsace. This is a first that opens industrial prospects in the Rhine Valley.

In Germany, an Australian mining group is promoting its ‘zero carbon footprint’ lithium marketed under the Vulcan brand, for which a partnership has been signed with Renault and Stellantis. Germany will also host a plant built by the Canadian group Rock Tech Lithium on the refining site in 2024. AMG Lithium GmbH, a subsidiary of Dutch Advanced Metallurgical Group (AMG), has also planned to build a lithium plant in Germany.

In Portugal, the leading European country with 900 tons of lithium (but not of battery quality), the authorities are awaiting the verdict of the environmental authority on a refining project led by the Portuguese oil company Galp Energie and the Swedish battery manufacturer NorthVolt.

Europe / Industry / Product / Technology / Top Stories Today / Weekly Newsletter

D’Ieteren Belgian importer for Rimac electric supercar

Piet Andries Posted On January 14, 2022

Already the most established player in the field of performance cars, with Porsche, Bentley, Lamborghini, and Bugatti, the Belgian car importer D’Ieteren is adding one more name to its portfolio of exclusive brands: Rimac Automobili.

David Favest, General Manager of Bentley, Lamborghini, and Bugatti at D’Ieteren, explains: “We are very proud of becoming one of the first European importers for Rimac. The company is both financially and technologically very solid, while its founder, Mate Rimac, is very dynamic and passionate.”

Acquisition of Bugatti

Rimac is a Croatian manufacturer of high-performance electric cars. When Mate Rimac founded the company he was only in his early twenties. His ambition succeeded in drawing ownership interest from major car brands like Porsche and Hyundai. A decade later, Porsche owns 45% of the shares.

The rise of Rimac was climaxed by the acquisition of Bugatti last year from Volkswagen. The German group, which was struggling to synchronize its hypercar brand with its electric reshuffle, turned to Rimac for a suitable exit strategy. And so Bugatti Rimac was born.

The latest product from Rimac is the hyper-exclusive Nevera. It is limited to 150 units with an output of 1 900 PS and a price tag of 2 million euros, a true contender for the upcoming Lotus Evija. The Croatian company also delivers the platform and driveline for the Pininfarina Battista. Its 1 300 employees develop solutions and ancillaries for large car brands concerning battery-electric vehicles.

Baffling fast

Since Rimac has carved out a venerable name for itself over a short span of time, the company is often referred to as ‘Tesla from Croatia’. Not in the least because its founder is driven by technological avant-garde and innovation. With pride Mate Rimac posted some pictures of the Nevera charging at an Ionity station, consistently maintaining a level of more than 300 kW. That’s baffling fast.

According to the company, their sports car is even able to go up to 500 kW, if only infrastructure was up to it.

Stiff competition

However, in this field, Rimac faces stiff competition from Chinese car-makers. Xpeng has a G9 that can fast-charge at 480 kW, while GAC developed a graphene battery that can be charged at 600 kW, ready for a refill from 0-80% state-of-charge in no more than eight minutes. But these cars don’t go from 0-100 km/h under two seconds…

Energy / Europe / Industry / Top Stories Today / Weekly Newsletter

In 2022 Volvo will triple BEV production in Ghent

Piet Andries Posted On January 12, 2022

The chip shortage put a dent in the production of Volvo Car Gent last year. But for 2022, the company is looking forward. The plant plans to triple its output of all-electric models and take its final steps to become a climate-neutral site.

2021 wasn’t the best of years for Volvo Car Gent. While output dropped back from 194 890 units in 2020 to 183 238 (- 6%, the lowest in more than ten years), the headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden, confirmed that it withdrew its plans to build a battery factory nearby. In particular, the supply chain problems caused worries, halting the assembly lines for about 40 days over the whole year.

The order book isn’t the issue. On the contrary, the new challenge for the manufacturing plant, which counts Europe as its biggest market, is to meet surging EV sales.

Boosting BEV production

In 2022, Volvo Car Gent plans to build 135 000 all-electric cars. Currently, it assembles two such models: the XC40 Recharge and the C40 Recharge. In 2021, the first one accounted for 24 519 units (13,4 % of total production), while the latter, which went into production as of October last year, weighed in on 3 533 units. Or 1,9% of the total output.

The forecasted figures imply that more than half of the factory production will be BEV vehicles next year.

Towards climate neutrality

In the second half of 2022, Volvo Car Gent aims to become climate neutral. It hopes to reach this goal by further extracting green electricity from solar panels and wind turbines on its site. The factory will also replace its consumption of natural methane with bio-methane. Extracted from organic materials, this renewable energy source is net zero-carbon.

Aviation / Climate / Europe / Mobility / Top Stories Today

ACI: ‘No reason to fly planes empty to keep airport slots’

Luc Joris Posted On January 7, 2022

Airlines have no reason to fly planes empty in Europe to keep their airport slots. That is what ACI Europe, the association representing Europe’s airports, says, expressing dismay at the controversy that arose after Lufthansa said carrying out some 18 000 unnecessary flights just to keep its time slots. About 3 000 of these are carried out by subsidiary Brussels Airlines.

According to ACI Europe, airlines can benefit from exemptions and are very well protected against the current uncertainties, notably the wave of the Covid-19 Omicron variant, which has put a damper on bookings.

Excessive

Under normal circumstances, European rules state that airlines must use at least 80% of the take-off and landing slots at airports or lose their rights the following season. These rules have been rendered unenforceable by the health crisis that has caused air traffic to collapse since March 2020, leading Brussels to suspend them.

Since 28 March 2021, airlines have been required to use 50% of their take-off and landing slots to retain them, but this level is considered excessive by the still-recovering airline industry.

“Despite our urgent requests for more flexibility, the EU has approved 50% usage rule (…) that is unrealistic”, a spokesperson for the International Air Transport Association (Iata), which represents most airlines, told AFP.

Causing harm to the sector

The airport organizations have already had acrimonious and public exchanges with Iata in recent months, notably about the fees received by airports from airlines for each take-off and landing, in a context of dried-up finances for the entire sector.

ACI Europe supports the European Commission’s position and recalled that, if for any reason, 50% is not feasible, an exception is still possible. Airlines could keep their slots by having their national regulator invoke the “no justified use of slots” cause.

This covers outright travel bans and movement restrictions, mandatory quarantine or isolation measures that affect the viability or possibility of travel, or demand on specific routes, the organization said.

ACI Europe director Olivier Jankovic believes that the reports of the so-called ghost flights are harming the aviation sector. Environmental movement Greenpeace, for example, calls the empty flights “absurd” and speaks of “a new low for the sector that is kept afloat with government support.”

Environment / Europe / Export / Legislation / Top Stories Today / Transport

France no longer allows 44 ton international trucks

Luc Joris Posted On January 3, 2022

From 1 January this year, France restricts international freight transport by trucks over 44 tons. More than 40 tons will only be permitted for intermodal transport by French trucks. France has ended all ambiguity surrounding the maximum weight for cross-border transport with the new legislation.

The UPTR, the Professional Union of Transport and Logistics in Belgium, is not happy with the change in legislation. They see it as an attempt to hinder the freedom of the market and accuse France of severe environmental damage. It is expected that with the new regulation, an additional 26 000 trucks will be needed for Belgian transport companies to get the same payload of goods to France.

European Transport Directive

France increased the maximum weight allowed for trucks from 40 to 44 tons in 2013. This increase formally applies only to national transport. For cross-border transport, the mandatory rules of the European Transport Directive apply.

On this basis, the maximum weight is 40 or 44 tons for intermodal transport. For national transport, the directive allows countries to permit higher weights. The Netherlands, with 50 tons, and Belgium, Luxembourg, France, and Italy with 44 tons, among others, make use of this.

Unfair competition

In practice, however, 44 tons were also widely used between the Benelux and France. Officially it was not allowed, but mainly shippers saw it differently. According to them, there was no legal basis on which it would not be prohibited.

In many tenders, transporters were more or less forced to assume a weight of 44 tons. Those who did adhere to the EU rules were putting themselves out of business.

This situation obviously created a lot of unfair competition. Therefore, several transport organizations urged the European Commission to do something about this. Ultimately this led to France amending its legislation.

Belgium’s aggregates sector affected

According to Michel Calozet, managing director of Fediex, the Belgian federation of the extractive industry, this change will mainly penalize trucks transporting aggregates (stone, pebbles, sand, etc.) because it is for this material, which is rather cheap and weights a lot, that the difference in tonnage will have the biggest impact on the transport bill.

“By going from 44 to 40 T, this means a 15% loss in the payload for an aggregate truck and, therefore, 15% more trucks,” says Michaël Reul of UPTR in Sud Presse. “For aggregates alone, transfers between France and Belgium are estimated at 6 000 000 T per year, i.e. almost 214 000 trucks per year. The loss of 4 T of the payload will result in 26 000 more trucks on the road, increasing CO2 emissions with the same factor, per year.”

Legal action

Even though the new regulation is formally in compliance with the French laws and the legislation of the EU, Fediex and UPTR have lodged an appeal with the French council of State to annul this provision, “which suits French quarrymen well facing the Belgian competition”.

Especially the regions of Tournaisis (limestone deposits for infrastructure works) and Lessines (porphyry deposits for railway ballast) will be the most affected by this new regulation, but other regions (Charleroi, Brabant-Wallon) are also concerned. But the procedure is likely to be very long: one year at least, five years at the worst.

Even if the decision would fit within a strategy of sustainable greening of freight transport, by promoting the modal shift to the least polluting modes of transport and supporting the decarbonization of road vehicles, the two federations have their backs against the wall, they say.

“If the argument is to push for transport by boat or by train, we reply that the Seine-Northern Europe Canal project will not allow this modal shift to take place before at least 2030. As for the trains, they do not allow material to be brought to the construction site and Infrabel, the manager of the Belgian train network, does not invest.”

Energy / Environment / Europe / Industry / Top Stories Today / Weekly Newsletter

Northvolt commissions Europe’s first battery gigafactory

Joris Van Roy Posted On December 30, 2021

Swedish battery-startup Northvolt has commissioned its Skellefteå factory in the north of the country by producing the first prismatic battery cell on site. Production will fully start in 2022, ramping up to a capacity of 16 GWh annually. That’s enough to power about 300 000 electric cars. Ultimately, the factory will output 60 GWh per year.

Northvolt chose the location of its gigafactory in the far north because of the abundance of hydroelectricity in that part of the country as it wants its battery cells to be 100% sustainable. The production of one gigawatt-hour cell requires about 60 to 80 GWh of ‘green’ electricity, says factory director Fredrik Hedlund.

Recycling raw materials

Recycling rare raw materials will be another major target. In November, the Swedish battery manufacturer successfully produced its first lithium-ion battery cell made entirely from precious recycled metals.

The nickel, cobalt, and manganese used in this cell came from the waste of other used batteries. As such, Northvolt has reached a milestone in finalizing a closed-loop process for battery production. A new giga-scale recycling plant is under development adjacent to the Northvolt Ett factory in Skellefteå,

European first

“Marking a new chapter in European industrial history, the cell produced at Skellefteå is the first to have been fully designed, developed, and assembled at a gigafactory by a homegrown European battery company,” Northvolt states in the press release. At total capacity, the Nortvolt Ett (One in Swedish e.n.) factory will output 60 GWh, double what Tesla’s Nevada gigafactory is producing today.

That capacity will be needed to fulfill over €26 billion worth of contracts Northvolt has secured from key customers, including BMW, Fluence, Scania, Volkswagen, Volvo Cars, and Polestar.

BMW concluded in July 2020 a long-term agreement with the Swedish battery manufacturer for sustainably manufactured battery cells. As of 2024, the order volume would turn around 2 billion euros.

Northvolt Two with VW

But first, the Swedish batteries will go to Volkswagen. On its ‘Power Day’ in March 2021, VW announced it had already placed an €11,5 billion order when presenting its uniform battery. Volkswagen holds 20% of the Swedish battery maker and decided to inject another 509 million euros ($620 million) in July.

Volkswagen has a deal with the Swedish for building ‘Northvolt Two’, a second battery factory in Salzgitter, Germany. There Volkswagen has its Battery Cell Center of Excellence. It is to produce 16 GWh by the end of 2023, to be upscaled to 24 GWh.

Northvolt Three with Volvo

Volvo wants to source 15 GWh of battery cells per year from the Northvolt Ett battery plant starting in 2024. On the other hand, the Swedish-Chinese carmaker plans to set up with Northvolt yet another gigafactory for batteries somewhere in Europe.

The first step is a 50/50 joint venture to build a research and development center in Sweden that will begin operations in 2022. The new gigafactory, planned to be powered by 100 percent clean energy, will employ around 3 000 people. The new plant’s location is yet to be decided, but Ghent Belgium, where Volvo has its second-largest car plant, is no longer among the candidates.

Airbus of batteries

For the Northvolt battery gigafactory in Skellefteå, the German government gave a $525 million (€441 million) state guarantee. It can do this legally abroad, given the strategic involvement of German carmakers BMW and Volkswagen in the project.

The German government is willing to invest heavily in creating future lithium-ion battery production capacity at home and in the rest of Europe. It’s one of the major driving forces behind the European initiative to create its own battery industry in a so-called ‘Airbus of batteries’.

25 battery factories by 2030

Today, nearly all battery production comes from China, South Korea, and Japan. At the same time, Northvolt is the first to get a real gigafactory for batteries operational in Europe.

According to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence (BMI), only two large battery factories are operational elsewhere in Europe, run by South Korean LG in Wrocław, Poland, and another owned by Samsung near Budapest in Hungary. BMI says another 25 are planned by 2030, including Asian manufacturers coming to Europe or Tesla with its gigafactory in Germany.

Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz car branch recently joined the Stellantis Group and TotalEnergies as an equal partner in the ACC giga-battery factory project in France and Germany’s The Automotive Cells Company (ACC) is also the fruit of the EU’s efforts to create an ‘Airbus of batteries’ with an objective of at least 120 GWh of cell capacity by 2030.

Northvolt Ett – where European industrial history is being made. pic.twitter.com/OTQiPWBpH2

— Northvolt (@northvolt) December 29, 2021

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Green light to turn Brussels Schuman Square into esplanade

Joris Van Roy Posted On December 27, 2021

Urban.brussels has delivered the building permit to start converting the Brussels Schuman Square in the European quarters of the Belgian capital, merely a three-lane roundabout today, into a green pedestrian esplanade. Brussels building agency Beliris is to start works by the end of 2022.

The latter was confirmed on Friday by Minister-President Rudy Vervoort (PS) of the Brussels Government, Secretary Pascal Smet (Vooruit), Minister for Mobility Elke Van den Brandt (Groen), and the Brussels mayor Philippe Close (PS).

Breaking ground in 2022

One of Brussels’ most busy traffic roundabouts today, the Schuman Square at the foot of the European Commission’s home office and in the center of the EU district, was initially planned to become a semi-covered pedestrian agora with space for all kinds of events by 2019. Three years after that target date, it looks all obstacles are cleared to break ground.

For the roundabout redesign, Brussels organized an international design contest with more than 20 competitors in 2015. The competition was won by a young Brussels architect bureau BRUT, working closely together with the internationally renowned Danish design bureau COBE.

Mirroring roof

“In our design, the roundabout is to disappear and become a pedestrian agora with a mirroring roof at the center, and large pedestrian zones with trees and benches for resting,” the architect Francis De Wolf from BRUT told the media in 2017 when the project was presented. The central roof mimics the amphitheater of the European Parliament building, a few hundred meters further.

The project first had to pass through several procedures, consulting residents and merchants of the district and launching a public hearing. In April 2021, a deliberation committee with Elke Van den Brand, Pascal Smet, Philippe Close, and federal Minister Karine Lalieux (PS), responsible for Social Integration and Disabled People, decided to make some adjustments.

They wanted to have more trees implanted and make the esplanade more accessible for the disabled and visually impaired. One-way traffic in the ‘little’ Rue de la Loi that connects with the Cinquantenaire Park will be reversed, and people will be able to walk in a green pedestrian zone between the park and the Schuman Square. A bi-direction cycling path will be prolonged to the Renaissance Boulevard.

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Lightyear wants an affordable solar car by 2025

Piet Andries Posted On December 17, 2021

Is it driving on sunshine for less than € 30 000 within a few years? That’s the new target for Dutch start-up Lightyear, a specialist in solar cars. The news breaks shortly after the company secured the necessary fundings for its pioneering car, the One (pictured above), which will be offered for a retail price of about € 150 000.

It seems that the brand wants to move fast into the mass market since the more affordable car is set to go on sale in 2024 or 2025 at the latest. Due to the woos concerning chip shortage, the company doesn’t want to get hooked on a precise date.

By subscription

The plans about the new car were referred to when the directors of the company announced a commercial deal with Dutch leasing and fleet company LeasePlan this week. The latter ordered a batch of 5 000 models of the forthcoming Lightyear Two. They will be offered to its customers on a monthly subscription basis. It is referred to as the first solar subscription service worldwide.

Not too many details on the cheaper model were released. But it is clear that it will be based on the technology of the One, which is being prepared for assembly by Valmet in Finland.

Very frugal

The Lightyear One, which will be in Leaseplan’s portfolio as well, is a trailblazer in aerodynamics (a path that is also followed by Mercedes with the soon to be unveiled EQXX). It has a long sweeping roofline, a surface that is maximized for capturing solar energy while reducing drag at the same time. The hood is also completely covered with solar panels, amounting to 5 square metres in total.

According to the official statement, the One can cover 725 kilometers (WLTP) on a single charge. It has in-wheel electric motors on every corner. The specifications don’t mention the size of the battery pack, but it is supposed to be significantly smaller than usual. Due to its streamlined design, the One has a very frugal consumption of no more than 8,3 kWh per 100 kilometers, according to WLTP.

Lightyear says the panels are sufficient to cover the daily commute of the majority of European drivers and claims you can drive for months without charging.

TIME Magazine

Lightyear was founded in 2016 by alumni of Solar Team Eindhoven. As students, the company members competed in four World Solar Challenges, of which they won three. Next to their cars, Lightyear also produces solar roofs for automotive applications. They tested them on Teslas, for example.

Two years ago, the Lightyear One was heralded by TIME Magazine as one of the “100 Best Inventions.” In 2020, Lightyear won the “Rising Star” and “Most Disruptive Innovator” Award of the Technology Fast 50 program organized by Deloitte.

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EU plan: faster trains, EV chargers, and H2-stations along TEN-T network

Joris Van Roy Posted On December 15, 2021

The EU Commission has presented a four-pillar Action Plan for a cleaner, greener, and smarter mobility on the cross-border transport network through Europe and its nine major corridors. That means shifting more passengers and freight to rail and inland waterways, the roll-out of charging points every 60 km along highways, hydrogen filling stations at 150 km intervals, and making one-click cross-border ticketing possible, among others.

It won’t come for free, as an estimated 247 billion euros extra will be needed by 2050. But, according to EU Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean, on the other hand, the EU’s Gross Domestic Product should grow by €467 billion, creating 840 000 jobs during that period.

Easy-to-find tickets

“Today’s proposals set European mobility on track for a sustainable future: faster European rail connections with easy-to-find tickets and improved passenger rights support for cities to increase and improve public transport and infrastructure for walking and cycling, and making the best possible use of solutions for smart and efficient driving,” says Frans Timmermans, Vice-President of the Commission responsible for the Green Deal.

The proposal mainly concentrates on the so-called TEN-T network. The latter is an EU-wide network of rail, inland waterways, short-sea shipping routes, and main roads. It connects 424 major cities with ports, airports, and railway terminals. To give an idea in figures: the core rail network is 64 572 km out of a total of 119 078 km, the core road network 47 318 km out of 108 597 km, and inland waterways account for 15 451 km.

Cutting traveling times

“When the TEN-T is complete, the EU Commission says, it will cut travel times between these cities. For example, passengers will be able to travel between Copenhagen and Hamburg in 2,5 hours by train, instead of the 4,5 hours required today.”

Passenger trains along the TEN-T network will have to achieve speeds of 160 km/hour while crossing national borders without the need to change train drivers, as is the case today. It also includes new high-speed train connections between the port city of Vigo in Spain and Porto (Portugal) and between Budapest (Hungary) and Bucharest (Romania) before 2040.

Only 7% of train trips cross borders

International traveling by train should be made far more convenient. Only 7% of rail kilometers traveled between 2001 and 2018 involved cross-border trips, the Commission says. The EU wants to prepare a legislative proposal in 2022 to boost user-friendly multimodal ticketing so that people can buy a combined ticket for different linked transport modes in one go. And that without paying VAT on train tickets EU-wide.

Much work is needed to remove national boundaries on connected rail networks, like scrapping redundant national technical and operational rules and guidelines for track access pricing in 2023. That should ease rail operators’ access to infrastructure, increase competition, and allow more attractive ticket prices for passengers.

Freight trains transporting heavy trucks

Freight trains should be able to achieve 100 km/hour on average and grow longer to transport more goods. Putting heavy semi-trucks on trains to relieve traffic pressure on highways is one of the other goals.

Another pillar is a stronger focus on sustainable urban mobility. That requires all 424 major cities along the TEN-T network to develop Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans to promote zero-emission mobility and increase and improve public transport and infrastructure for walking and cycling.

Next year, the EU Commission will publish its recommendation of prioritizing zero-emission solutions for urban fleets. That includes taxis and ride-hailing services, the last mile of urban deliveries, and the construction and modernization of multimodal hubs as new digital solutions and services.

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Italy aligns itself with EU on ICE ban in 2035

Joris Van Roy Posted On December 14, 2021

The Italian Interministerial Committee for the Ecological Transition (CITE) has aligned itself with the EU Commission’s proposal to ban the sales of new cars with an internal combustion engine from 2035. For light commercial vehicles, this would be extended to 2040.

A note from the Ministery for Ecological Transition specified it would apply to cars fueled by traditional gasoline, diesel, LPG, and natural gas (methane) and include hybrids. Only fully electric or hydrogen cars sales will be allowed, and vehicles on synthetic fuels. The latter makes the statement somewhat ambiguous.

The CITE’s decision will have to be voted by the Italian Parliament, and even on the European level, the 2035 (or 2030) date will have to be adopted by the EU parliament and all the 27 member states.

Meanwhile, Italy will keep lobbying behind the Commission’s scenes to get an exception for its supercar manufacturers like Ferrari and Lamborghini. The argument used is that with annual sales volumes of around 9 100 for Ferrari and 7 400 for Lamborghini, and given the low mileage these cars do on average, the impact on CO2 emissions is marginal, compared to big automakers. Even ACEA’s President and CEO of BMW Oliver Zipse said at IAA Munich that he sees good arguments for considering these exemptions.

Supercars need special technology

In an interview in September, Cingolani, Minister for Ecological Transition and former non-executive director at Ferrari, told Bloomberg TV that these supercars would need a new generation of batteries that Italy is to produce itself. “These cars need exceptional technology, and they need batteries for the transition,” Cingolani said.

The Interministerial Committee for the Ecological Transition that made the final decision includes, among others, the Minister for Ecological Transition Roberto Cingolani, the Minister of Infrastructure and Sustainable Mobility Enrico Giovannini, and the Minister of Economic Development Giancarlo Giorgetti.

60 000 jobs loss by 2035

The latter showed to be particularly skeptical at the COP26, warning that half of the workers in the automotive supply industry around internal combustion engines in Italy could lose their job.

Italy’s national association of the automotive industry ANFIA warned it would need time to convert the industry and that over 60 000 jobs are at risk by 2035, with 5 000 already next year in 2022. Estimates on how many new jobs will be created in the conversion are not given.

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Germany extends subsidies for electric cars

Luc Joris Posted On December 14, 2021

The German government is extending subsidies for electrified cars by one year. In 2022, the purchase of an e-car will continue to be subsidized up to a maximum of 9 000 euros and 6 750 euros for plug-in hybrids.

These subsidies, introduced in July 2020, have played a vital role in the record increase in Germany’s market share of electrified vehicles. In 2020, for example, a total of 394 940 electric-powered cars were sold in Germany, with all-electric cars (194 163) seeing an increase of 206%.

15 million e-cars by 2030

The new coalition led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, which took office last week, intends to accelerate the shift. The goal is to have 15 million purely electric vehicles on the country’s roads by 2030, up from some 520 000 today (more than 1 million with hybrids). In 2009, the Angela Merkel government set the goal of 1 million electric cars in 2020, a plan questioned by many, not at least by the German auto industry.

Sales of pure electric cars soared by 207% between 2019 and 2020, and by 104% up to November 2021 compared to the same period last year (+81% for hybrids) in Germany, the world’s second-largest market for this technology after China, writes AFP.

Catalyst for Europe

According to expert Matthias Schmidt, Germany is acting “as a catalyst for economies of scale” among manufacturers while providing used e-cars that will boost the electric share in other countries. “Without the subsidies, the market would be a fraction of what it is now,” says Schmidt.

The German subsidies also give the European figures on the sale of e-cars and the car industry a boost. With 31% of electric and plug-in hybrid sales in the January-November period, Germany is the largest market in Europe.

Adjustment

However, the subsidies will be reviewed and “more climate protection-oriented” by limiting the eligible cars from 2023 onward, the Minister for the Economy and Climate, Robert Habeck, said.

Indeed, the subsidies for hybrid cars have caused a lot of embarrassing inconvenience to environmentalists, as these models can be used without ever being recharged.

In the future, the proportion of electric operation of the vehicles and their degree of autonomy will be considered in granting the new subsidies. In this way, only electrified cars that positively affect climate protection will be subsidized.

Yet, the system still has an ambiguous twist. If subsidized cars can be sold abroad at the end of a too-short leasing period, the subsidies would mainly allow manufacturers to maintain their profitability and increase the number of electrified cars in the Netherlands and Denmark,” Schmidt notes.

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Three Chinese carmakers to join VW’s CO2 Pool

Joris Van Roy Posted On December 13, 2021

Three additional Chinese carmakers, NIO, Xpeng, and Lynk & Co, have joined Volkswagen’s open CO2 Pool to help achieve the EU goals for 2021-2022. Those are set at a maximum of 95 g/km average CO2 output over the entire fleet of newly sold cars.

The latter was published by Berlin-based EU industry market analyst Schmidt Automotive Research (SAR), citing official EU Commission documents. According to SAR, Volkswagen assured them “that they remain confident of achieving the 2021 EU’s CO2 compliance without the new partners”. But it’s unclear why they would need additional partners if that’s the case.

Limited volumes in Europe

This year, NIO and Xpeng are only present with limited volumes of EVs in Norway on the European continent, with plans to expand later to the rest of the EU. Volvo’s sister Lynk & Co, also owned by Geely, has started to roll out its 01 PHEV first in Sweden and the Netherlands, expanding into Belgium, France, Germany, and Italy later in Summer.

Lynk & Co features a particular business concept, targeting to have people ‘subscribe’ monthly to the car and share it with family and other ‘club members’, rather than selling it to them. However, you can buy the 01 too. According to Schmidt Automotive Research, citing the latest European Electric Car Study, some 3 500 Lynk & Co 01 PHEVs are registered in Europe until November.

No big difference

So, the contribution by the three new Chinese partners won’t make a big difference for Volkswagen. Apart from its own brands like Audi, Porsche, Bugatti (sold to Rimac and Porsche), the Volkswagen Pool had already some Chinese carmakers aboard, like Aiways, MG (SAIC), and the electric taxis and vans of Geely’s LondonEV Company.

In the EU, 27 member countries plus Norway and Iceland, carmakers must meet a fleet average CO2 target of 95 g/km in the old NEDC drive cycle or closer to 120 g/km in the WLTP cycle up to 2025.

Super-credits

Manufacturers who make vehicles with higher CO2 emissions can offset these emissions by pooling with other carmakers. They can get ‘super credits’ when electric, plug-in hybrid, or hydrogen vehicles are registered.

According to SAR, VW Group failed to achieve EU fleet average CO2 compliance last year, following the late ramp-up of the MEB models with software delays and glitches. But 2021 or 2022 shouldn’t be a problem, VW assures.

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At least 8 bicycle places for every new Belgian train

Luc Joris Posted On December 13, 2021

All new trains of Belgian railway company NMBS/SNCB will have at least eight places for bicycles starting in 2025. This is stated in a preliminary draft law by Minister of Mobility, Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo), the Council of Ministers approved on Friday.

The obligation will apply to new trains that are put into service. Existing trains that will undergo a major renovation will have to have at least four bicycles’ places. The law comes to comply with an April 2021 European Regulation on the rights and obligations of rail passengers.

New standards

“Today, no standards are set to encourage the combination bicycle-train in the very design of the rolling stock. From 2025 this will change,” says Minister of Mobility, Georges Gilkinet in a press release. “This is a new step forward and a further materialisation of BE-CYCLIST, our federal bicycle action plan to encourage cycling in Belgium for everyone.”

In June, the minister of Mobility and the NMBS/SNCB had already unveiled the railway company’s new train-bike strategy, including a first increase in the number of bicycle places on trains to tourist destinations. With this preliminary draft of a law, the Minister further strengthens the rights and obligations of train passengers, especially of daily commuter cyclists.

Step beyond European requirements

The new bill goes further than the European Regulation of April 2021 requires: it doubles the European requirements in terms of the number of bicycles spaces that must be available on every train from 2025 onward.

The preliminary draft law also adepts the complaints procedure and forces railway undertakings and station managers to train staff to accompany disabled persons and persons with reduced mobility. The text is still being submitted for advice to the Data Protection Authority and the Council of State, writes the Belga press agency.

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Toyota’s product show is not an all battery-electric future

Piet Andries Posted On December 3, 2021

Toyota’s idea of our electric future is not just about battery-electric cars. That was the bottom line of the Kenshiki (translated as ‘Insight’) forum held in Brussels on Thursday. The brand showcased the new production model Corolla Cross Hybrid, some European premieres, and further outlined its path toward carbon-neutrality in Europe by 2035.

Alongside the European debut of the all-electric bZ4x and limited-run sports car, the GR86 – vehicles that we previously got to see – the company’s take on the future put an undeniable accent on hydrogen.

Fuel cell 2.0

The Japanese company remains a strong believer. As of January 2022, its second-generation fuel cell will be produced. It will also be assembled in Zaventem. The new modules now come in two forms (cube and rectangular), work more efficiently, and the stack has a higher density than before. It will not be solely used for cars. Toyota is also building it for third partners.

Toyota believes that Europe will be a crucial adopter for hydrogen, which explains why it starts production locally.

The toolbox

The company brought along a version of its successful rally car, the Yaris GR, emitting only water vapor to make its stance on hydrogen a bit more exciting. Engineers had transferred the powertrain from the Corolla Sport, which competes in the Japanese Super Taikyu Race Series with a combustion engine running on hydrogen. Together with some other Japanese brands, the company wants to promote racing on alternative fuels.

That’s fitting because Toyota outlined at the Kenshiki forum once more why it didn’t sign the treaty at COP26 to end sales of combustion engines by 2040. Gill Prat, TMC Chief Scientist, explained: “While Toyota is committed to making millions of Battery Electric Vehicles available to customers, the way to reduce the most net carbon emissions globally is to use every item in our toolbox, including Hybrid Electric, Plug-in Hybrid Electric, Battery Electric, and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles […].”

In other words, the diversity of markets worldwide will still demand a myriad of powertrains in the future.

Fifth-generation self-charging hybrid

The all-new Corolla Cross showcased Toyota’s expertise in hybrid drivelines. The SUV version of its compact car introduced the fifth generation of the self-charging hybrid powertrain (HSD), with now a 40% lighter lithium-ion battery assisting the 2.0-liter combustion engine. It will be made available as a front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive, while total system output has been boosted to 197 hp.

As for electric vehicles, Toyota expects that by 2030 the sales mix will be a minimum of 50% in Western Europe, with the capacity and capability to increase further should customer demand go even higher.

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Danish-Belgian undersea high-tension cable confirmed by signature

Hilde Van Raemdonck Posted On November 24, 2021

The Flemish Minister of Energy Tinne Van der Straeten (Groen) has signed a political agreement in Copenhagen for the construction of an undersea high-tension cable between Belgium and Denmark.

The 600-km-long cable connection, called Triton Link, will be used to transport the surplus of energy of the numerous Danish wind farms to our country. Triton Link will be one of the largest interconnection cables, with a 1,4 up to 2 GW capacity.

Undersea electricity link

Van der Straeten earlier announced plans to create an undersea electricity link and get access to the green electricity produced by the many wind farms on the Danish territory. It would help Belgium to decarbonize its energy-intensive industry and ultimately meet the European climate goals. A first study indicated that the billion-euro project is technically and economically feasible.

Grid manager Elia and Danish Energinet will install the cable. Construction works are expected to start in 2026 and will take about four years. The first electricity delivery from Denmark will arrive by 2030.

Nemo

Elia earlier gained experience with undersea electricity links. The Belgian energy provider already has an underwater connection – called ‘Nemo’ – between Belgium and Great Britain. The project is a joint venture between British National Grid and Elia. The link has been fully operational since 31 January 2019. The Nemo link between Belgium and the UK cost 1 billion euros, but the Triton project will be far more expensive.

On the Danish side, the project is “the largest construction project ever in Danish history”. It would even require creating two ‘energy islands’, an artificial one 80 km offshore in the North Sea; the other will be the existing island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. Both islands will export high-voltage electricity to the Danish mainland and some neighboring countries, like Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany.

Positive effect on energy prices

Denmark has a lot of surplus energy, while Belgium needs more green electricity. Thanks to the new bi-directional cable connection, both countries will be able to exchange energy. They will have direct access to the large supply of affordable, renewable energy, which is necessary for the electrification of transport and heating, to make our energy-intensive industry carbon-free, and meet the European climate goals.

“Wind energy prices are declining considerably and will positively affect energy prices for consumers,” said Van der Straeten.

Offshore power plant

Danmark was the first country to build an offshore windfarm in 1991. Now the government is taking the next step into a new era of offshore wind energy. The islands are to become a kind of offshore power plants, collecting and storing renewable energy from hundreds of wind turbines in the area. The final goal is to produce up to twelve gigawatts (GW) and provide ten million families with renewable energy.

The Belgian-Danish project is named after Triton, is a Greek god of the sea, the son of Poseidon. He lived with his parents in a golden palace on the bottom of the sea. Later he was often depicted as having a conch shell he would blow like a trumpet.

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ACEA: weakest October car sales ever (update)

Piet Andries Posted On November 19, 2021

The chip crisis isn’t going anywhere soon, and it shows in the latest registration figures. In Belgium, 25 045 cars were registered for October, 35,3 percent less than last year’s comparable month. According to the European manufacturers association ACEA, October was the worst month in European car sales since recording sales figures.

Overall the year performs 9 percent worse than 2020, which already suffered severely under the lockdown effects of the worldwide pandemic. In the light of the last ‘normal’ year, 2019, the market slips about one-third.

Delivery pipeline

There are no signs of recovery yet since the chip shortage is persistent and expected to reach deep into the following year. It has the auto industry calling out for more EU-based chip manufacturers. Keep in mind that the current results reflect the huge problems with the delivery pipeline, not the actual demand.

The Belgian market for light commercial vehicles is resisting a little better. Though registrations in October dropped by 16,3 percent, the figures for the whole year remain black, showing an increase of 3,9 percent. The registrations of motorcycles are even in the plus for October, with +3,9%.

France is diving too

Similar patterns are troubling France. Their October month was hit by a drop of 30,7 percent compared to last year and amounts up to 37,3% compared to the last corona-free year, 2019. The tipping was clearly at the beginning of summer.

The French market took off pretty well at the beginning of the year, giving the country a headstart, resulting in growth for the overall year (+3,1 percent). But the outlook for the remaining months is bleak.

All the big car groups have to cede a lot of territories. At Stellantis, the national number one in France, the fallback in October was at 37,6 percent. In second place comes Renault, confronted with the evaporation of 38,1 percent of its results. Sister-brand Dacia holds a firm foot, though, and was able to deliver 2,8 percent more cars.

The first foreign car group in France is Volkswagen, suffering from a dip in registrations at more than 40 percent in October. On the other hand, the amount of all-electric cars has risen to 8,9 percent.

Germany: fourth month in decline

In Germany, 178 683 cars were sold in October, 34,9% less than last year’s same month. It makes the yearly sales fall lower than in the pandemic year 2020 for the first ten months. Ernst and Young are betting on 2,6 million sales for 2021, 10% less than last year.

The only positive point is the continued progression of electrified cars, representing 30% of the total market right now. Of course, all brands sell less, but with -16%, BMW is far less hurt than rivals like Volkswagen (-40%) and Mercedes (-45%).

The domestic car production in Germany has also regressed by 38%, according to the German manufacturers federation VDA. The federation claims that most of this is due to the worldwide chip shortage that has hit the industry hard.

United Kingdom: lowest October since 20 years

October also has been relatively disastrous for new car registrations in the UK. With 106 265 registered vehicles last month, this is the lowest figure since 1991 and almost a 25% reduction. The sector of the fleet cars even saw a drawback of 40%.

Electrified cars continue to progress. Since the beginning of the year, they represent 16,6% of the market, a figure rising to 25,7% if you count in PHEVs and ‘normal’ hybrids. The British SMMT foresees a total of 1,66 million car sales for 2021, only 1,9% higher than the pandemic year 2020 and 38,5% less than in 2019.

Europe in general

According to the European manufacturers association ACEA’s figures, new passenger car registrations in the European Union contracted further (-30,3%) in October, marking the fourth consecutive month of decline this year.

With 665 001 units sold across the region, this was the weakest result in volume terms for a month of October since records began. Most EU markets suffered double-digit losses, including the four largest ones: Italy (-35,7%), Germany (-34,9%), France (-30,7%), and Spain (-20,5%).

Over the first ten months of 2021, new car registrations in the EU were up 2,2% compared to one year earlier, totaling around 8,2 million units. Despite the recent drop in sales due to the ongoing impact of the semiconductor supply crisis, substantial gains earlier in the year helped to keep cumulative volumes in positive territory.

70 percent all-electric in Norway

It is worth noting that in Norway, Europe’s leading country in the electrification of its national car fleet, the share of battery-electric cars was a little more than 70 percent during October.

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Antwerp [email protected] project gets EU funding for CO2 capturing

Hilde Van Raemdonck Posted On November 17, 2021

[email protected], the Antwerp project to set up an infrastructure to capture CO2 and push it in liquid form through pipelines into storage, is one of the seven large-scale selected projects to be subsidized by the European Innovation Fund (EIF). The project gets part of the €1,1 billion subsidies the European Commission has available.

[email protected] is the brainchild of BASF Antwerp and Air Liquide in the harbor of Antwerp. At the BASF site, Air Liquide has two production facilities for hydrogen, made out of natural gas by steam reforming. In that process, a large volume of CO2 is emitted.

From grey to blue hydrogen

That’s why the hydrogen produced this way is called ‘grey hydrogen’. By capturing the CO2 during the process and storing it in empty gas fields, the hydrogen produced becomes so-called ‘blue hydrogen’ with a zero-emission footprint. Comparable with ‘green hydrogen’, which is produced by electrolysis with electricity from renewable sources.

BASF intends to capture CO2 on its ethylene oxide installations and its ammonia factory. In the [email protected] project, both companies will reduce emissions by 14,2 million tons in the next decade. They will use the infrastructure developed with five other chemical and energy companies and the Antwerp Port to half CO2 emissions in the harbor by 2030.

Liquid CO2 transport and storage

The latter refers to the [email protected] that is funded partially by the EU too. It’s a joint project with, besides Air Liquide and BASF, Borealis, ExxonMobil, INEOS, Fluxys, Port of Antwerp, and TotalEnergies.

The goal is to study and set up an infrastructure in the Antwerp harbor to transport the CO2 in liquid form through pipelines or ships to possible storage locations like empty North Sea gas fields in the Netherlands, Norway, or the UK.

Global warming

Europe will allocate 1,1 billion euros support to similar projects through the EIF. Individual subsidy agreements will be arranged and ready by the first quarter of 2022. How much money will go precisely to the [email protected] project is yet to be disclosed.

The EIF supports projects to develop state-of-the-art technologies for energy-intensive industries and sectors, working on hydrogen, carbon reduction, and renewable energy.

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Northvolt produces breakthrough battery cell from 100% recycled materials

Piet Andries Posted On November 16, 2021

The latest battery cell from Northvolt answers to one of the most important criticisms against battery production: the unethical and ecologically questionable mining process. The Swedish battery manufacturer has successfully produced its first lithium-ion battery cell made entirely from precious recycled metals. The nickel, cobalt, and manganese used in this cell came from the waste of other used batteries.

As such, Northvolt has reached a milestone in finalizing a closed-loop process for battery production. In a unique fashion. In contrast to other companies, like Umicore (see further down), the mining and production of the recycled metals were all done at the same site, at Northvolt Labs in Västerås, Sweden. The company says it will now prepare to scale up the process and turn it into a business.

Operational in 2023

To do so, a new giga-scale recycling plant is under development adjacent to Northvolt Ett gigafactory in Skellefteå, Sweden. But it will be expanded beyond its initial design to recycle more batteries (125 000 tons) per year than initially intended.

Construction will start in the first quarter of 2022. One year later, it will be operational. It will be the largest facility of its kind in Europe and the only one that recycles lithium, nickel, manganese, cobalt, and other metals.

Emma Nehrenheim, Northvolt’s Chief Environmental Officer, commented: “What we have shown here is a clear pathway to closing the loop on batteries and that there exists a sustainable, environmentally-preferable alternative to conventional mining to source raw materials for battery production.”

A matter of purity

The crucial part is to distract metals that are pure enough for re-use. Nehrenheim says they succeeded in doing that through the process of a low-energy hydrometallurgical treatment, which involves the use of an aqueous solution to isolate the metals. In the end, purity was on a par with comparable cells made from conventionally mined materials.

Northvolt started back in 2019 with its closed-loop initiative under the name Revolt. In the last few years, the technology was prepared for an annual production of 25 GWh of recycled battery cells. That goal has now been modified.

The company believes it will be able to produce 30 GWh of recycled cells per year, with materials derived from the waste at their production plant (Northvolt Ett) and batteries of used EVs. By 2030, the battery cell chemistry of the entire production chain (60 GWh per year) should consist of at least 50% of recycled metals.

Gaining traction

The recycling of used battery materials is gaining traction, also for other major players. At the Belgian raw materials handler Umicore the recycling division has grown into the most beneficial branch for the company’s profits.

Though the company doesn’t produce cells or assemble battery packs, it is also betting strongly on closing the materials loop for batteries. Umicore has an agreement with both BMW and Audi to recycle 95% of the batteries from their BEV models. Afterward, the precious metals obtained are brought into the supply chain again.

Climate / Energy / Environment / Europe / Top Stories Today

Greece joins leading EU group to ban ICE cars by 2030

Joris Van Roy Posted On November 9, 2021

The Greek government has finally thought its climate plans through and is joining the leading group of European countries to ban the sales of new ICE cars already in 2030, five years ahead of what is currently on the EU Commission’s table. Second-hand cars are not affected.

In 2025 Greece wants all new taxis in major cities Athens and Thessaloniki to be electric and one-third of all rental cars. These measures are part of the four key reforms in the plan Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis wants to push through to reduce CO2 emission in Greece by 55% by 2030, 80% by 2040, and 100% by 2050.

From promoting oil to clean energy hub

First is a climate law. Second, setting up a new framework for the production and storage of electricity from renewable energy sources. Third, a four-year plan to switch to a circular economy.

And last but not least, Greece will reform its Hellenic Hydrocarbon Resources Management, a wholly state-owned company set up in 2011, to promote Greece as an attractive oil and gas destination to international investors. A complete 180-degrees U-turn.

“At the same time, we are leading the way in investments in renewable energy sources and in electricity, but at the same time – and I want to emphasize this – we are also becoming a hub for the transfer of clean energy to the Mediterranean,” Mitsotakis said.

Nine EU countries ask for deadlines

In March 2021, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Belgium demanded the EU authorities to fix a date for a ban on sales of new cars with an internal combustion engine (ICE).

At that time, the Netherlands was the only one suggesting an actual date: 2030 and announcing it later to be the official goal. Six other EU member states joined the action without setting a date yet: Austria, Greece, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, and Malta.

Norway and Flanders leading

Although no direct member of the EU, Norway is the absolute forerunner in Europe, with going electric no later than 2025 and already achieving today more than 70% of new car sales being electric.

In Belgium, Flanders just set the target for banning ICE cars by 2029, a compromise two years later than proposed by the regional Minister for Mobility and at the same time dropping a proposed ban on selling ICE second-hand cars by 2030. The latter was never heard so far in the whole of Europe.

But Belgium, being a federal state with three regions, hasn’t announced its official proposed end date yet. The Belgian demand to the EU to fix an end date for ICE cars was signed by two ‘green’ federal Ministers, Tinne Van der Straeten (Energy) and Georges Gilkinet (Mobility).

There is a federal agreement to drop all tax benefits for ICE company cars by 2026, only granting it for fully electric cars. Company cars represent more than half of the yearly new registrations in Belgium. With Flanders digging in its heels on 2029, it looks Belgium too will cant over to 2030 within the EU.

Sparing PHEVs or not?

Sweden and Denmark agree on 2030 too, with Denmark leaving a loophole for the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) until 2035. UK’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson is on the same wavelength, advancing the initial ICE ban deadline by five years to 2030, leaving PHEVs undisturbed until 2035.

Iceland follows its Nordic fellow countries for 2030 but wants to allow exceptions for rural areas where it would be difficult to ban gasoline or diesel cars.

Austria announced in July only zero-emission passenger cars, two-wheelers, light commercial vehicles, and heavier commercial vehicles are to be newly registered by 2030 at the latest. This is one of the ‘Mobility Master Plan 2030’ measures presented by Infrastructure Minister Leonore Gewessler (Green party). However, the plan is not binding.

Alternative biofuels

Ireland made up its mind for 2030 too, in the meantime, with an exception granted for hybrid cars until 2035. It wants to have 845 000 electric-powered passenger cars on the road by 2030, 95 000 e-vans, and 1 500 e-buses. The remaining ICE should get more access to alternative biofuels, something the European carmakers like to hear.

Germany has reached its goal of one million EVs by the end of 2021 already. It was set by the Angela Merkel government in 2009 and questioned by many, not at least by the German auto industry. The Bundesrat, the legislative body representing the sixteen Länder, voted for a ban on ICE cars in 2030.

And now Greece has finally hatched its egg on climate action, joining the leading group of countries proposing 2030 as the end of the (new sales of) combustion engines.

France following its own course

France has not yet outspoken its final ambitions, but earlier, 2040 was put forward to kill ICE sales, as did Spain. Last October, President Macron unveiled a plan for the French automotive and aerospace sectors to share a budget of four billion euros to reach specific objectives, including 2 million EVs and hybrids produced in France by 2030.

When presenting its ‘Fit for 55’ plans for the Green Deal to reduce CO2 emissions by 55% by 2030, the EU Commission suggested the 2035 end date for ICE cars, including PHEVs. Macron wants the EU to ‘spare’ PHEVs even beyond 2035. Still, the EU Parliament and all member states have to agree on the proposed deadlines.

Italy, finally, doesn’t seem prepared to accept an ICE ban anything earlier than 2035. As news broke a few weeks ago, Prime Minister Mario Draghi is in talks with the EU concerning an exception on the proposed 2035 deadline for Italian supercar makers like Ferrari or Lamborghini.

Apart from Slovenia that proposes 2031 for an ICE ban, it remains deafening silent in the rest of Eastern Europe.

Europe / Industry / Product / Top Stories Today

Mini pinpoints the end of its combustion engine

Piet Andries Posted On November 4, 2021

More details have emerged on Mini’s plans to become a fully electric brand by 2030. As of next year, BMW’s sub-company will launch a new generation of an all-electric platform, and in the year 2025, its showrooms will see the last model equipped with a combustion engine. The target is that by 2027 half of the sold Mini cars are BEVs.

As for now, Mini only has the Cooper SE on offer as a pure electric offering. That car might be fun to drive, its small battery and modest range are being eclipsed by newer models from the competition. Not strange in fact, because the technology underneath, based on the BMW i3, is more than a decade old.

All-electric Countryman

Mini’s new electric underpinnings are most likely to debut on the next generation of the Countryman, planned for next year. The brand already announced that the new Countryman would be launched with both electrified and classical propulsion. And ‘electrified’ doesn’t merely imply hybrids, because the company also vowed that it would have at least one BEV version of every new model it launches in the future. So one and one is two.

As for combustion engines, that future ends in 2025 when the last Mini with such a powertrain will be released. How long Mini intends to keep that engine on sale, is not officially communicated. Presumably, it will coincide with the lifecycle of that particular model, usually six to eight years.

Great Wall Motors

On the BEV side, Mini further confirms a new all-electric version of its three-door Hatchback, as well as the planned arrival of two battery-driven cross-overs. One in the smaller and the other in the medium segment. For the technical development of some of these models, the German-British brand is teaming up with Chinese Great Wall Motors. A shared architecture will result from their collaboration.

It would seem that the Chinese teamwork would be applicable for the smaller city car versions. For the all-electric Countryman, Mini is turning to parent BMW. It will ride on the platform and propulsion systems of the iX1. Both will be produced in Leipzig, Germany.

80% less CO2

Aside product planning Mini further confirmed its engagement to produce in a more CO2 efficient manner. The supply chain must emit 20 percent less CO2 by 2030 while the production plants will gradually shift toward green electricity exclusively. That should make it possible for the brand to cut its CO2 emissions by 80 percent by the end of the decade.

Lastly, a quick historical note that puts the electrification of the brand Mini into an interesting perspective. Did you know that the transition actually forms a bridge to its roots? The classic version of the Mini arose amidst the era of the Suez crisis when the world was confronted with its first important oil shortage. As for now, the brand is keen to be once again the appropriate answer to a global energy challenge.

Europe / Industry / Legislation / Product / Top Stories Today

Renault reinvents 4L and pleads for innovative French car industry

Tony Verhelle Posted On October 28, 2021

To celebrate the 60^th anniversary of the Renault 4, the brand decided to team up with designer Mathieu Lehanneur to reinvent the vehicle. At the same time, CEO Luca de Meo pleads for less complaining and more innovation throughout the French car industry.

The iconic Renault 4L has turned 60. It was a small and popular vehicle manufactured in 28 countries. In all, more than 8 million units have been sold in over 100 countries over 30 years of existence – time for celebration.

Celebration

Renault has turned the car’s anniversary into a year-long celebration with different initiatives. For instance, the brand launched a global social media campaign, posting various content each month.

International media were allowed to take a ride in different historic Renault 4L models, some of which have been retrofitted with a 100% electric engine. Furthermore, a collection of 30 different editions of the Renault 4 has been on display since 8 October 2021 at the Atelier Renault on the Champs-Elysées in Paris.

SUITE N°4

Today, Renault asked French designer Mathieu Lehanneur “to come up with a concept car showcasing his vision for the 4L. A car that really encapsulates everything the brand has set out to achieve through the Renaulution strategic plan: create modern and innovative cars that provoke emotions.”

“SUITE N°4 is a new mobility and travel experience. I wanted to merge the worlds of cars and architecture to create an open-air hotel room. Even better than the finest palatial suite, the car is exactly where you want it to be, whether that’s by the sea, in the middle of a field, or driving around the city you’ve always dreamed of,” says Mathieu Lehanneur.

SUITE N°4 maintains the same exterior dimensions and lines as the iconic model but has a radical twist. The rear section and the hatch have been replaced with polycarbonate windows that provide transparency and lighting on a par with that of architectural glass. In addition, the transparent solar panels on the roof let light through while helping to charge the car’s battery, which has been retrofitted and is now 100% electric.

Inside the car, Mathieu Lehanneur decided to let in the ambiance and materials proper of housing. The seats and the dashboard are upholstered with an energetic yellow velvet. In contrast, the space on the back is finished with a thick, ribbed chenille fabric.

Bolsters and pillows complete the boot, transformed into a moving room. Finally, the experience is finalized by a wooden bench that slides like a drawer and can be extracted to provide sheltered seating when the hatch is open.

Optimism is a moral duty

Last Tuesday, the French automobile world talked about the future of the French car industry. Luc Chatel, president of Platefiorme Automobile, warned of the disappearance of large sections of the industry. According to his analysis, some 100 000 jobs might be lost before 2030.

The guest speaker Luca de Meo, CEO of Renault, shared these concerns but called for optimism and resolution in getting things done again. De Meo sees the problems in France, especially the competitiveness deficit of the car industry.

But unlike Chatel, he’s not against Europe’s new Green Deal; he embraces it. For him, these new regulations might be very severe; they also include the opportunity to make Europe “the new champion of the green economy”.

But there is a lot of urgent work to do, says de Meo. He calls upon everyone to take up their responsibilities and not blame the national and international authorities. While Chatel still pleads for resilience for the combustion engine, de Meo sees that the electrification movement is irreversible.

“I hear many people talking about sales figures and volumes, but the real fight will be in innovation,” de Meo explains. The future will be in hydrogen, batteries, electronics, and software, he claims.

All in all, the meeting of the French automotive platform has been therapeutic for a sector in crisis, finally convinced that they have to react appropriately instead of complaining and receding. Or, like de Meo is wording it: “you don’t take out the handkerchiefs before having assumed your responsibilities.”

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New Nissan Leaf will be a crossover

Tony Verhelle Posted On October 20, 2021

The replacement of the Nissan Leaf will be a crossover model based on the Alliance platform CMF-EV. It will be built at the plant in Sunderland, England, starting in 2025. This was confirmed by Nissan’s European boss Guillaume Cartier to the British magazine Autocar.

The Nissan Leaf hatchback was one of the first EVs to be readily sold and was the most popular EV in the world for a long time. Now in its second generation, it is to be replaced by a crossover coupé based on the common CMF-EV platform of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance.

Typical EV

Nissan already showed the first teaser pictures of the new BEV in the summer. In the side view, the curved roofline, large wheels, and the short front and rear overhangs typical of electric vehicles drew attention.

There are no technical details about the model or a name yet, though we can be sure that it will have commonalities with cars like the Nissan Ariya and the Renault E-Mégane.

The new ‘Leaf’ is the model for which the manufacturer wants to create production capacities for 100 000 vehicles per year in its vast Sunderland factory, England. The batteries are to be built in Envision AESC’s recently announced cell factory not far from the Sunderland plant.

Five electrified crossovers

Cartier also said that Nissan aims for five electrified crossovers by 2025: the Juke, the Qashqai, the Ariya, and the X-Trail, the fifth one being the Leaf successor. The company will no longer develop so-called conventional models such as sedans, hatchbacks, and station wagons on its own in Europe.

According to Cartier, Nissan will use the development bases of its Alliance partners Mitsubishi and Renault for those types of cars; in the first place, a small car to replace the Micra.

“We will look to the Alliance for a full line-up and powertrains,” said Cartier. “One topic that is still open is the entry car, the Micra. The key point is how we offer something from the Alliance with the Nissan brand.” He added that making it profitable was the main issue and that the car “absolutely” would be an EV.

No ICE development anymore

In addition, Cartier said that Nissan would no longer invest in developing internal combustion engines (ICE). The focus on electrification means that Nissan will no longer invest in internal combustion engine technology to make it EU7 emissions compliant. The new standard is to come in the EU in the middle of the decade.

Nissan aims to cover 80% of its sales with electric cars by 2030. As early as 2025, the entire product range is to be electrified, either with electric vehicles or with the E-Power hybrid variant.

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New Volvo battery plant in Ghent?

Tony Verhelle Posted On October 19, 2021

There’s a chance that Volvo Cars chose Ghent as the site to build an entirely new (giga)factory for batteries. The plant should produce 300 000 to 400 000 battery packs per year and provide jobs for 3 000 people.

Like many other car manufacturers, Volvo wants to be more independent of the (primarily Asian) battery producers. That’s why it already produces the battery pack for its first full-electric models in Ghent.

One out of four

While it has declared that it won’t make ICE cars anymore as of 2030, Volvo will be in significant need of batteries. So, logically, it is trying to see how and where it can produce them itself. Ghent is one of the four locations still running to be the new site (starting with 50+ possibilities).

“We are studying the case,” says Belgian Geert Bruyneel, head of global production operations at Volvo. “And we will do that very objectively; there’s no room for emotions here.”

Meanwhile, the car manufacturer is also looking for agreements with other manufacturers to secure its supply. That’s why it has concluded a deal recently with the Swedish battery manufacturer Northvolt.

Three criteria

“If something has become very clear the past years, then it is the fact that one tries to have its suppliers as close to the production plants as possible,” Bruyneel remarks. It makes the Volvo plants of Göteborg and Ghent in pole-position for the additional battery production. The Volvo plants in the US and China will also get their gigafactories for batteries.

Bruyneel sees three crucial criteria for choosing a location. The availability of green energy, the price-competitiveness of the energy, and the presence of sufficient skilled personnel. “We promised that the Ghent factory would be CO2-neutral by 2025. The entire company wants to be climate neutral by 2040. So we have to use green energy, certainly in a plant that needs a lot of energy.

Worth €20 billion?

Meanwhile, the Swedish car manufacturer has announced that it will IPO on the Stockholm stock exchange on the 28th of October. Currently, the company is validated at a stock rate between 163 and 200 billion Swedish crowns (16 to 20 billion euros).

After going public, the share of Geely Auto in Volvo cars will be reduced from 100 to 87%. Volvo hopes to get €2,5 billion out of the financial operation. It counts on the fact that manufacturers of electric cars have high rates for the moment. Just look at the value of Tesla or the introduction of Nio and Polestar recently.

In need of workforce

Volvo Cars is one of the major employers in the Ghent area. However, with the success of the XC40 model and the expected success of its C40 brother, it is desperately seeking new employees.

But other companies are hunting for them, too, in the same area. For example, ArcelorMittal and Volvo Trucks (not related to Volvo cars anymore) are situated in the same Ghent portal area.

That’s why Volvo Cars, through its subcontractor Randstad running temporary employment, now proposes monthly contracts to its interim workers instead of weekly ones.

At the moment, Randstad is looking for some 500 new temporary employees. The ones who can prove themselves are prone to be offered a more permanent contract rapidly. If the battery factory is assigned to Ghent, there will be a real hunt for skilled people in the area.

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Macron’s France 2030 plan: €1,5 billion for nuclear and hydrogen

Félix Bouland Posted On October 13, 2021

Months away from the French elections, President Emmanuel Macron has unveiled his ‘France 2030’ plan. Grounds are laid to invest 30 billion euros in hydrogen, nuclear, electric cars, green airplanes, renewable energies, and even aerospace. The president wants France to “become a great innovation nation again.”

To the energy sector, Macron has allocated a total of 8 billion euros, of which one billion euros will go to the development of the nuclear industry, with the focus on the small modular reactors (SMR) with better waste management. Bucking the trend, renewable energies will receive half the amount of nuclear, with two green hydrogen gigafactories planned.

Green hydrogen leader

“If we do not reindustrialize the country, we cannot become a nation of innovation and research again. The health crisis has shown our vulnerability and dependence on foreign countries. We must rebuild the terms of French and European productive independence,” declared Macron.

As part of the €30 billion public investment, 500 million euros France will allocate to renewable energy. Not only do wind and solar have a role to play, but the president wants France to become the leader in green hydrogen production.

To that matter, plans are to build two hydrogen gigafactories. Details are scarce, but one should be piloted in Belfort by French group McPhy, and the other in Alsace by Belgian group John Cockerill. This investment should add to the €7,2 billion, the hydrogen plan announced in September last year.

Still going with nuclear

While some nations have turned their backs on nuclear, such as Germany, Denmark, or Austria, France is still keen on the abundant energy source that produces no CO2. Macron is supported in his renewed interest in nuclear energy as an alternative for ‘green energies’ by nine EU countries.

They have been signing with France a declaration, saying Europe needs nuclear to reach its climate goals. Those countries are Finland, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Bulgary, Romania, Slovakia, Croatia, and Slovenia.

Too late for the climate?

Progress must be made in technology. This is where the SMR, or small modular reactor, comes in. As its name suggests, it’s smaller and modular, producing around 300 megawatts each compared to 1 000 MW for a conventional nuclear plant, but it offers better waste management. France wants the SMRs ready by 2035, but critics like Greenpeace say it will be too late to fight climate change, and the waste problem remains.

EDF, TechnicAtome, NavanGroup, and the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission or CEA are working on the Nuward program. France should build the first prototypes between 2028 and 2030. For President Macron, this is the number one objective in the energy department, so a total of one billion euros will be invested in nuclear.

Six euro cents per kWh

In the UK, Rolls-Royce, the British aviation engine manufacturer (not the carmaker owned by BMW), told the BBC already in February last year it will 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 lower.

Price tag: around €2 billion per SMR. Prices for building a conventional 1,1 MW nuclear plant vary depending on the source between €5,3 billion and €8 billion. “The trick is to have prefabricated parts where we use advanced digital welding methods and robotic assembly, and then parts are shipped to the site and bolted together,” Paul Stein, the chief technology officer at Rolls-Royce, told the BBC.

At the cost of 6 euro cents per kWh, the nuclear electricity produced this way could be competitive with other low or zero CO2 emission sources. And, in theory, every city could have its power plant. Russia already has two ‘floating’ SMRs up and running to provide remote areas with electricity. Expectations are the US is to follow with demonstrators soon.

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Europe’s first lithium converter plant in Germany by 2024

Félix Bouland Posted On October 12, 2021

Canadian group Rock Tech Lithium has invested 470 million euros in constructing the first lithium hydroxide converter in Europe. The plant that is to be built in Brandenburg (Germany) should produce around 24 000 metric tons of lithium hydroxide per year, starting in 2024. This would be enough to equip around 500 000 EVs.

“Our goal is to be the first company worldwide to create a closed-loop for lithium. The Brandenburg city of Guben seems to us to be the ideal location for this, with subsidies also playing a significant role,” declared Dirk Harbecke, CEO of Rock Tech Lithium, in a press release.

Enough for 500 000 EVs

According to the EU Commission’s estimate, demand for electric cars and batteries will increase eighteen-fold by 2030. That might be even 60-fold by 2050. A supply chain for raw materials is, therefore, needed, if not necessary. This is where Rock Tech Lithium comes it.

Having chosen the location of Guben, in Germany’s Brandenburg, the Canadian group will build there the first lithium refinery in Europe. However, depending on the construction time, the Canadian might not be the first as AMG Lithium GmbH, a subsidiary of Dutch Advanced Metallurgical Group (AMG), has plans to build a lithium plant in Germany.

With investment coming in at 470 million euros – the site of twelve hectares alone costing more than one million – the still-to-be-built converter should start operations in 2024. With a yearly production of 24 000 metric tons, the future Guben plant should refine enough lithium to built batteries for 500 000 electric vehicles.

Strengthening EU battery production

“With Rock Tech Lithium, we are strengthening our position as the future center of European e-mobility. Brandenburg will be home to the entire value chain in the future. From raw material processing to battery and cell production to e-car construction as well as battery recycling. In the way, we are once again demonstrating our claim that Brandenburg is a state of innovation,” declared Jörg Steinbach, Brandenburg State’s Minister of Economic Affairs, Labor, and Energy.

Currently, battery production is mainly concentrated in Asia, but Europe wants to take the lead, at least for its home market production needs. As a result, companies, and countries are already gearing up to build the so-called gigafactories, such as Northvolt in Scandinavia and Germany, Verkor in France, Tesla near Berlin, and Britishvolt in the UK.

Europe / Mobility / Road safety / Top Stories Today

EU demands zero tolerance for alcohol and drugs in traffic

Luc Joris Posted On October 7, 2021

The European Parliament demands a zero-tolerance for alcohol and drugs on the road throughout the European Union. There should also be a 30 km/hour speed limit in every residential area.

Since the current European recommendations are 20 years old, the Parliament considers the time to open the debate on new road safety measures. Moreover, things are not going in the right direction: the EU wanted to halve the number of road victims between 2010 and 2020 (the number of road deaths dropped by 36%), but the figures have stagnated in recent years.

22 700 victims annually

Currently, around 22 700 people die on the roads in the EU every year, with about 120 000 seriously injured. According to recent figures, the safest roads remain in Sweden (18 deaths per million inhabitants) while Romania (85/million) reported the highest death rate in 2020. The EU average was 42 deaths per million inhabitants. With 44 deaths per million inhabitants, Belgium is just above the European average.

As speeding plays a role in 30% of fatal accidents, the Parliament wants a 30 km/hour general speed limit in residential areas and areas with many cyclists and pedestrians.

There should also be zero tolerance for alcohol and drugs, which are a factor in 25% and 15% of accidents respectively. “The impact of alcohol consumption in traffic is very high. Even with an alcohol level of 0,5%, you are 2,5 times more likely to have a fatal accident,” says MEP Kathleen Van Brempt (Vooruit) to Belga news agency. “Those who are under the influence do not belong behind the wheel.”

Zero traffic fatalities in 2050

The EU parliament asks the Commission and the member states to take action. It also wants more funds to be made available for member states to invest in safe traffic infrastructure and to consider incorporating a “driving safe mode” in drivers’ mobile and electronic devices to limit distractions while driving. There should also be tax incentives and attractive motor insurance schemes for purchasing and using vehicles with the highest safety standards.

Van Brempt also points out that the Member States can do even better in enforcing professional drivers’ driving and rest times. By 2050, the EU hopes to reduce the number of fatalities on the roads to zero.

Europe / Legislation / Top Stories Today

GB stickers no longer valid for driving abroad

Hilde Van Raemdonck Posted On October 1, 2021

British motorists driving outside the UK are no longer allowed to use the old-style ‘GB’ indication on their cars. Instead, they have to display a ‘UK’ sticker, or they need the UK identifier on their license plate. The new UK governance guidance has been in place since Tuesday, September 28th, and is said to be a sign of solidarity with Northern Ireland.

The ‘GB’ indication stands for ‘Great Britain’, combining England, Scotland, and Wales. It had been in use for more than a hundred years, 111 years, to be precise. Changing the ‘GB’ indication into the national ‘UK’, refers to the three regions mentioned above plus Northern Ireland, “symbolizing our unity as a nation,” a spokesperson of the Ministry of Transport told the BBC.

First birthday of Brexit

“It’s also part of a wider move toward using the ‘UK’ signifier across government.” By imposing motorists to display a ‘UK’ sticker, drivers on the continent should know that Northern Ireland is still part of the nation.

The switch of the stickers comes just nine months after the government unveiled new license plates with a Union Flag to celebrate the first birthday of Brexit. The blue stickers with the European yellow stars and the ‘GB’ letters are no longer valid. Penalties for not complying with the new rules are likely to vary, and cars without the new stickers could be refused entry to some countries.

Spain, Cyprus, and Malta

According to government guidelines, anyone planning to drive outside the UK now needs “to display a ‘UK’ sticker clearly on the rear of the vehicle if the number plate has a GB identifier with the Union flag, a Euro symbol, a national flag of England, Scotland or Wales, or numbers and letters only. Moreover, motorists driving in Spain, Cyprus, and Malta must display a ‘UK’ sticker at any time. However, drivers don’t need a sticker to drive in Ireland.

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ACEA rings alarm bell on charging infrastructure

Tony Verhelle Posted On September 30, 2021

Eric-Mark Huitema, Director General at the European car manufacturers association ACEA, rings the alarm bell. He warns that the ambitious ‘Fit for 55’ emission reduction program of the European Commission is doomed to fail. The lack of charging infrastructure necessary to implement the energy transition will be a stumbling stone.

“A badly managed transition will severely undermine public support for climate action and the EU in general,” Huitema says. “Not only among the millions of Europeans working in the automotive sector, for whom a Just Transition plan is still missing to this day, but also all of those in society that risk losing access to affordable mobility.”

No discrimination

First of all, ACEA is reiterating its criticism that the European authorities are focusing too much on some (electric) technologies and practically banning other means to reduce emissions.

Huitema: “The EU Commission also wants to set a new target for 2035 mandating a 100% reduction of CO2 emissions from cars and vans. In practice, this -100% target would come down to an EU-wide ban on the internal combustion engine (ICE).”

“As an industry, we believe that all powertrain options have a role to play in the transition to climate neutrality, so the European Union should focus on innovation instead of banning or prescribing certain technologies.”

What about charging?

A bigger problem is the lack of charging infrastructure required for the energy transition in the car industry. Huitema is convinced that its members will fulfill their promise to make zero-emission vehicles available in all segments. What he’s worried about is the infrastructure.

“Now it is becoming evident that large-scale consumer uptake of zero-emission vehicles will only happen if the proposed CO2 reductions are accompanied by equally ambitious targets for EU member states to build up the required charging points and hydrogen refueling stations,” Huitema remarks.

“In that sense, the ‘Fit for 55’ proposal simply is not ambitious enough. Earlier estimates by the Commission’s own experts already found that a 50% CO2 reduction would require some 6 million public EV chargers by 2030. But when it presented the package in July, the European Commission failed to commit to any absolute number at all.”

“Instead, the Commission only provided an estimate that the proposal could potentially lead to 3,5 million charging points in 2030 – so that doesn’t bode well for the ‘equally ambitious’ infrastructure targets that we actually need.”

Completely unbalanced spread

Data analysis by ACEA reveals that, for the moment, 70% of all EU chargers are concentrated in just three of the 27 member states: the Netherlands (66 665 charging points), France (45 751), and Germany (44 538).

Combined, these countries make up only 23% of the region’s total surface area, while the other 30% of charging infrastructure is scattered throughout the remaining 77% of the EU.

Huitema once more: “What worries me most is that this two-track infrastructure roll-out is developing along the dividing lines between richer EU member states in Western Europe and countries with a lower gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in Eastern, Central, and Southern Europe.”

“Big EU countries with a sizeable landmass but a lower GDP, such as Poland (0,8% of all charging points) and Spain (3,3%), seem to be left behind,” complains Huitema. “Recent findings also show that electric cars sales are directly linked to a country’s standard of living.”

What about hybrids?

In most EU countries, hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) dominate the market for alternatively-powered cars for the moment, with 15 countries having an HEV share of over 10%. However, vehicles that combine an internal combustion engine (ICE) with a battery-powered electric motor are still the best solution for many people.

Especially in countries where charging points are lacking or battery-electric cars are still too expensive for the local population right now, HEVs play an important role in the transition to climate neutrality. But what will happen to these popular cars if the Commission plans to effectively ban the ICE after 2035, asks ACEA.

Infrastructure regulations

According to ACEA, the problem is that the European Commission’s proposal for an Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR), as part of Fit for 55, is not up to the job. ACEA welcomes the idea of binding targets for charging and refueling points in each of the 27 EU member states, but “the AFIR proposal is completely out of sync with the Commission’s own ambitious CO2 targets.”

“The big danger here is that the progress made in a few, rich Western European countries is distracting policymakers from the poor state of the infrastructure network in other EU countries, and from the fact that for many Europeans, the affordability of individual mobility is increasingly under pressure,” notes Huitema.

No one left behind?

To conclude, Huitema is worried about a Europe disintegrating because parts of it are clearly evolving at a different pace: “While one would assume that the EU’s primary objective is to ensure that no countries or citizens are left behind in the transition to zero-emission mobility, what we see developing now is, in fact, a widening divide between Central-Eastern and Western Europe, as well as a strong North-South split running across the continent.”

And the Director-General warns for possible social trouble as a result of this. Without a doubt, he has the recent ‘yellow jackets’ movement in mind.

“If this is not properly addressed by Members of the European Parliament and the national governments during the upcoming Fit for 55 negotiations, the new EU climate package runs the risk of causing major social disruption, ” he concludes.

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ArcelorMittal invests to reduce Flanders’ total CO2 emissions by 4%

Hilde Van Raemdonck Posted On September 29, 2021

ArcelorMittal, the multinational steel manufacturing corporation, is planning to invest 1,1 billion euros in its production unit in Ghent to reduce CO2 emissions drastically. “The initiative may be one of the largest climate investments in Belgium,” says Energy Minister Tinne Van der Straeten (Groen). “It shows the industry is a crucial partner.”

The company that exploits about 15 blast furnaces in Europe, will invest in a DRI (Direct Reduced Iron) system that will enable the plant to reduce its annual CO2 emissions by 3,9 million tons, or about 4% of Flanders’ total CO2 emissions. ArcelorMittal’s CEO describes the project as “the flagship of the company”.

35% less CO2 by 2023

Earlier this year, one of the two blast furnaces in Ghent was replaced by a more economic version running on bio-coal, wood waste, and plastic. The process of heating ores, however, remains very energy-intensive and polluting. Still, ArcelorMittal has committed itself to decrease its CO2 emissions in Europe by 35% by 2035.

That is why the company will not replace the other blast furnace in Ghent but switch to a more ecological production process in which DRI iron will be processed in two hydrogen-driven electric ovens. A very high-priced investment for the multinational. “This announcement shows our commitment to the decarbonization of our production process,” says Aditya Mittal, CEO of the company. “We want to accelerate our progress in the coming decade.”

Climate-neutral by 2050

“Our blast furnaces are in active service for 150 years,” adds European senior executive, Geert Van Poelvoorde. “We have to opt radically for a different technology.”

The steel manufacturing concern wants to become climate-neutral by 2050 and can count on support. They can use the know-how the University of Ghent injects into the region and will be financially supported by several authorities.

Declaration of intent

On Tuesday, the international management and the family Mittal will gather in the town hall in Ghent to sign the declaration of intent. Several ministers of the Flemish and the federal government will be present to seal the deal. “This will be a unique project that will be evidence for the rest of Europe,” Flemish Minister of Economy and Innovation, Hilde Crevits (CD&V) concludes.

On top of that, the European Investment Bank (EIB) announced on Monday that ArcelorMittal can get a 280 million loan for research into decarbonization of the steel sector. The European loan will be divided among establishments in Belgium, France, Spain, and Luxemburg.

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Janssen Pharma rewarded as golden cycle-friendly employer

Hilde Van Raemdonck Posted On September 24, 2021

The Flemish Bikers’ Confederation (Fietsersbond) has awarded the pharmaceutical company Janssen the ‘Cycle Friendly Employer Certificate’. The site in Beerse is the first employer in Belgium to receive the golden reward.

The Cycle Friendly Employer Certificate was developed to establish a European standard for cycle-friendly companies. Together, CFE and Fietsersbond want to stimulate a cycle-friendly policy and to give priority to the bike.

Cycle Friendly Employer (CFE) Certification is intended to help European companies to improve the situation for employees that cycle to work. It’s a program of the European Cycling Federation, present in 14 European countries. It’s a European label, distributed in 16 European countries. In our country, it is distributed by the Fietsersbond.

Bicycle support

Janssen Pharmaceutica, part of Johnson & Johnson, became the winner because the company has been pursuing an exceptionally cycle-friendly policy. And this has produced results. One-third of Janssen’s employees (33%) regularly use the bicycle for commuting. In 2019, this cycling attitude represented three million kilometers covered by bike.

The company in its turn stimulates the attitude by a maximum of bicycle compensation, a leasing formula with bicycle assistance for its employees, bicycle courses, maintenance, affordable apparel, bicycle insurance, and safe bicycle shelters.

Other cycle-friendly employers are DNS Belgium (the company that registers and manages Belgian domain names), the KBC headquarters in Brussels (bank), and the Flemish government.

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Mercedes joins Stellantis and TotalEnergies in ACC giga-battery project

Joris Van Roy Posted On September 24, 2021

Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz car branch joins the Stellantis Group and TotalEnergies as an equal partner in the ACC giga-battery factory project. The Automotive Cells Company (ACC) is the fruit of the EU’s efforts to create an ‘Airbus of batteries’ with an objective of at least 120 GWh of cell capacity by 2030.

“Mercedes-Benz will take a strategic 33 percent equity stake in ACC. Following the investment, we will hold two out of six seats on ACC’s Supervisory Board alongside TotalEnergies and Stellantis as equal shareholders,” says Markus Schäfer, responsible for Daimler Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars COO.

Seven billion euros

In total, more than seven billion euros – in a combination of equity, debt, and subsidies – will be needed to achieve the 120 GWh minimum goal by the end of the decade. Daimler will invest around half a billion euros next year. In total, the investments are expected to remain below one billion Euros, it says in a press release.

ACC’s goal is to become the European market leader for car battery cells and modules. The R&D center in Bordeaux (France) is operational, and the pilot site in Nersac (France) will start production at the end of this year. By 2025, production should come to cruising speed.

Mercedes-Benz technology

For ACC and the two other partners, not only the German money but also Mercedes-Benz’s technological and production know-how is welcome. Besides that, Mercedes-Benz will further invest in high-end cell development with its newly planned pilot plant, ‘Drive Systems Campus’ in Stuttgart, from 2023 onwards.

Through its Saft daughter, French energy giant TotalEnergies is bringing in “over 100 years of experience in the field of long-life batteries and battery systems for applications critical to safety, back-up power and electric and hybrid drives.” For Stellantis, and especially for Fiat-Chrysler that joined the French group last, it’s a way to join the leading group in a field it was lagging.

Needing 200 GWh itself

Mercedes-Benz announced in July it will go fully electric by the end of the decade – wherever market conditions allow. “To reach its target, the company needs a total battery production capacity of more than 200 Gigawatt hours by the end of the decade and plans to build eight cell factories worldwide together with partners, four of them in Europe.”

The company says that joining ACC is the next step in its strategic course from “Electric first” to “Electric only”. And Ola Källenius, CEO of Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG, is quite confident.

“This new partnership allows us to secure supply, to take advantage of economies of scale, and to provide our customers with superior battery technology. On top of that, we can help to ensure that Europe remains at the heart of the auto industry even in an electric era.”

Standardized batteries

Daimler is also planning a kind of ‘standardized cell’, but is probably not going as far as the VW Group. “Next-generation batteries will be highly standardized and suitable for use in more than 90% of all Mercedes-Benz cars and vans while being flexible enough to offer individual solutions to all customers,” the company revealed two months ago.

Now it says a modular, highly standardized battery kit will allow the integration of battery cells and modules from different development partners through uniformly designed components and interfaces.

“The joint expertise of the partners in cell technology and cell production means that distinctive variations in the modular system can be optimally realized with respect to cell chemistry and cell height.” And the press release also mentions that the partners are “also exploring further leaps in battery technology, for example with regard to high silicon anode and solid-state batteries.”

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T&E denounces ‘dirty tricks’ of the car industry

Tony Verhelle Posted On September 23, 2021

“The European car industry is using aggressive lobbying and making unsubstantiated claims in an attempt to derail EU plans to cut pollution from road transport,” revealed the NGO Transport & Environment (T&E) in a briefing paper on Thursday.

“Instead of embracing innovation to clean up toxic emissions, the car industry is aggressively lobbying against tougher regulations and using what amounts to dirty tricks, including misleading claims that the costs will threaten jobs and business,” says Anna Krajinska, Emissions Engineer with T&E.

“Lawmakers should look past industry scaremongering and focus on doing what is right for the health of millions of citizens. Affordable technology can now deliver huge cuts in vehicle emissions for less than the price of a paint upgrade for an average car. This is a unique opportunity to make the air safer to breathe across Europe,” she adds.

Euro 7

Cutting air pollution is a top priority of the EU Green Deal. The European Commission is currently considering recommendations for new vehicle emissions standards (regrouped as Euro 7) after convening independent experts to review the best available technology.

“EU decisions on Euro 7 standards will affect Europe’s air quality for at least a generation,” says T&E. It has calculated that 95 million cars will be sold between 2025 when the Euro 7 standard is supposed to come into force, and 2035, when the EU proposes banning sales of cars and vans with internal combustion engines (ICE).

This means that these cars could be on the road until 2050: on average, EU cars have been in use for 11 years and many for more than 15 years, especially in Eastern and Southern Europe. Sales of ICE trucks are expected to continue to the mid-2030s or later, and many stay on the road for 12 years or more.

“The European Commission estimates that adopting cleaner emission technology to meet Euro 7 standards would add between €100 and €500 to the price of a car – less than a paint upgrade on an entry-level model. For trucks, compliance would add less than 1% to the total cost of ownership over five years,” T&E adds.

‘Dirty tricks’

In the briefing paper, ‘The seven (dirty) air pollution tricks of the auto industry’, T&E warns that the industry is trying to turn the public and governments against Euro 7 by whipping up fears that tough new standards will cripple sales and threaten jobs.

In 2020 alone, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), Volkswagen, Daimler, and BMW spent almost €9 million lobbying in Brussels, T&A claims. The industry argues that Euro 7 will cost too much and is not technically feasible.

T&E’s paper replies that emissions control technology has progressed significantly since 2008 when the current Euro 6 standards were agreed. For example, e-catalysts, which can drastically reduce emissions when the engine is first started, and vacuum aspiration, which reduces dangerous particle emissions from brakes, are viable and affordable.

“The car industry has a long history of crying wolf on emission standards, claiming that compliance will be impossible, too expensive, or cripple sales, only to fully comply and take credit once the regulation enters into force,” the paper states.

It also notes that the industry has “a long history of cheating regulation”, referring to the dieselgate scandal and the recent 875 million fine for VW and BMW for colluding with Daimler to prevent the deployment of clean emissions technology.

Decisions imminent

The European Commission is due to make draft Euro 7 proposals before the end of this year and is studying recommendations from independent emissions experts. It convened the Consortium for Ultra-Low Vehicle Emissions (CLOVE) to advise on what is now economically and technically achievable. They spent more than two years researching the best available emission technologies.

CLOVE has proposed deep cuts from Euro 6 standards across a range of emissions harmful to health: nitrogen oxide (NOx) would fall from 80 mg/km to 20 mg/km and particle emissions by more than 80%.

T&E also insists on Euro 7 to close loopholes that allow vehicles to substantially exceed legal limits, for example, during fast accelerations and short city trips. For example, it remarks that trucks can emit up to eight times the legal NOx limit in cities because the official tests do not currently cover low-speed driving.

The paper concludes: “Euro 7 must ensure that emission limits apply under all driving conditions and throughout the lifetime of the vehicle to avoid shifting the problem of air pollution to less affluent member states.”

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Italy pleads for ICE-ban exception for its supercars

Joris Van Roy Posted On September 14, 2021

While the EU still has to agree on a proposed ban on new sales of internal combustion engines (ICE) by 2035, Italy apparently is lobbying behind the scenes at the Commission to get an exception for its supercar manufacturers like Ferrari and Lamborghini.

The argument used is that with annual sales volumes of around 9 100 for Ferrari and 7 400 for Lamborghini, and given the low mileage these cars do on average, the impact on CO2 emissions is marginal, compared to big automakers. Even ACEA’s President and CEO of BMW Oliver Zipse said at IAA Munich that he sees good arguments for considering these exemptions.

Supercars need special technology

In an interview, Roberto Cingolani, Minister for Ecological Transition in the Italian government and former non-executive director at Ferrari, told Bloomberg TV that these supercars would need a new generation of batteries that Italy is to produce itself. “These cars need exceptional technology, and they need batteries for the transition,” Cingolani said.

In July 2021, the EU Commission presented the much anticipated – and feared – ‘Fit for 55’ package of 12 climate laws to make the target of 55% CO2 reduction by 2030 agreed by the member states a reality. So far, the world’s most ambitious plan will ultimately lead to carbon neutrality by 2050 if it survives the fierce discussions that are to follow.

A total ban on ICE from 2035

In that package, a total ban of ICE car sales beyond 2035 is on the table. In March, nine EU member states urged the Commission to set a date for the phasing out, but only the Netherlands actually proposed 2030 as the preferred timing. The others keep their options open with Belgium, Denmark, Austria, Greece, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, and Malta.

President Macron announced that France would continue to support plug-in hybrid cars just yesterday despite the possible EU ban on cars with an internal combustion engine (ICE). Instead, it pleads for an exception for PHEVs when new ICE vehicles sales will be forbidden in 2035.

Fierce Euro 7 standard

The car industry faces a fierce Euro 7 standard to reduce CO2 emissions further by 55%. It will be forced to add new (expensive) technology that would price the classic internal combustion engine out of the market, especially in small cars, where margins are already flimsy. But also the supercars won’t be able to escape: they will be (fully) electric or have to disappear.

Volkswagen-boss Herbert Diess believes this will make the electric car a better alternative – also for margins – already in 2025. Anyway, the date set for the end of new diesel and gasoline cars to be sold in the EU remains 2035. There will be a clause foreseeing a two-yearly review of the readiness of the car industry, though, that might lead to push that date further ahead.

The ‘Fit for 55’ package and with it the ICE ban are not written in stone yet, as the European Parliament and the Council of Europe of the 27 member states still have to agree with what the Commission has put on the table. And that process could take up to two years.

UK and US to follow

In the UK, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced last year to advance the ban on cars and vans with an internal combustion engine from 2035 to 2030. However, for hybrids, an exception will be made, and the 2035 deadline applies.

In the US, in California, it will no longer be possible to buy new gasoline, diesel, or hybrid cars by 2035, as Governor Gavin Newsom announced in September 2020. So by 2045, every new commercial vehicle there has to be electric too.

Washington State introduced a bill to start the phasing-out of fossil-fueled cars from 2030, five years sooner than California. And now voices are heard in California to advance the phasing out date to 2030 too.

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ACEA: ’10 EU countries don’t have a charging point per 100km’

Tony Verhelle Posted On September 9, 2021

There is a serious lack of electric charging points all along the road networks in most EU member states. New data from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) have been confirming this.

The findings show that 10 countries do not even have one single charger for every 100 kilometers of key roads (includes motorways, state, provincial and communal roads).

These countries also have an electric car market share of less than 3% (except Hungary). Moreover, 18 EU member states have under 5 charging points per 100km of road, with just four possessing more than 10 chargers for each 100km of streets.

Are we ‘fit for 55’?

As part of its Fit for 55 climate package published in July, the European Commission proposed that by 2030 CO2 emissions from new cars should be 55% less than 2021 levels, up from the 37.5% target for 2030 set only three years ago.

“European car manufacturers will have to bring millions of electrically chargeable cars to the market over the next years to meet this challenging new target,” ACEA notes.

“Consumers will not be able to make the switch to zero-emission vehicles if there are not enough charging and refueling stations along the roads where they drive,” cautions ACEA Director-General Eric-Mark Huitema.

“For instance, if citizens of Greece, Lithuania, Poland, and Romania still have to travel 200 km or more to find a charger, we cannot expect them to be willing to buy an electric car,” explains Huitema.

Action needed

“Massive progress on infrastructure deployment will have to be made across the EU in a very short timeframe. The advances made in a few Western European countries are encouraging but should not distract us from the dire state of the charging network in other EU countries,” Huitema warns.

There’s a striking contrast, for example, between the Netherlands – the country with the most chargers (47,5 for each 100 km of road) – and a vast country like Poland (eight times bigger, but only one charging point for every 250 km).

Huitema once more: “Unfortunately, the proposal for an Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Regulation – also a component of the Fit for 55 package – is out of sync with the Commission’s ambitions for the CO2 targets.”

“While we appreciate the introduction of much-needed binding targets for charging and refueling stations in each member state, they will need to be strengthened significantly if we want to meet our climate goals.”

That’s why ACEA is calling on the European Parliament and the Council to grasp this opportunity to put the right conditions for e-mobility in place during the upcoming negotiations on Fit for 55. The ambitious climate plan still has to get the approval of both the Council of member states and the European Parliament.

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EU gives green light for Belgian subsidies for gas plants

Luc Joris Posted On August 30, 2021

The EU has approved Belgium’s capacity rebate mechanism (CRM). This should attract investors to build new power capacity, such as gas power plants, with the help of subsidies. In this way, the government wants to avoid compromising the security of supply after the nuclear exit in 2025.

The subsidies will be granted based on an auction. According to the calculations of consultant Haulogy, this will cost up to 253 million euros annually. In addition, beneficiary plants are expected to provide additional power capacity when the electricity grid comes under pressure.

The path toward 100% renewable energy

Federal Energy Minister Tinne Van der Straeten (Groen) is particularly pleased with the European green light. “After 20 years of uncertainty, the stop-and-go policy is coming to an end. The energy switch is happening everywhere, and we are now giving it an enormous boost. Moreover, with the investment mechanism, we are bringing calm and certainty to the energy market, something investors have rightly been asking for for years.”

Van der Straeten describes the investment as “a kind of insurance policy that guarantees energy supply at the lowest possible cost.” According to the Minister, thanks to the approval, the path toward 100% renewable energy has been started, and the security of supply guaranteed. The mechanism also places maximum emphasis on innovative battery projects, demand management, and storage.

The EU, which first blocked the Belgian subsidy plan, also compliments Van der Straeten for imposing sustainability requirements on new gas-fired power plants. As a result, investors in fossil fuel stations will have to submit interim targets to get their CO2 emissions to zero by 2050.

Important milestone

High-voltage grid operator Elia speaks of an important milestone in meeting the timing for the auction. “With the green light from Europe, everything is now in place for the auction to proceed successfully, which is important for the security of supply in Belgium. The timing was and is tight, hence the importance of this positive advice from Europe.”

As agreed in the federal coalition agreement, the first auction of subsidies will take place in October. An evaluation by the CREG, the federal energy regulator, will then follow in November.

More CO2

In a reaction, both Georges-Louis Bouchez, the chairman of government party MR and N-VA energy specialist Bert Wollants point out that, in practice, investing in new gas power stations still means producing more CO2.

“For N-VA, it remains a mystery why they absolutely want to continue with a nuclear stop that blows more CO2 into the air and will also cost more to citizens and companies,” says N-VA MP Wollants.

Flemish Energy Minister Zuhal Demir (N-VA) also reiterates the party position. “The only renewable thing is the tax money that we have to put into these gas plants every year. And that without improving the climate. On the contrary,” she tweeted.

Unnecessary

Environmental organizations Greenpeace and Bond Beter Leefmilieu still regret that the CRM mechanism will result in subsidies to fossil capacity. But, at the same time, they look ahead and advocate that alternatives to gas-fired power stations, particularly initiatives that run on renewable energy, should be fully implemented now.

Citizens’ movement Tegengas – a collective of local groups that oppose new gas plants – is indignant about the approval of support for the construction of gas plants. According to the citizens’ movement, these are superfluous. Tegengas also wonders how many companies will participate in the auction, given that most of the planned projects do not yet have a license.

Flanders hold firm for the time being

The De Croo government, spurred on by the Greens, wants to implement a nuclear phase-out by 2025, as provided for in the law. To compensate for the closure of all seven nuclear power plants (five are closing anyway), two to three new gas-fired power plants with a production capacity of 2,3 gigawatts are needed, complemented by additional renewable energy sources and batteries.

In November, the government will make the final decision on the nuclear exit. The Green politicians emphasize that emissions from the energy sector are regulated at the European level via the ETS system. New gas plants here will push more polluting power plants elsewhere out of the market.

In Wallonia, four projects already have a permit, but in Flanders, permits were initially refused for gas plants of RWE in Dilsen-Stokkem and Electrabel in Vilvoorde. Both companies appealed. A large new gas plant of the Tessenderlo Group is also awaiting a permit.

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Brussels Decarbone rows upstream converting ICE vans to EVs

Gert Verhoeven Posted On August 25, 2021

The Brussels-based start-up Decarbone specializes in converting combustion engine vans to electric vehicles but faces administrative problems in Belgium to register these EVs, as the legal framework still lacks. In June, Decarbone received the Sustainable Impact Award presented by Triodosbank as part of the Greenlab initiatives for start-ups committed to sustainability.

Decarbone exists since 2019 and wants to help companies convert their existing fleet of (diesel) combustion engine vans to electric vehicles with a range of 150 km to reduce their emissions to zero. The start-up, in which the founders already invested 100 000 euros, is still looking for just under half a million euros to grow further.

In line with climate ambitions

The founders are Arthur Andruszkiewicz, an R&D engineer in electric mobility, automotive expert Eric Champagne, and Julien Masson, R&D mechanical engineer in wind energy. “It seems paradoxical for the environment to scrap our current cars and relaunch the production of new (electrical) ones,” they say on their website. “For this reason, Decarbone’s team started in 2020 to develop the conversion: conserving our vehicles and making them in line with climate ambitions.”

They want to convert existing vehicles to EVs by replacing the conventional combustion engine and the fuel tank with an electric drive unit and a battery, which means significantly less waste and far fewer vehicles to recycle prematurely. As a bonus, the CO2 footprint of the recycled vehicle’s body and the interior is lower than a new one to be produced.

Retrofit solution

According to a study by Transport & Environment (T&E), the CO2 footprint of converted vehicles is 76% lower than that of a conventional combustion engine vehicle and up to 31% lower than that of a new electric van. For this retrofit solution, they use a battery with a limited capacity to keep the cost (and extra weight) manageable.

Electric vans can make a real difference, especially in an urban environment. Because distances are limited, their stated range of 150 km is perfectly viable for inner-city and last-mile transport. In this way, even less rapid charging infrastructure is sufficient to keep the vehicles on the move.

Administrative problems

Although the converted vehicles are perfectly functional, it is impossible to register them in Belgium. This is due to their homologation, in which the cars are fully described technically, including the engine and the fuel type. Therefore, if the vehicle is fundamentally modified from a technical point of view, it no longer complies with the original homologation and cannot be registered.

Safety problems could arise. In the Walloon Parliament, the problem will be put on the agenda in September, but a tailor-made solution for a simplified homologation will not be available immediately. Things are easier for (ancient) classic cars because cars from before 1967 do not need a certificate of conformity, which simplifies the procedure.

Competitive position

Belgium is clearly lagging in this discipline because there are actually legal solutions in neighboring countries, France, the Netherlands, and Germany. France even grants premiums for converted vehicles, making the conversion (which often costs 15 000 euros) much cheaper for the consumer.

There is mainly a lack of infrastructure or a specialized authority to assess conversion quality in terms of safety in Belgium. One option is to register a converted vehicle in another country and then import it (back) into Belgium. Still, this route is expensive and complicated, and it undermines the competitiveness of Belgian companies like Decarbone.

Not an isolated case

The problem Decarbone is facing is not new. Initiatives to clean up diesel engines, for example, have been blocked before because of homologation problems. However, there are conversion kits in Germany, whereby Euro 5 diesel engines are fitted with an AdBlue system, making their emissions much cleaner and their emissions compliant with Euro 6.

In this way, many ‘written-off’ vehicles could be used longer, but to be allowed in the LEZ zones, for example, requires – as with the EV conversion – an adapted homologation, and updating the homologation is a hopeless task.

It seems that the government wants to discourage these green initiatives and direct consumers toward ‘new products’. This is the more lucrative solution because one can levy much more VAT and registration tax (in the case of an internal combustion engine) on a newly sold vehicle than on a much cheaper retrofit solution.

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Tesla minimizes delay on European deliveries of Model Y

Piet Andries Posted On August 25, 2021

Several customers in Europe took delivery of their Model Y on Tuesday. In Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, but also in Belgium, an excited Gunther Depooter was handed over his car. “It’s perfect. Much roomier than a Model 3, and it looks really great,” he added.

Deliveries for Europe have now officially started, one month later than initially promised. That’s a minimal delay since getting the Model Y here has been cumbersome. Production of the compact SUV was supposed to change the usual strategy completely.

Deliveries outside the US were postponed until the factory in Fremont had produced enough batches to satisfy the local market. For Chinese customers, a new factory in Shanghai has to fix that bottleneck in production; for Europe, a production unit in Berlin.

Surprise ramp-up

Not everything went according to plan. Due to permit problems, the German factory is suffering serious delays. It won’t open until October 2021 at the earliest. In contrast, the Gigafactory in Shanghai was erected in record time. Tesla has now made it the central hub for export outside of the US. Even the company itself was surprised at how fast it could ramp up the production in Shanghai.

The Chinese can manufacture no less than 8 000 Model Ys per month for export, of which the major part is being shipped to the harbor of Zeebrugge, Tesla’s main port for Europe. From there, they are distributed all over the continent.

High hopes

Tesla already announced the Model Y in March 2019. It’s an SUV version of the Model 3, also made in Shanghai, and shares the same main components. General comments were that the built quality has further improved.

The Y is available in two versions, built around the same battery of 75 kWh and two electric motors for four-wheel drive. The Long Range costs 63 000 euros in Belgium and can reach 507 kilometers, according to WLTP. The Performance version has a range of 480 kilometers. But it reaches 100 km/hour from a standstill in a swooping 3,7 seconds (5,0 seconds for the Long Range).

Hopes are really high for the Model Y. Not only does the compact SUV compete in Europe’s most popular car category, Elon Musk already stated before that it could become the best-selling car in 2023 by absolute numbers.

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Ember: ‘Solar power represents 10% of EU’s electricity’

Hilde Van Raemdonck Posted On August 19, 2021

Solar panels have – for the first time – generated one-tenth of the energy produced by the European Union during the months of June and July. A new record. That is what energy think tank Ember recently revealed in a new analysis.

Europe’s summer peaks in solar power generation get bigger every year. This year, solar panels generated 38 TWh or 10% of EU-27 electricity. In 2018, this was 28 TWH.

Coal power plants

New records were set in eight European countries (Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain, among others), but, according to the study, solar panels still generate less electricity than Europe’s coal power plants. Even in the summer months.

Seven EU countries generated more than 10% of the EU-27’s electricity. Hungary even quadrupled its solar share; the Netherlands and Spain doubled it.

EU’s power production

For the first time, solar overtook coal power in Hungary in summer 2021. Last year, Portugal and Greece obtained the same result, and Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Italy, and Austria did so a few years ago.

Despite recent gains, the EU’s power production from solar panels remains less than coal power plants, generating 14% of the EU electricity in June and July.

The EU-27 has added 14 TWh of solar generation every year on average in the last two years. However, according to the European Commission, annual growth in the next decade must double to 30 TWh to meet the EU’s new 2030 climate targets.

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EEB: ‘EU governments fail to curb emissions from toxic plants’

Hilde Van Raemdonck Posted On August 17, 2021

Today is the deadline for EU members to comply with the EU pollution limits for large combustion plants, but most lignite plants in the EU have waited until the very last minute to implement pollution-control technologies. The result is four years of unnecessary pollution and a massive bill on people’s health, the EEB (European Environmental Bureau) states.

Four years ago, the European countries agreed to bring national industry in line with the so-called LCP BREF standards they agreed on in 2017. Large Combustion Plants (LCP) are the most significant point source emitters of air pollution in Europe. Yet, most member states are still far from achieving what is required by the Industrial Emissions Directive.

Harmful pollutants

The LCP BREF foresees emission ranges for the worst pollutants (NOx, SO2, particles, and mercury). Still, research shows that permitting authorities and operators kept releasing tons of harmful pollutants that could have been avoided.

Many countries waited until the last minute to enforce the LCP BREF polluting standards, leaving citizens with four years of unnecessary pollution. In some cases, authorities even systematically granted derogations to permit installations to emit more than allowed.

Apart from that, most countries fail to disclose crucial information about the real environmental performance of large combustion plants.

Climate offenders

LCPs burning solid fuels, lignite, and coal are the worst climate offenders and the largest source of SO2 and mercury emissions in Europe. They’re among the main sources of NOx and other heavy metals, causing more than 16 150 premature deaths and about 7 600 additional cases of bronchitis per year in the EU and the Western Balkans. Air pollution is considered more dangerous than coronavirus.

According to the press briefing of the European Environmental Bureau, there are three urgent requirements:

– Operators of large combustion plants (LCP) should comply with the rules or close.

– The European Commission should raise the bar and enforce a stricter level of the current standards.

– The European Commission should enter the digital age, monitor the industry’s environmental performance, and track progress toward the European Green Deal objectives.

National examples

Germany is the worst EU country when it comes to disclosing data. Emission data from 2018 and 2019 are still not reported to the European Commission. Bulgaria has systematically granted derogations to polluting lignite power plants upon request. And, in the United Kingdom, permit writers have systematically granted air pollution derogations to protect coal operations throughout their lifetime.

“Four years of inaction, complacency, and derogations cost citizens millions in terms of health and environmental costs,” concludes Riccardo Nigro, Campaign Coordinator at the European Environmental Bureau. “There’s no more time to waste. Toxic plants must comply or close.”

Climate / Environment / Europe / Legislation / Mobility / Road safety / Top Stories Today

Macron suspends compulsory technical inspection for motorized vehicles

Luc Joris Posted On August 16, 2021

Consternation in France: the decree published on Wednesday making the biennial technical inspection of two-wheelers compulsory was “suspended until further notice” at the request of Emmanuel Macron, the President of the Republic, the transport ministry told AFP on Thursday.

The decree, required by the EU and applied in many neighboring countries, was to come into force in 2023. This measure, announced in the middle of the summer, had provoked the anger of the motorcycle federations.

Not the time

After a discussion on Thursday morning with the head of state, the minister in charge of transport, Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, “agreed with the federation to meet again at the beginning of the school year to discuss the various issues that concern them,” a ministry spokesperson said.

“After discovering this measure, the President of the Republic decided that it was not the time to bother the French,” explained an adviser to the executive. “With the health crisis, the pass, we are already asking a lot of them. We can be in favor of security without bothering the French in their daily lives, a prior without their support”.

Fight against pollution

This new technical inspection should concern all two, three, and four-wheeled motorized vehicles, 50 cc scooters, and cars without licenses. As for cars, for which it was introduced in 1992 in France, the technical inspection should have been carried out in an approved center and renewed every two years, or before the vehicle was resold.

A 2014 European directive provided for the introduction of a technical inspection for two- and three-wheeled motor vehicles with an engine capacity of more than 125 cm3 from 1 January 2022 to combat accidents and pollution.

Guardrails

“The minister wanted appeasement,” said Jean-Marc Belotti, the French Federation of Angry Motorcyclists coordinator. “We are not proposing anything. We don’t want a technical control”, he said, while a meeting is planned “at the beginning of September” with the ministry.

“We will see if we can provide solutions in terms of road safety, but I may cost them a little money,” insisted the biker, citing, in particular, the doubling of guardrails, which would prevent serious injuries.

The French Federation of Angry Motorcyclists, for its part, contests the EU study, which estimates that technical faults cause 8% of motorbike accidents. It denounces the lobbying of technical inspection centers and considers the inspection to be “a real racket.”

From “disgrace” to “victory of common sense”

“It is an absolute disgrace,” reacted Ras le scoot on Twitter, an association that wants to reduce the nuisance of motorized two-wheelers, after the announcement of the government’s backtracking.

“How is it possible that a minority can make Emmanuel Macron back down, to the detriment of millions of victims of various nuisances and against the European directive of 2014? We strongly condemn this U-turn.”

This measure would have made it possible to “guarantee less noise and less pollution,” also registered the deputy Europe Ecologie-Les Verts at the Paris town hall, David Belliard, on Twitter. “France has to pay a 10 million euros fine for inaction on air pollution, but Macron prefers to give gifts ten months before the election.”

The Rassemblement National, which has criticized the measure, instead welcomed the government’s reversal. “It’s a victory of common sense and mobilization against the technocratic measure,” wrote Marine Le Pen, also on Twitter.

Wrong signal

Le Monde writes that this backtracking at the request of the President of the Republic is worrying both in form and in substance, as it sends out the wrong signal at a time when the government should resolutely put the defense of the environment forward. It raises questions about how the executive branch operates and the credibility of President Macron in the fight for road safety, air quality, and noise pollution.

The newspaper argues that the decree on compulsory technical inspection for motorbikes is justified because motorcyclists’ mortality – twenty-two times higher than that of car drivers for the same mileage – is falling at the slowest rate of all road users. And the unbridled engines increase the risk of accidents, especially for young people.

Not to mention the noise: a two-wheeler crossing Paris at night with a “rectified” exhaust pipe can wake up 11 000 people, according to the Bruitparif association, compared to 350 if approved.

Demagogic

Macron is already under fire in France for corona measures, such as introducing a health pass, but Le Monde also calls Macron’s move demagogic. “Faced with the risk of contestation, at a time when the increasing signs of democratic disengagement demand that citizens be involved and made responsible, Emmanuel Macron confirms his vertical and personal approach to power.”

“As for his refusal to apply an EU directive, it is surprising coming from a pro-European president. The measure indeed caused previous governments to back down, particularly that of Manuel Valls, who had announced its implementation in 2015.”

“But above all,” the newspaper continues, “it raises concerns about the ability of politicians to prepare French people for the profound changes in employment, lifestyles, and consumption that the fight against global warming up so urgently requires. How can a leader who capitulates to the motorcycle lobby convince motorists to abandon internal combustion engines or switch to public transport?”

Environment / Europe / Industry / Mobility / Top Stories Today

France shuns transition to all-electric cars

Félix Bouland Posted On August 13, 2021

With Europe setting in stone the end of the internal combustion engine for 2035, electric and hydrogen cars are set to take over. In spite of being the second country with the most public charging points in Europe, France worries about the forced change. Industries prepare to swap from petrol to electrons, authorities promise the arrival of more charging stations but the men and women on the streets shun the all-electric speech, pointing out to range anxiety, charging infrastructure, employment, and higher prices.

Along with every evolution comes a fair share of resistance. The transition from internal combustion engine vehicles to electric ones is no different. In June, Europe announced that diesel cars will be banned by 2030 and that petrol cars will follow five years later. Not only is a whole industry made to change, but mobility in all European countries also has to evolve.

Resilient French

As of today, 98% of all cars registered in France run on fuel. The share of electric cars is growing, but hindrances remain. The men and women on the streets worry about range and charging possibilities, especially in the countryside. Some villages already experience blackouts in harsh winters even without the extra load of electric cars on the grid.

Price is still a big talking point, even though France offers incentives for the purchase of new, cleaner cars. Today, the eco bonus for EVs is at 2 000 euro and half that for a plug-in hybrid. To that must be added a conversion bonus ranging from € 2 500 to € 5 000 depending on the salary. That being said, the French love their cheap and cheerful runabouts and even with the incentives, prices are still high.

Employment

With the industry made to change, jobs will be created but others will surely be lost. France’s home industry is heavily based on internal combustion engine manufacture and development, especially diesel. According to studies, France’s car industry, from carmakers to suppliers and maintenance, could lose from 100 000 to 150 000 jobs.

Stellantis and Renault both have plans to convert production units in France into battery assembly plants or retrofit and recycling sites. In May 2020, the French government launched a support plan for the automotive industry. That being said, the development and manufacturing of electric cars are set to need fewer employees, especially in the current ecosystem where Asia leads in battery production.

Reliable charging

For the transition to electric cars not to be a total mishap, charging infrastructures must grow. In spite of counting a fifth of all European public charging points within its borders, France’s charging network still isn’t developed enough. Half of all motorway service stations are equipped with fast chargers and out of the ambitions plan to reach 100 000 public charging points by 2021, only 45 751 have seen the light of day.

In addition to all that, the French worry about the real virtue of battery-electric cars. Studies have already shown that an EV emits less CO2 than any other car during its whole life, but it depends drastically on where it’s built and where the electricity comes from. According to a study from the Arval Mobility Observatory, an EV will have compensated its carbon footprint after 16 800 km if it’s built and driven in France. For Norway, it’ll come much sooner (8 000 km) due to the country’s low CO2 electricity production. In China, however, it’ll need to drive…180 000 km!

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Alcomotive chooses Arval as leasing partner

Tony Verhelle Posted On August 10, 2021

Alcomotive, the distributor of the automotive brands belonging to the Belgian Alcopa group, chooses Arval as the sole partner for its leasing activities for its six brands in the six European countries it is active in.

As a representative of (Asian) brands that are not very well established yet in the leasing/fleet business, Alcomotive was already looking for a while for a reliable and successful partner in its B2B activities.

‘White Label’

It found this ‘White Label’ partner in Arval. The BNP Paribas Fortis-owned leasing company was chosen after a long selection process that took into account the strengths of both partners, also on the international scene.

Arval will offer operational leasing formulas and private leases for Hyundai Lease, Suzuki lease, MG Lease, SsangYong Lease, Isuzu Lease, and Maxus Lease. Prices should be very competitive.

Therefore, both companies will work on a uniform strategy and vision that will be implemented in all countries where Alcomotive is represented. This includes Belgium, of course, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, Poland, and Switzerland.

As of September 1st

The first brands will be online as of September 1st. One month later, all six brands will be fully operational in Belgium and Luxembourg. After that, the other countries will follow.

A special focus is reserved for Germany and the Netherlands. Alcomotive sees serious potential in Maxus there because of what it can offer in the world of e-LCV products.

Alcomotive is part of Bergé Auto (60%) and Alcopa (40%), both family-owned companies. The company is a Belgium-based European actor in distributing automotive brands (six of them, at the moment). It also provides peripheral services related to mobility. It employs some 350 people and has more than 400 dealers in six European countries.

Climate / Environment / Europe / Top Stories Today

‘July 2021 second hottest month ever in Europe’

Hilde Van Raemdonck Posted On August 5, 2021

July 2021 was the second hottest month ever measured in Europe except for one, July 2010. That is the conclusion of the most recent report from the Copernicus Service for Climate Change. Globally, it was the third-warmest month ever, with temperatures only 0,1°C cooler than July 2019 and July 2016 or 0,33°C warmer than the 1991-2020 average. Western parts of central Europe saw more heavy rain than usual.

The Copernicus Service for Climate Change (C3S), created by the European Center for Weather Forcast on Medium Turn (ECMWF) under the authority of the European Union, publishes monthly bulletins about climate change.

These bulletins report registered changes in surface temperature worldwide, the surface of sea ice, and hydrological variables. All conclusions are based on computer-generated analyses by means of billions of measurements of satellites, ships, airplanes, and weather stations all over the world.

1,4°C above average

In its latest bulletin, C3S says the European average temperature for July 2021 was even 1,4°C above the 1991-2020 average. “The only July on record that was warmer than this over Europe occurred in 2010 when western Russia experienced a severe heatwave and the European-average temperature was 1,7°C above its 1991-2020 level.”

In July 2021, heatwaves occurred from the Baltic Sea to the eastern Mediterranean, a region suffering from wildfires due to the heat in August. In addition, the western part of North America suffered from extremely high temperatures, and parts of the Far East had temperatures higher than average.

Heavy rains

According to C3S, July 2021 was considerably warmer than average over most of northern and eastern Europe. In the western parts of central Europe, some countries saw much above-average precipitation with the heavy rains causing enormous damages in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. However, the eastern part of the continent saw predominantly dry conditions.

The World Meteorologic Organization (WMO) gave C3S the recommendation to base their analysis on the most recent 30 years to calculate the climatological averages. This means that the C3S reports from 2021 on are now based on the reference period 1991-2020.

Copernicus is part of the European Union’s space travel program and is financed by the EU. The program is coordinated and managed by the European Commission.

eBikes / Europe / Industry / Product / Top Stories Today

Brekr kick-starts Dutch electric moped tradition

Gert Verhoeven Posted On August 2, 2021

Dutch start-up Brekr, the specialist in electric mopeds, has just received a capital injection from Bloomit Ventures that will allow the young moped manufacturer to tap into numerous European markets quickly. Brekr launched its first moped, the Model B, on the Dutch market last year, but the moped is now also available in Germany and Belgium.

Brekr is a recently founded Dutch company that wants to revive the Dutch tradition of building light mopeds. The Netherlands has a genuine moped culture with numerous small manufacturers that originated in the 1950s.

Over the past ten years, however, mopeds with 49cc combustion engines have had to give way to electric bicycles and speed pedelecs, partly due to stricter emission standards. With the success of these electrically powered bicycles in mind, Brekr developed an affordable and usable electrically powered moped.

Bloomit investment group

The manufacturer from Doetinchem received a capital injection from the Bloomit investment group. Bloomit wants to accelerate the development and market introduction of LEVs (Light Electric Vehicles).

They believe especially in vehicles that offer ecological personal mobility for the city. Bloomit was also the driving force behind the start of the Babboe cargo bikes, for example.

Industrial design

The Brekr B is a no-nonsense moped with a straightforward design similar to the Honda Zoomer in its design language. The frame remains visible and is also a crucial design element.

The frame of the Brekr is a sleek aluminum lightweight structure that houses the battery(s) and connects the rear axle with the steering head. Brekr provides a 25 km/h and a 40 km/h version. In addition, customers can personalize their bikes through color combinations, and there is a specific app to give the moped the necessary connectivity and a navigation function.

The basic version costs just under 4 500 euros, and with a 2 kWh battery, it has a range of up to 80 km. For an additional 1 500 euros, a second battery is available that doubles the range. The batteries are easily removable and can be charged at any power outlet, so a specific charging infrastructure is unnecessary.

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Brussels city toll: ‘EU only gives opinion on unfair and inefficient tax’

Luc Joris Posted On July 29, 2021

The MR party remains clearly opposed to the introduction of a kilometer tax in Brussels. This is evident from a reaction by its Brussels president David Leisterh to the European Commissions’ Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG Move) statement on Wednesday that the introduction of such a tax does not violate European legislation. “The EC’s position on the proposed kilometer tax in Brussels was merely an opinion on an unfair and inefficient tax,” Leisterh said.

The Brussels-Capital Region wants to introduce a smart kilometer tax, or so-called ‘city toll‘, from 2022 onward for those who drive their cars in Brussels. With the introduction of this tax, the so-called SmartMove, the Brussels Region hopes to reduce congestion on its many urban avenues and tunnels to improve air quality.

Advice of EU

In the face of the two other regions that had taken the opposite view in the consultation committee, the Brussels government had argued that its proposal was compatible with the European principles of double taxation, free movement, and non-discrimination.

According to the daily L’Echo, it was to ensure that the regional executive took the initiative to consult DG Move. One of the questions was whether SmartMove, which thus will replace the existing taxes on driving a car, could suffer the same fate as the German kilometer tax (Infrastrukturabgabe), which was deemed discriminatory by the Court of Justice of the EU in June 2019.

In Germany, this charge fell solely on drivers of vehicles registered in other countries, as German drivers could deduct the kilometer charge completely from their road tax.

Not discriminatory

However, Walloons and Flemings, who pay the SmartMove contribution when driving in the capital, will still have to pay the tax on entry into service and the road tax in their respective regions.

According to the daily, in its reply to the team of Brussels Minister-President, Rudi Vervoort (PS), DG Move underlines that the amount of the SmartMove tax, which will depend on the engine power, the distance traveled, and the time of day the vehicle is used, will not correspond to the amount of the road tax.

There is, therefore, no clear link between the measures in this respect, and it does not appear that the abolition of the current taxes will have the effect of compensating for the new charge, the Directorate-General notes.

However, the Commission’s services did doubt the rule that cars with more than 15 horsepower would not be exempted from the tax on entry into service in the future tax model; whole motorbikes with a similar power would be. “We question this differential treatment, given the impact of motorbikes on road safety and noise pollution,” it stated.

Reform on a national level

In a reaction, David Leisterh, MP for the Brussels MR region, stated that “the opinion of DG Move is an opinion of principle, expressed with reservations. As the DG Move pointed out, only the Court of Justice of the EU is competent to interpret the EU law authoritatively.

In his view, just because the tax is not illegal does not mean it is fair, legitimate, and effective. Therefore, the MR pleads for reform of car taxation as a whole, but at the national level, not for a single region.

For that matter, The Walloon Minister of Economy, Willy Borsus (MR), has already vowed to attack the future text by all possible legal means if it were to pass.

A new Alcatraz

Moreover, Leisterh thinks that this fiscal wall and the Brussels desire to reduce its entry routes and the absence of a credible alternative would increasingly turn Brussels into a second Alcatraz. He also points out that “the economic attractiveness of Brussels for Walloon and Flemish commuters already is undermined by teleworking and the crisis.”

He said the EC is not deciding whether such a tax will isolate Brussels and further increase unemployment. “I use the recent example of removing the Hermann Debroux viaduct without extending the metro to a proper car park as another example of the cart being put before the horse. Over the past 20 years, Brussels has not developed the public mobility infrastructure at its entrances (metro or extended tram, parking facilities, etc.) to allow itself to impose a fiscal wall around its region,” Leisterh concluded.

The cabinet of Brussels Finance Minister Sven Gatz (Open Vld) did not wish to comment on this position, noted the Belga news agency. Instead, it is awaiting the opinion of the Council of State, which is expected in the autumn.

According to a survey by mobility organization Touring, 67% of Belgians are opposed to a city toll plan like Brussels intends to impose with or without the consent of the other regions.

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Ecobat acquires Promesa to become leading battery recycler

Hilde Van Raemdonck Posted On July 28, 2021

On Monday, July 26th, Ecobat, the Texas-based multinational claiming it is the global leader in recycling batteries, announced that it has acquired Promesa, a leading German EV lithium-ion battery recycling operator.

The combined capabilities now position Ecobat “as the only service provider in Europe to offer the full suite of recycling services for lithium-ion batteries, from collecting, discharging, and dismantling batteries to crushing and sorting them,” the company says.

In Belgium and several other places globally, its competitor Umicore is providing since 2006 recycling services for Lithium-Ion (Li-ion), Lithium Polymer, and Nickel Metal Hydride batteries (NiMH) from all possible applications across the globe. From these batteries, valuable metals are recovered to be converted into active cathode materials for the production of new rechargeable batteries.

Recycling process

The demand for EV lithium-ion battery recycling continues to accelerate across Europe and the world, and it is expected to be worth $4,7 billion in ten years. The EV lithium-ion battery recycling is growing in Europe at a compound annual growth rate of 31,6%.

Additionally, Promesa represents a critical part of the battery recycling process and value chain and will provide Ecobat with access to business-critical permits for 3 200 tons of chemical compounds.

Protecting the planet

Ecobat processes batteries used in vehicles and renewable energy infrastructure to the backup power systems used in hospitals and data centers. The company is continually expanding its collection and recycling management services. “It’s all part of our commitment to protecting the planet for all,” the company states.

Promesa was founded by VVG GmbH & Co. KG for the treatment and recycling of lithium battery systems. The company is headquartered in Hettstedt, Germany.

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BEV sales more than doubled in EU in Q2

Joris Van Roy Posted On July 23, 2021

In the second quarter of 2021, sales of battery-electric cars (BEVs) more than doubled from 3,5% market share to 7,5%, increasing by 231,6% and reaching 210 298 units. In the same quarter in 2020, 63 422 BEVs were sold. Plug-in hybrids soared even more with 255,8% to 235 730 units. The increase was less spectacular in Belgium, with 5 074 BEVs (+148%) sold in Q2 and 13 335 PHEVs (+206%).

The figures for electric car sales were boosted most by major markets like Germany, Spain, and France, EU car manufacturer’s federation ACEA says in its analysis. Although diesel and gasoline car sales grew compared to the same quarter impacted strongly by the corona crisis last year, the market share plunged further to 20,4% (down from 29,4%) for diesel and 41,8% (down from 51,9%) for gasoline.

Appetite for hybrids without a plug

The average European still has an appetite for HEVs, hybrid vehicles without a plug. They account for 19,3% of EU car registrations. Far most of them were sold in Italy (122 523), being also the country with most natural gas-powered vehicles sold (10 066) and other alternative fuels like LPG or ethanol (E85) accounting for 30 716 vehicles. To compare: only 16 978 BEVs were sold in that same Q2 in Italy.

Germany catching up

When we look at the battery-electric segment, including fuel cell vehicles (FCEVs), Europe is betting on being the only ones sold after 2035; Norway remains the frontrunner with 28 911 and still growing (+137%) thanks to the generous incentives. Germany has started to catch up due to the government’s incentive plan, with 84 127 BEVs sold (+357%), almost nearing the 85 524 PHEVs (+269,8%).

In the Netherlands, more than double the number of BEVs were sold (11 685) compared to Belgium (5 074). On the other hand, PHEVs were hotter in Belgium (13 335) than with their northern neighbors (8 210).

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Fit for 55: T&E fears PHEVs will slow down EV sales

Joris Van Roy Posted On July 19, 2021

Lobbying organization Transport & Environment (T&E) is worried the EU Commission’s Fit for 55 plans to reach zero emissions by 2050 will gain momentum too slowly, and the rollout of electric cars will be curbed before 2030. They’d liked to see stricter targets by 2025 already.

Flexibilities and ‘loopholes’ in the regulation will allow carmakers, according to T&E, to slow down EV roll out and rely longer on hybrid solutions still using a combustion engine with plug-in hybrids (PHEVs). As the favorable credits system stays in place only another 2% of additional CO2 reduction is needed before 2025.

The question is whether a stricter 2025 timeframe would be realistic with the fierce discussions ahead to get the proposal through the Parliament and the Council of Europe, where all member states have to agree with it too.

Right now, says T&E in its latest briefing, “EVs have entered the mass market much faster than previously expected, reaching 10,5% of new sales last year, and leading to an unprecedented drop in CO2 emissions of new cars by 12%.”

As cheap as ICE cars

Analysis by Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF), in a study T&E, commissioned with the research firm, show falling battery prices, and the development of optimized EV platforms will make full-electric sedans and SUVs from the C and D segments as cheap to produce as the versions with an internal combustion engine by 2025-2026. Small cars from the B-segment will follow no later than 2027. By then, Europe will be ‘hitting the EV inflection point’

That’s an idea that is supported to some extent in the car industry as well, as Audi CEO Markus Duesmann pointed out lately, saying, “In two to three years, our battery-electric cars will be just as profitable as the ones with combustion engines.”

But to get the proposed 55% CO2 reduction by 2030 (up from 37,5% previously), 67% of new cars sold should be zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) by then, T&E says. And that implicates these ZEVs (mostly battery-electric cars and vans) need to hit 22% in 2025 already and 37% in 2027. This would drive costs down to build EVs and lower prices for the end consumer too.

PHEVs part of the problem

But today, PHEVs are part of the problem and threaten to slow down battery-electric car development and sales, the NGO says. The problem with PHEVs is that they offer low CO2 emissions on paper, but in reality, they only come close to those figures if they can be driven electrical most of the time and only use their combustion engine sparsely.

It’s no secret that many early PHEV drivers – mostly large SUVs owned by companies- didn’t even bother to plug in their car and drove on gasoline all the time, earning them the label of ‘fake hybrids’. Recent studies showed in real life, those PHEVs often emit three to four times more than their official CO2 WLTP test results.

But the benefit for the carmakers is that the EU will award them favorable credits (0,37) for each car staying officially under 45 g CO2/km, due to the PHEV ZLEV credits system using a multiplier of 0,7 in the calculations of the total level of CO2 emission of all new cars sold by a manufacturer.

PHEV sales are still skyrocketing in Europe, with half a million sold last year alone. T&E calls upon the EU to restrict the multiplier to 0.1 from 2025 on, to force carmakers to bet on zero-emission vehicles more.

High real-world emissions

“PHEVs today have high real world emissions largely due to their poor design; small batteries, underpowered electric motors, and no fast charging, which make it hard for users to drive predominantly in zero-emission mode,” says T&E.

For T&E, making the credits system stricter would force carmakers to improve their PHEVs with electric motors matching the combustion engine’s performance, larger batteries offering at least 80 km of autonomy purely electric, and enabling fast-charging up to 50 kW to encourage the drivers to use it as intended.

No mercy for alternative fuels

Advanced fuel and synthetic fuels get no mercy from the environmental organizations as an intermediate solution. “The Commission was right to resist pressure from the oil and gas industry by not introducing a crediting system for advanced and synthetic fuels (e-fuels) in the new Regulation.”

“Policymakers must keep e-fuels out of the car (and van) CO2 standards, which would only serve to delay electrification in road transport, prolong the life of polluting engines, hit drivers in their pockets, and postpone the economy-wide decarbonization by diverting these fuels from where they are really needed (shipping, aviation, and heavy industry).”

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Europe’s maritime sector ‘welcomes’ Fit for 55 as a crowbar

Joris Van Roy Posted On July 16, 2021

The EU Commission Fit for 55 proposals are finally targeting the maritime shipping sector left undisturbed for decades regarding CO2 emissions. Shipping will be included in the Emissions Trading System (ETS), where companies will have to buy CO2-quotas from 2023.

In Europe, shipping companies are not averse to using the EU ETS system, although it’s not entirely what they hoped for. It could be useful as a crowbar to force the rest of the shipping world to further progress than the IMO (International Maritime Organization) so far. Outside the EU, the rest of the maritime world is not so enthusiastic.

Credits for every ton of CO2

Under the ETS Maritime proposals, shipping companies will have to buy credits for every ton of CO2 they are emitting during voyages between ports within Europe. And while their generators keep on turning at the dock to provide the ship with energy, if not connected to an onshore power supply (OPS).

For voyages originating from or with a destiny within the EU, 50% of the total CO2 emissions will be considered. The EU ETS will focus on large ships — above 5 000 gross tonnage — loading or unloading cargo or passengers at ports in the European Economic Area (EEA), regardless of the flag they fly.

Meager IMO targets

It will be implemented gradually from 2023 on for part of the emissions, increasing to 100% by 2026. The Commission’s targets are to ‘limit greenhouse gas intensity of the energy used on-board ships by -2% (compared to 2020) by 2025, -6% by 2030, -13% by 2035 up to -75% by 2050. That’s quite a difference with the meager targets of -40% (compared to 2008) in 2030 and -50% by 2050 set by the IMO.

Danish Shipping’s Executive Director of Security, Environment, and Maritime Research, Maria Skipper Schwenn, called the Fit for 55 in a first reaction ‘looking very reasonably’. “We support shipping being a part of the ETS, but we would have preferred that the Commission start with travels between two EU-ports,” she added in a comment.

“That would have made room for negotiations on global solutions at the IMO. “If the EU plays its cards right, the tariffs in the proposal could be used to put pressure on the global CO2 prices at the IMO, and consequently contribute to creating unified, international solutions.”

Serving as an incubator

The European shipowners’ association, ECSA, said it preferred an international solution for shipping but welcomes the ‘increased climate ambition of the EU’. “We recognize that shipping should contribute its fair share to address the climate crisis, at EU level as well,” said ECSA President Claes Berglund.

Even the world’s largest shipping company based in Denmark, A.P. Moller–Maersk, supports most proposals. “The EU basket of measures should serve as an incubator to show the International Maritime Organization that significant GHG reductions are possible and do not lead to major increases in consumer prices,” CEO Søren Skou writes at LinkedIn.

Revenue-raising exercise

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), representing 80% of worldwide ship owners and ship operators via national shipowners associations, is less happy with the EU’s move. It says, “the EU overreach threatens to sink shipping’s decarbonization efforts.”

“Other than as an ideological revenue-raising exercise, which will greatly upset the EU’s trading partners, it’s difficult to see what extending the EU ETS to shipping will achieve towards reducing CO2, particularly as the proposal only covers about 7,5% of shipping’s global emissions. This could seriously put back climate negotiations for the remaining 92,5% of shipping emissions,” says Guy Platten, secretary-general of ICS.

According to the IMO, maritime transport emits around 940 million tonnes of CO₂ annually and is responsible for about 2,5% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. According to the EU Commission, in Europe, the maritime sector is responsible for 4% of GHG emissions, compared to 3,8% for aviation and 20,4% for road traffic.

Alternative fuels

In addition, the EU will gradually introduce a fuel standard to push forward the use of alternative fuels by lower levies. But that’s something NGOs like Transport & Environment (T&E) don’t like as an instrument.

“The FuelEU Maritime proposal could lead to more than half (55%) of the energy used by ships calling at EU ports being LNG and biofuels by 2035,” T&E says in a press release. “This is despite LNG offering minimal emissions reductions and releasing methane – a global warming gas up to 36 times more potent than CO2.” It would be better to focus on hydrogen and ammonia as an alternative, says T&E.

Energy / Europe / Mobility / Top Stories Today

France: Half of highway ‘aires’ have fast charging for EVs

Luc Joris Posted On July 16, 2021

At the time of departure for vacation in France, half of the highway ‘aires’, that is to say, 164, are now equipped with fast-charging stations. In theory, this allows a recharge to 80% in less than 20 minutes. However, all the areas must be equipped by the end of 2022.

France now has 43 700 charging stations for electric vehicles open to the public and has accelerated their installation since the beginning of this year. 11 000 additional charging stations have been installed since January (33%), including 5 000 in the last two months, said the Ministry of Ecological Transition, which had set in October 2020 a target of 100 000 charging stations by the end of 2021.

Speed up the efforts

“The year 2021 marks a real acceleration on the deployment of charging stations, but we know that we still need to accelerate more because it remains one of the main levers for the development of electric vehicles,” said the Minister of Ecological Transition, Barbara Pompili, in a statement.

However, with the ‘Fit for 55’ package that the European Commission put on the table on Thursday, the Ministers also said that the manufacturers would have to speed up their efforts concerning combustion engines.

The Fit for 55 package concerns all the revisions and initiatives linked to the European Green Deal climate actions and, in particular, the climate target plan’s 55% net reduction target.

One of the initiatives that the European Commission has proposed is to reduce CO2 emissions from new cars in the EU to zero from 2035, which would de facto stop sales of gasoline and diesel vehicles at that date in favor of 100% electric drives.

New measures and an acceleration plan

France now has more than 612 000 public and private charging points, including company parking lots, condominiums, and individuals. 2 700 of them have a power greater than 50 kilowatts. In Europe, France has the most charging points, along with the Netherlands and Germany.

For some years already, the French government has claimed its ambition to reach seven million charging points by 2030.

Electric vehicle sales accounted for 7,9% of the French market in the first half of 2021, compared with 6,3% in 2020. According to manufacturer figures, plug-in hybrids accounted for 7,8% of the market, compared with 2,8% in 2020.

According to Jean-Baptiste Djebarri, the Minister Delegate for Transport, the French government will announce new measures and an acceleration plan in September, together with the automotive industry.

Aviation / Climate / Environment / Europe / Top Stories Today / Weekly Newsletter

Aviation sector calls kerosine tax ‘counter-productive’

Joris Van Roy Posted On July 15, 2021

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reacts as stung by a bee to the EU Commission’s intention to tax kerosine in the future for flights within the EU. It warns “that the reliance on taxation as the solution for cutting aviation emissions in the EU’s ‘Fit for 55’ proposal is counter-productive to the goal of sustainable aviation.”

Dutch airline KLM goes even further, saying that a tax on kerosine in Europe might tempt other air carriers to fly an alternative route to avoid it and even cause higher emissions overall.

Thomas Reynaert, Managing Director of Airlines for Europe (A4E) representing several European airlines says that “badly designed European taxes will not reduce emissions. By making flying more expensive, it may shift demand globally and reduce traffic locally. But it will not tackle the source of the emissions.”

‘We don’t need punitive measures’

“Aviation is committed to decarbonization as a global industry. We don’t need persuading or punitive measures like taxes to motivate change. In fact, taxes siphon money from the industry that could support emissions’ reducing investments in fleet renewal and clean technologies. To reduce emissions, we need governments to implement a constructive policy framework that, most immediately, focuses on production incentives for Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) and delivering the Single European Sky,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director-General.

For the sector, the solution is to invest in alternative fuels to start with and zero-emission planes on hydrogen within a few decades. The sector is rather skeptical that zero-emission flying is something to rely on within the 2030 timeframe set by the EU’s Fit for 55. Airbus, for instance, is envisioning airplanes on hydrogen no sooner than 2035 to get airborne.

IATA emphasizes that Sustainable Aviation Fuels are reducing emissions by up to 80% compared to traditional jet fuel. But insufficient supply and high prices have limited airline uptake to 120 million liters in 2021—a small fraction of the 350 billion liters that airlines would consume in a ‘normal’ year.

Investments in new fleets

“For aviation, future European policies are crucial to ensure investment in new fleet, Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs), new technologies — such as electric and hydrogen aircraft, and to achieve more efficient air traffic management via an updated Single European Sky,” A4E says.

That ‘Single European Sky’ would avoid unnecessary emissions from fragmented air traffic management between member states. It could cut back Europe’s aviation emissions between 6-10%, says IATA, but national governments continue to delay implementation.

Supporting CORSIA

The sector is highly concerned about competition becoming warped if Europe enforces its own ETS system and would like to hold on to CORSIA, which is far less restrictive.

The Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (SORSIA) was developed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and adopted in October 2016. Aircraft operators have to purchase carbon credits from the carbon market starting in 2021. But the scheme is voluntary for all countries until 2027.

“The industry supports the (CORSIA) as a global measure for all international aviation. It avoids creating a patchwork of uncoordinated national or regional measures such as the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, that can undermine international cooperation.”

“Overlapping schemes can lead to the same emissions being paid for more than once. IATA is extremely concerned by the Commission’s proposal that European States would no longer implement CORSIA on all international flights.”

Climate / Environment / Europe / Industry / Top Stories Today / Weekly Newsletter

EU’s Fit for 55: carmakers blow hot and cold

Joris Van Roy Posted On July 15, 2021

In an initial reaction to the EU Commission’s ‘Fit for 55’ climate proposals, European carmakers are blowing hot and cold through their Brussels-based federation ACEA. European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) says it is “eager to study the full details” to start with.

On the one hand, they support climate neutrality by 2050 and even applaud higher prices for fossil fuels through ETS carbon pricing to stimulate the transition. But, on the other, they break a lance for the ‘highly efficient’ internal combustion engine (ICE) to be ‘spared’ from damnation in 2035 and be used with low- and zero-carbon fuels.

Speed up transformation

The carmakers are convinced the proposed CO2 reduction of 55% by 2030 (compared to 2021 levels) ‘will be very challenging’. “It will significantly speed up the structural transformation of the automotive value chain, requiring careful management to minimize the impact on our economy and jobs,” the press release states.

ACEA President and CEO of BMW, Olivier Zipse, subtly points out that the new CO2 standards will require a massive increase in the demand for electric vehicles in a short timeframe. It will require a corresponding binding target for member states to build up the required charging and refueling infrastructure.

The EU Commission proposes that the member states to build fast-charging points up to 300 kW every 60 kilometers on major highways and hydrogen refueling points every 150 kilometers.

Targets fall short

ACEA says it is “very concerned that the targets fall far short of what is required, with a worrying reference to just 3,5 million charging points by 2030.” Yet, according to the Commission’s own assessment, by 2050, six million publicly available charging points will be needed.

And this should include sufficient high-power chargers for electric trucks, as ACEA warned earlier. In April, ACEA and NGO Transport & Environment warned in a joint letter to the EU Commission for three to six times more zero-emission trucks to hit the road by 2030 than assumed so far by the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy, which counts on 80 000.

To accommodate this fleet, both organizations plead for stringent standards for all member states by the EU to have a network of at least 11 000 heavy EV truck chargers and 300 hydrogen filling stations by 2025. By 2030, this should be 42 000 public heavy-duty chargers and 1 000 H2-filling stations at least.

But going purely electric won’t bring universal happiness either, ACEA warns. It’s not willing to give up the combustion engine and hybrid solutions it sells well today, especially the German premium brands.

Banning a single technology

“It is not the internal combustion engine that is detrimental to the environment, but fossil-based fuels. Without the availability of renewable fuels, a 100% reduction target in 2035 is effectively a ban on the internal combustion engine,” says the press release. “Banning a single technology is not a rational way forward at this stage – especially when Europe is still struggling to get the right enabling conditions in place for alternatively-powered vehicles.”

Meanwhile, ACEA, which also represents the European truck manufacturers, is not opposed to making fuels for road transport gradually more expensive. “The extension of the EU’s Emissions Trading System (ETS) to road transport fuels is also welcome as it will help to put a visible price on carbon, thus incentivizing the use of low- and zero-carbon fuels. Moreover, if the regulatory framework is set right, this could help make zero-emission vehicles competitive and attractive for our customers.

Breaking News / Climate / Environment / Europe / Top Stories Today / Weekly Newsletter

EU Commission: world’s most ambitious package of climate laws

Joris Van Roy Posted On July 14, 2021

On Wednesday afternoon, the EU Commission presented the much anticipated – and feared – ‘Fit for 55’ package of 12 climate laws to make the target of 55% CO2 reduction by 2030 agreed by the member states a reality. So far, the world’s most ambitious plan will ultimately lead to carbon neutrality by 2050 if it survives the fierce discussions that are to follow.

The twelve propositions will cut deep into the life of every EU citizen. Most controversial are the CO2 taxes energy suppliers will have to pay on oil and gas, which they will balance in the prices for electricity, gas for heating, and the fuel prices at the pump.

A fund of €72 billion between 2025 and 2032, called the Social Climate Fund, will be set up with the revenues of the CO2 tax to mitigate the effects for the most vulnerable. Belgium is to get €1,9 billion out of it.

Cluster of laws

The package that was worked out by the EU Commissioner for the Green Deal, Frans Timmermans, and his principal private secretary, Diederik Samson, is a cluster of laws that interconnect and touch all kinds of sectors.

In transport, an ETS CO2 pricing system for airlines and the shipping sector will be enforced starting in 2023. In aviation exemptions granted today will be cut back gradually between 2026 and 2036 to disappear completely.

President Ursula von der Leyen used the example of one cruise ship producing as much CO2 as 80 000 cars to illustrate the need to act in the maritime sector. All these extra taxes the transport sector fear are to undermine the competitiveness of EU companies to the rest of the world.

Import tax for most polluting sectors

In Europe, free emission rights certain industries can rely on today will be drastically reduced. In five sectors known to be the most CO2-emitting of all (steel, aluminum, fertilizers, cement, and electricity), the EU will impose an import tax mechanism to force suppliers from outside the EU to comply with the same CO2 rules as the European industry.

Traffic is responsible for 40% of the CO2 emissions, Timmermans said and pointed at the fact that despite the car industry making a turning point toward more sustainability, those emissions have only gone up in recent years.

EV better alternative

The car industry faces a fierce Euro 7 standard to reduce CO2 emissions further by 55%. It will force to add new (expensive) technology that would price the classic internal combustion engine out of the market, especially in small cars, where margins are already flimsy. But also the supercars won’t be able to escape: they will be (fully) electric or have to disappear.

1 500 euros for a car

The Commission expects the car industry to release more electric models in the coming years and more second-hand EVs coming to the market in time. That will be necessary, says Timmermans, as “millions of Europeans couldn’t spend more than 1 500 euros on a second-hand car so far”.

The car industry repeatedly warned that to make electric cars a viable alternative, the charging and eventually the hydrogen refueling infrastructure must follow. The EU Commission’s plan will push the member states to build fast-charging points up to 300 kW every 60 kilometers on major highways and hydrogen refueling points every 150 kilometers.

Skyrocketing energy prices

In the last few days, hot-tempered discussions were held behind the scenes in Brussels to fill in the last details of the plan that will determine to a great extent the everyday life of everybody in Europe for the next thirty years.

Skyrocketing energy prices are feared to ignite a new wave of yellow-vests protests not only in France but in many countries. Especially Thierry Breton, the French Commissioner for the Internal Market, is said to be worried. It won’t be fuel prices at the gas station only, but also fuel for heating houses that will be affected by the ETS system imposed upon the oil industry.

President Macron announced that France will continue to support plug-in hybrid cars just yesterday despite the possible EU ban on cars with an internal combustion engine (ICE). It pleads for an exception for PHEVs when new ICE vehicles sales will be forbidden in 2035. Unfortunately, that’s not on the table so far.

Not written in stone yet

Other countries – like the East European countries fearing they can’t carry the heavy burden – will try to push to mitigate the measures and lower standards for themselves. But, at the same time, they will try getting as much money as possible from the other member states to finance their transition. That’s something other countries in the West look upon with sorrow, as they don’t want the EU to become a ‘money pump’ for the East.

The ‘Fit for 55’ package is not written in stone yet, as the European Parliament and the Council of Europe of the 27 member states still have to agree with what the Commission has put on the table. Timmermans warned, however, that the package can’t be stripped down without compensating elsewhere to reach the target agreed already of 55% CO2 reduction.

Environment / Europe / Industry / Legislation / Top Stories Today

NIO gets EU certification for its battery-swapping system

Joris Van Roy Posted On July 13, 2021

Chinese start-up electric carmaker NIO has acquired CE & TÜV certifications for the NIO Power Swap Station, its DC Power Charger up to 180kW, and NIO’s AC wall box called ‘Power Home’. As a result, it now can roll out its battery-swapping service and charging infrastructure in all EU member states, starting with four stations in Norway. The first shipment is already on its way.

In June, NIO obtained the European Whole Vehicle Type Approval (EWVTA) for its flagship electric SUV, the NIO ES8, in its adapted EU version. NIO will start importing the car in Norway in September. In 2022, the NIO ET7 sedan is scheduled for launch in Europe too.

European first

The ES8 comes with all NIO’s features like the direct sales and service network encompassing NIO House, NIO App for European users, Power Swap Stations, and NIO Life. Especially the battery swapping stations where the battery of the car can be switched in under three minutes will be a European first.

NIO Norway’s first service and delivery center in Oslo will also open in September. In addition, four battery swapping stations will be set up in Oslo this year, with more to come in 2022 in Bergen, Stavanger, Trondheim, and Kristiansand.

NIO has adapted its second-generation swapping stations – presented in April – for the European market and got CE certification from TÜV Rheinland. Each station will be capable of 312 battery swaps per day. NIO also wants to build a network of 180 kW fast-chargers in Norway but didn’t specify how many yet.

NIO comes to Europe with its whole ecosystem of battery charging and swapping solutions /NIO

4 000 swapping stations

On the NIO Power Day in Shanghai held last week, the company said it has built 301 NIO Power Swap stations, 204 Power Charger stations, and 382 destination charging stations in China and completed more than 2,9 million swaps already.

This year, NIO wants to set up 700 swapping stations in China, 200 more than initially targeted. So by the end of 2025, NIO will have over 4 000 battery swap stations worldwide, with around 1 000 outside of China. It also ensures BaaS (Battery-as-a-Service) will be fully available.

Swapping batteries for holidays

In China, NIO batteries are owned and leased by the new third-party battery asset management company, called Weineng Battery Asset Company. As a result, consumers can have their battery pack swapped and upgrade or downgrade to different packs (70, 100, or 150 kWh) as needed.

All models from the Chinese carmaker – three luxury electric SUVs – EC6, ES8, and ES6 – and the ET7 flagship sedan – are designed from the ground up to have swappable batteries.

In August last year, NIO announced partnering with the world’s biggest battery manufacturer, CATL, among others, in a joint venture to offer swappable battery packs for its EVs in a program called ‘Battery-as-a-Service’ (BaaS). So you can lease a 70 kWh battery for daily use, for instance, and swap to a 100 kWh battery just for a holiday.

Like Tesla did as an experiment in California, Renault used to pioneer the technology of battery swapping already in Europe some ten years ago with the help of an Israeli company – called the Better Place network – for its electric sedan Fluence Z.E. Apparently, Renault CEO Luca de Meo asked his engineers to take a new look at the idea, without any formal decision, saying he sees opportunities from a business point of view.

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