January 06, 2025
D’Ieteren Automotive, Belgium’s largest car importer of all Volkswagen brands, with branches in energy services, is merging its charging business (EDI) and solar production and battery storage solutions (Go Solar) into one single unit, “D’Ieteren Energy.” The group is also active in other mobility sectors related to cycling (Lucien, Joule), shared mobility (Poppy, TaxisVerts), and […]
December 31, 2024
In 2026, the most important federations and associations in the Belgian automotive and mobility sector will move to a building in Diegem, on the Flemish outskirts of Brussels, under a single roof. The building, offering more than 7,000 square meters of space, was acquired by the importer federation Febiac (bought from building contractor Ghelamco). All […]
December 19, 2024
With the self-confident slogan ‘Leadership in Motion’, BMW Group Belux has presented its vision of what happened last year for the BMW Group in Belgium and its plans for 2025. Apart from being number one in Belgium and Luxembourg for the fourth consecutive year, the most noticeable fact is that Mini distribution’s switch to the […]
December 04, 2024
It was already an option in China, but now it’s also available in Europe, in the countries where NIO is already present: temporarily swapping your ‘daily’ standard battery for a bigger, longer-range one, like for going on a holiday trip. The Chinese premium EV maker lets you buy an EV without the battery, offering the […]
November 26, 2024
From December 1st, the American ride-hailing service Uber will also start offering its services throughout Wallonia, just as it already does in Flanders and Brussels. New regulations in Wallonia will make expansion possible. In February, Uber had already launched its UberTaxi service, a classic stand-up cab service in several cities in Wallonia. The price is […]
November 13, 2024
Hertz reported a staggering €1.2 billion net loss in the third quarter, driven mainly by the write-down on its fleet of electric vehicles (€0.9 billion). The results, which fell significantly short of analyst expectations, highlighted the mounting challenges of the ambitious shift towards electrification for rental and leasing companies. Hertz’s losses stem primarily from a […]
November 12, 2024
Dutch fast-charging chain Fastned will deploy eleven fast-charging stations in the Belgian province of Luxembourg in the next twelve to eighteen months. Fastned won a tender from the inter-municipal group Idelux, which – under tourism pressure – wants to address the ‘EV-charging desert landscape’ in Wallonia. The Belgian province of Luxembourg, bordering the Grand Duchy […]
November 07, 2024
Humanoid robots are the next big thing if we’re to believe Elon Musk and the Chinese are definitely on the same wavelength. Chinese carmaker Chery is introducing its robotic car-babe, Mornine, nowadays to guide you through the Omoda or Jaecoo showroom of the future. She is unmistakably a female with her Coca-Cola body shape in […]
October 18, 2024
Poppy, a provider of shared and rental cars, is pulling out of Liège due to too many incidents with the shared cars, according to its marketing director, Pierre de Schaetzen. Poppy, a subsidiary of the Brussels holding company D’Ieteren, has been operating in Liège since early February 2023, the company’s first steps in Wallonia. Around […]
October 08, 2024
The business newspaper L’Echo writes that there is a good chance that the measure requiring all new cabs in Brussels to be emission-free by January 1st, 2025, will be postponed for a year. The main reason would be that there are not enough charging stations in the Brussels Region, while the high price of new […]
October 08, 2024
Nissan joined the ‘club’ one month after BMW, Honda, and Ford started operating their shared US EV-charging network ChargeScape. The three founding automakers have been researching the possibility of a standard charging service network for some time and have turned their findings into a business. Nissan will be a 25% equity partner in the charging […]
October 02, 2024
In the city center of Namur, you can now take an e-shuttle for free. The shuttles replace the TEC buses, which have been unable to travel in the pedestrian zone since the beginning of May. The four shuttles are primarily intended for people who have difficulty getting around but are also available to everyone free […]
September 25, 2024
Seven years after starting its car-sharing service under the wings of D’Ieteren Automotive Lab Box, Poppy Mobility is adding taxi services in Brussels with 800 ‘top-rated’ drivers from another D’Ieteren daughter, TaxiVerts. In a press release, Poppy says that it will “source the highest-rated drivers, who will be vetted through a double screening process. Drivers […]
September 19, 2024
Newmobility.news reported before that Danish car subscription start-up :Dribe is ogling Belgium to export its fully digital platform to the rest of Europe. Now, the Danish say about one in five (18%) Belgians would consider a car subscription instead of ownership. The latter might have been spurred by the success of Swedish-Chinese Lynk & Co […]
September 18, 2024
The Belgian postal company Bpost recently ordered 168 new bike trailers, bringing the total to more than 600 vehicles. Postmen can use them to deliver parcels. The new e-bike trailers, which can accommodate up to fifty parcels and letters and a maximum weight of 150 kilograms, will be delivered in 2025. By 2030, all deliveries […]
August 29, 2024
Driveco, a French operator of charging stations for electric vehicles, wants to install 1,500 charging stations in Belgium by 2030 and will allocate 15 million euros for this purpose. The company is already present in Belgium, with 70 charging stations in fifteen different stations, but the goal is to increase that number considerably in the […]
August 26, 2024
This summer, electric vehicles began traveling in France. The number of charging sessions has exploded on the highway aires, but there was no capacity overdemand. In July, energy provider TotalEnergies noticed a strong increase (+127%) in charging sessions on highways and expressways’ fast-charger sites. During the same period, the number of charging points doubled. Between […]
August 23, 2024
It seems that Opel’s UK department, Vauxhall, doesn’t agree with John Cleese’s opinion that wordplay is the lowest form of humor. Because by presenting the Mokka Cofe-e, the brand has taken the name of its car model very literally. Carmakers like to fool around once in a while. When some clever marketeer found out that […]
August 19, 2024
Dutch fast-charging chain Fastned saw its revenue in the first six months of 2024 grow by 45% to €37.8 million compared to the year before and claims to be in a prime position as a top 3 fast-charging company in Western Europe. Profitability rose, with underlying company EBITDA growing by 12% to €3.2 million. Still, […]
August 16, 2024
Complaining on social media about poor service? They know all about that at the Belgian public railroad company NMBS/SNCB, plagued as it is by the many delayed and canceled trains. Yet NMBS’s communication strategy on X, formerly Twitter, has significantly reduced the number of complaint tweets, according to the doctoral research of administrative scientist Steven […]
August 13, 2024
BMW has enhanced its brand apps, My BMW and MINI App, with a new Electric Vehicle Analysis function allowing customers who drive a BMW with a combustion engine to simulate how well an all-electric BMW would suit their driving profile. In other words, accurate data to cure its petrol heads’ range anxiety. The setup is […]
August 12, 2024
Chargemap is the first EV charging platform to gain compatibility with Tesla’s supercharger network. Users of the Chargemap Pass can now charge directly at almost every Supercharger in Europe with the same account they use for any other charger, but there are some caveats. After an initial trial run in France, Chargemap extended the compatibility […]
August 01, 2024
American ride-hailing giant Uber has cut a deal with Chinese carmaker BYD to offer 100,000 electric cars at lower vehicle pricing and financing to Uber drivers in Europe and Latin America in the following years. The US is omitted as President Biden raises tariffs on Chinese EVs to 102.5% this year, but the Middle East, […]
July 19, 2024
Ursula von der Leyen, reappointed on Thursday by the European Parliament as president of the European Commission, wants to make train travel more accessible by creating a standard reservation system at the EU level. She said this in the political guidelines for the next legislature for 2024-2029, just before the vote for her reappointment. “We […]
July 19, 2024
Volvo Cars has partnered with Hubject, a specialist in OEM and charging point interoperability, to enable Plug&Charge compatibility in its fully electric vehicles. The EX90 SUV will become the first Volvo to feature Plug&Charge, with other electric models to follow. Plug&Charge is the official standard that allows electric vehicles to recharge at a charging point […]
July 18, 2024
According to Dutch energy expert Koen Kuijper, author of the website ‘energievergelijk.nl’ (‘energy comparison’), holidaymakers pay significantly different rates for electric charging abroad. Prices often vary depending on the country where they ‘refuel’. “Anyone who will soon be going on or returning from a holiday abroad with an electric car would be wise to compare […]
July 16, 2024
In the coming weeks, bicycle repair kiosks will be installed at some 30 NMBS/SNCB train stations in Belgium. These stands will allow cyclists to carry out minor repairs to their bikes themselves. The first stands have been installed at Duffel (Antwerp) and Enghien (Hainaut) stations. The stands are part of the NMBS/SNCB plan to make […]
July 11, 2024
Belgian national railway company NMBS/SCNB’s train passengers were slightly less satisfied with the service in 2023 than the previous year, as shown in the company’s activity report. On average, passengers gave NMBS a score of 7,17 out of 10. In 2022, this was still 7,26 out of 10. This is a new way of calculating […]
July 11, 2024
Electra, the European specialist in fast chargers for electric vehicles, and Uber, the largest ride-hailing platform in Belgium, have entered into a partnership on fast chargers. Together, they want to accelerate the transition to electric driving. Throughout Belgium, drivers who use the Uber platform will be able to charge faster and cheaper with Electra. They […]
July 11, 2024
Brussels municipalities want to introduce a uniform tax of 125 euros per plug for public electric charging stations by early 2025, writes the business newspaper De Tijd. The news is confirmed by Vincent De Wolf (MR), president of the Conference of Mayors of the Brussels Region and mayor of Etterbeek. The proposal, already debated in […]
July 08, 2024
The insolvent electric car manufacturer Fisker wants to sell off the stock of its Ocean e-SUV for just 2,500 to 16,500 dollars per vehicle. Meanwhile, existing Ocean owners are seeking legal advice to keep their cars running. Fisker hopes to sell off its entire inventory of remaining Oceans in a deal that would bring the […]
June 27, 2024
The Croatian capital of Zagreb will be the first European city to host a fleet of fully autonomous robotaxis, which Rimac Group will make. That Croatian technology powerhouse manufactures electric hypercars like the Nevera and owns the Bugatti brand. It also provides technology to global automakers like Porsche or BMW. The Verne robotaxi is built […]
June 24, 2024
Fisker’s bankruptcy leaves thousands of Ocean SUV owners in limbo. With the company’s future in doubt, customer concern about the long-term support and maintenance for their cars is growing. In the US, they decided to unite. The European branch is still up and running, so servicing is not an immediate worry. Some Ocean owners have […]
June 18, 2024
Lancia’s unexpected European comeback starts in Belgium and Luxembourg, where the famous Italian brand strategically relaunched itself in six dealerships. This marks the beginning of the brand’s ambitious ten-year plan, which aims to re-establish the brand in the European premium segment. The opening of six new showrooms took place over the weekend. The newly opened […]
June 12, 2024
As well as being a part of Milence, the joint venture between the major truck manufacturers for public charging solutions, Scania has established Erinion, a charging solutions company for depot and destination charging. It aims to install 40,000 new charging points at customer locations by 2030. According to Scania, depot charging will be the primary […]
June 06, 2024
Stijn Blanckaert (50) is the new Managing Director of the Belgian Federation of Vehicle Rental Companies, Renta. Its predecessor, Frank Van Gool, recently announced that he would be the new CEO of Febiac, so his place was vacant at Renta. Renta President Johan Portier hasn’t waited too long to assign its successor: “We are very […]
May 31, 2024
At the demand of Flemish Mobility Minister Lydia Peeters, the Flemish government has consented to a five-year pilot project allowing approved repairers to proceed to certain car re-inspections. The project aims to reduce the waiting lines and times at the official inspection centers. After evaluation, another 5 years can be added. The Minister expects that […]
May 31, 2024
The five Flemish provincial governments have launched ‘fietsbarometer.be’, a website offering all information on cycling data. With the site, they want to map all existing and future cycling initiatives and gain better insight into the cost of investments in cycling infrastructure and road safety. Four themes On the website, you can choose from four themes: […]
May 27, 2024
Last Friday, the board of manufacturer and importer federation Febiac appointed Frank Van Gool as its new CEO, replacing Andreas Cremer on the 1st of July. Frank Van Gool (52) is well-known in the Belgian automotive business. Since 2013, he has been the managing director of Renta, the Belgian Federation of Vehicle Rental Companies, and […]
May 16, 2024
Parking service provider Parkopedia has expanded its partnership with BMW Group to provide EV drivers with additional EV Point of Interest data, enabling them to make more informed decisions about when and where to charge their vehicles. The new partnership is designed to provide EV drivers with photos and ratings for charging locations alongside Parkopedia-provided […]
April 29, 2024
Mobility Club Touring launched a new online car platform, Touring CarSelect, that focuses on qualitative second-hand cars or immediately available stock cars. To do so, it collaborates with financial and insurance partners BNP Paribas Fortis and AG, not coincidentally their new shareholders since last year, to offer a complete and interesting package. Important second-hand market […]
April 24, 2024
Yesterday, the federal and regional mobility ministers in Belgium officially launched MyBike, the first free national bicycle register to help prevent bicycle theft. The draft law for this was already approved last year, but now, therefore, the registration of bicycles can officially start. Owners can store the details of their bicycles, file a report, and […]
April 23, 2024
Luxembourg has completed its fourth tender call for charging infrastructure and has assigned funding to support the construction of 434 new charging points. Following the fourth call for projects to support companies investing in charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, the Luxembourg government has selected 34 projects to install 434 new charging points. The companies will […]
April 22, 2024
The Mercedes concept van for sustainable logistics has been updated to enhance the efficiency of its battery pack. It also introduces an integrated solution for last-mile delivery, linking the van to cargo bikes from Onomotion. This aims to reduce waiting times and relieve traffic infrastructure. Mercedes-Benz Vans debuted the Sustaineer in 2022 to showcase sustainability […]
April 19, 2024
Renault enhances its distribution network with a new concept point-of-sale format called ‘rnlt©’, a name that reflects this new type of distribution: modern, compact, and condensed. These new stores will provide visitors with a comprehensive experience of the Renault brand and its products. Immersive experience in a compact universe As a showcase for the brand, […]
April 18, 2024
Jeroen van Tilburg, Tesla’s former Head of Charging in the EMEA region, will replace Michael Hajesch as CEO of Ionity on May 13th, 2024. He will have to use his experience growing the American manufacturer’s charging network to do the same for the European joint venture as electric mobility becomes commonplace and charging infrastructure becomes […]
April 17, 2024
French company Hype’s hydrogen taxis are coming to Brussels, according to the business newspaper L’Echo. To tackle the market in the Belgian capital, Hype notably acquired a stake in the local taxi company Mol-Tax. The company would also install its green hydrogen stations in Brussels. Second hydrogen taxi project in Brussels From 2025, all new […]
April 09, 2024
Interparking is equipping the public car parks at Brussels Airport with more than 700 charging points for EVs. These slow charging points are optimized for long parking periods and are perfect for cars that stay for several days or weeks while the owner is traveling. There are no additional charges for parking in these car […]
April 08, 2024
ALD Automotive/LeasePlan and Smart Europe GmbH have come to an agreement to offer the two recent Smart models, the #1 and the #3, to companies and individual buyers in a private or operational leasing formula. Both individual and professional clients are now able to lease the Smart #1 and its somewhat larger brother, the Smart […]
April 03, 2024
Danish car subscription start-up ‘:Dribe’ is ogling Belgium to export its fully digital platform to the rest of Europe. Offering subscriptions of 30 days and the freedom to switch cars when needed, this concept of Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) goes beyond any car leasing platform, the company claims. “We want to do this in collaboration with a […]
March 29, 2024
Ford has signed an agreement with Dutch charging infrastructure specialist Allego to equip its European dealerships with fast-charging points, providing up to 400 kW of power and offering lower prices for FordPass Charging customers. The rollout of these chargers will begin this year. The way to get customers back into dealerships? Why not offer a […]
March 19, 2024
Bolt, an Estonian mobility company that offers ride-hailing, micro-mobility rental, and car-sharing services, among other things, expands its service range in Brussels with the launch of a category dedicated to Persons with Reduced Mobility (PRM), underscoring its commitment to more inclusive urban mobility. The new category includes 30 vehicles specially equipped to meet accessibility needs, […]
March 13, 2024
On Tuesday, Belgium’s most significant car importer, D’Ieteren Automotive, kicked off its own B2B ‘motor show’ in the industrial settings of Silo Brussels, a former brewery and malthouse located along the canal at Neder-Over-Heembeek. Called ‘Mobility Solutions’ by D’Ieteren, it demonstrates it’s no longer about selling cars only but rather focusing on a far broader […]
March 05, 2024
The Dutch electricity grid is becoming increasingly saturated. Top executive Maarten Otto of energy network company Alliander confirmed this when presenting the annual results. He added that demand is growing much faster than the pace at which the grids can be expanded for years, and expansion of the net is not expected to provide additional […]
February 27, 2024
Ayvens, the result of the merger between ALD Automotive and Leaseplan, has concluded a framework agreement with Stellantis to purchase up to half a million vehicles by 2026. The deal with Ayvens includes several Stellantis brands and cars with different drives, including electric. First significant delivery volumes are expected to begin in the first half […]
February 16, 2024
Since this Wednesday, February 14th, the Uber application has been available in three large Walloon cities: Liège, Namur, and Mons. Ten years after its establishment in Flanders and Brussels, the American company of independent drivers is expanding its services in the south of the country. However, the service only allows you to book ‘traditional’ taxis. […]
January 31, 2024
Confident in the quality of its products, Peugeot offers customers of the new e-3008 ‘Peugeot Allure Care’”, a program that guarantees peace of mind by covering the electric motor, charger, powertrain, and the main electrical and mechanical components for up to 8 years/160 000 km. At the second E-Lion Day, the Stellantis daughter also promised […]
January 22, 2024
Since last year, taking rides in horse-drawn carriages in the center of Brussels has no longer been possible. The city will come up with an alternative this summer: the horse-drawn carriages will be replaced by three electric ones, a unique in Europe, according to Brussels news site BRUZZ. The electric ones will be operated by […]
January 16, 2024
Gas station operator Q8 and energy company Storm will build a network of up to 200 fast charging stations in Belgium – about half with a shop or restaurant. That is what both companies announced on Monday. They call it “a unique partnership”. The project represents an investment of up to 250 million euros. Both […]
January 15, 2024
After signing last year a contract with Qbuzz, a public transport operator in the Netherlands, to deliver 54 battery-electric buses of its latest type A battery-electric city bus, Belgian bus builder Van Hool may deliver another 112 before the end of this year. That’s a gift from the gods, as up to 65% of the […]
