December 16, 2021
Mobility organization Traxio, the Belgian federation of car dealerships, garages, and second-hand car sales outlets, has ‘promoted’ website AutoTrends.be to its preferred professional channel for second-hand cars offered with a guarantee by its members. The wanted-ad site of the likely-named car magazine run by journalist and racing driver Stéphane Lémeret engages itself to feature only […]
December 15, 2021
Earlier this year, Belgian car importer D’Ieteren announced that – besides car import – it would also focus on bicycle distribution and maintenance. Today, the group puts its money where its mouth is with the second major acquisition of iBikes, a group of bicycle shops in the Antwerp region. D’Ieteren has already made a significant […]
December 15, 2021
On Saturday, a serious road accident involving a Tesla Model 3 taxi left one person dead and 20 injured, three of whom were seriously injured. While the taxi driver was not in service and the cause of the accident is still being investigated, Parisian taxi company G7 has decided to temporarily withdraw its 37 Tesla […]
December 08, 2021
Software is the new gold in the automotive industry. Stellantis Group has unveiled its digital ambitions and wants to generate 4 billion euros by 2026 from software products and subscriptions. These revenues are expected to fivefold (20 billion euros) by the end of the decade. Replacing the old system of making money through the options […]
December 02, 2021
Trade unions and management at the Belgian D’Ieteren car group have reached a social agreement on the closure of the Drogenbos and Ixelles sites. Around a hundred employees will lose their job. The closure is scheduled for December 31, says the union. In June, negotiations were started at D’Ieteren to reduce the wage and working […]
November 30, 2021
A few hundred taxi drivers demonstrated on Tuesday morning in front of the Brussels Parliament to oppose the proposed temporary ordinance for Uber-related workers. They argue that social gains are at stake in the face of extreme liberalization of the world of work. An ordinance proposal, which adapts or temporarily suspends certain provisions of the […]
November 29, 2021
Chinese tech giant Baidu has started to put into service its Apollo Go robot taxis on the streets of Beijing, just as the Capital City authorized the commercial use of autonomous vehicles. Sixty-seven white SUVs with cameras and radars on the roof are in service in the south Beijing suburbs of Yizhuang. Users can hail […]
November 25, 2021
The Brussels Court of Appeal ruled on Wednesday that drivers can no longer work with the Uber app. Concretely, the 2 000 Uber drivers will no longer be able to use the app as of Friday 18th, making the app virtually unusable in the capital. According to Laurent Slits, manager of Uber in Belgium, the […]
November 19, 2021
Thanks to data collected from its numerous users, Coyote has been able to identify nearly 23 000 dangerous bends in Belgium, 13 000 of which in Wallonia. Furthermore, according to internal sources, 86% of users had changed their behavior when their Coyote driving assistant warned them of an approaching dangerous bend. Through their collaboration with […]
November 10, 2021
On Tuesday, Antwerp has officially inaugurated the new ferry connection between the left and right banks of the river Scheldt. The ‘Marnix van Sint-Aldegonde’, as the boat is called, replaces the 90-year old ‘Simon Stevin’ and is far more sustainable. The name refers to Philips de Marnix (1540 – 1598), Lord of Saint Aldegondis, writer, […]
November 10, 2021
Car supermarket Cardoen is changing course and aiming much more at the second-hand market. With the installation of ‘The Reconditioning Center’ in Wilrijk (Antwerp), it will now focus on selling good second-hand cars and less on new stock cars. Cardoen is following the example of its French parent company (since 2018), Aramis Auto (owned for […]
November 09, 2021
Together with its sub-brand Smart, Mercedes is the first automotive manufacturer that turns its cars into credit cards. It is the next step in facilitating digital payments related to mobility for their car owners or users. The innovation comes from Daimler Mobility, which has teamed up with American credit card company Visa to enable so-called […]
November 09, 2021
Last week, Flanders decided to go entirely for EVs as of 2029. But one of the binding conditions for the total switch was the presence of good charging infrastructure. A lot of new technical workforce will be needed to install everything. Are they available? Jochen De Smet, president of EV Belgium, the sector federation for […]
October 29, 2021
The French oil and gas giant Total, now rebranded as TotalEnergies, announced an investment of €200 million to equip its highway gas stations with DC fast-charging points. At the same time, the company fully profits from the high oil and gas prices. The fast-charger plan includes more than 150 highway service stations in France to […]
October 26, 2021
Rising again from the ashes after bankruptcy, international car rental company Hertz has ordered 100 000 Tesla Model 3s to make 20% of its fleet electric and offer the largest EV rental fleet in the US. The Teslas will be available from November in selected cities in the US and Europe. The complete order should […]
October 22, 2021
According to a recent study reported by the French Association for the Electric Mobility Development (Avere), France would need 750 000 additional charging points every year to reach its electrified fleet requirements by 2030. And that’s based on a conservative estimate of 5,5 million EVs and PHEVs on French roads by that year. France is […]
October 18, 2021
Leasys, a car rental and mobility branch within the Stellantis Group, has unveiled details about its electrification strategy for the near future. The starting point for the company is to turn their short-term rental fleet electric while pushing zero-emission mobility across its services along the line. The electrification will be a step-by-step process, financed by […]
October 05, 2021
Belgian bpost has ordered 400 new electric vans and will launch a tender by the end of this month for 800 more to be delivered before the end of 2022. The financial newspaper De Tijd broke the news on Saturday. Spokeswoman Veerle Van Mierlo told the newspaper the order is spread over different brands (Renault […]
September 30, 2021
Under the name ‘Autonomous Mobility Vision’, French car manufacturer Citroën presents a concept of the future’s multifunctional and autonomous city vehicle. For this, it has created a partnership with Accor and JC Decaux, named Urban Collëctif. The common aim of the manufacturer, the hotel chain, and the giant of public billboarding is to optimize mobility […]
September 30, 2021
Active Ants, a subsidiary of the Belgian bpost group, has opened a brand-new e-fulfillment center in Willebroek. In this new state-of-the-art warehouse, people and robots are working together to pack thousands of parcels for webshops. The bpost group continues to grow (+3% compared to 2020) and, despite the record year 2020, e-commerce has not reached […]
September 29, 2021
TotalEnergies has launched a joint venture with China Three Gorges Corporation (CTG) to roll out an electric vehicle charging network on Chinese soil. This will involve more than 11 000 fast-charging units providing 60 to 120 kW charging capacity. TotalEnergies is investing heavily in green mobility, as the group participates in all areas. Last week, […]
September 13, 2021
The Flemish government had signed a contract with the private German-American company ViaVan to operate the Flemish mobility center. This center, a kind of umbrella taxi center or combi-mobility center for the whole of Flanders in the context of basic accessibility, must provide tailor-made transport in Flanders. It will replace some of the buses of […]
September 13, 2021
Waiting on the Brussels Region’ Taxi Plan, the sector has come up with its own proposals regarding the operating conditions of chauffeur-driven cars. According to the three associations, a distinction between the two jobs must be made clear, with taxis on one side and private chauffeurs such as those by embassies and VIP events on […]
September 10, 2021
Flemish Minister of Home Affairs, Bart Somers (Open Vld), wants to encourage Flemish cities and municipalities to focus more on electric shared mobility. That is one of the conclusions of a study day together with, among others, the Association of Flemish Cities and Municipalities (VVSG) and Autodelen.net in Mechelen on Thursday. The target? 13 200 […]
September 10, 2021
The Flemish government has received 220 proposals following a project call for semi-public charging stations in the private domain. These represent about 6 000 normal charging points, 90 rapid chargers, and 270 ultra-rapid chargers. This was announced by the Minister for Mobility and Public Works concerned, Lydia Peeters (Open VLD). The call was launched in […]
September 09, 2021
Brussels public transport’s CEO, Brieux de Meeûs, has confirmed in an interview: the operator’s new Mobility as a Service (MaaS) app will be ready by the end of 2022. MoveBrussels will allow commuters to plan their itinerary, book tickets, e-scooters, or taxi journeys, and pay with their smartphone. The app has been undergoing tests since […]
September 09, 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, […]
September 07, 2021
Born out of D’Ieteren‘s mobility start-up incubator Lab Box, Skipr sees ALD Automotive enter its capital with a 17% stake. Specialized in managing alternative mobility solutions for professionals, the Belgium start-up welcomes the arrival of one of the worldwide leaders in leasing and company car management. The initial focus will be on developing the Belgian […]
September 06, 2021
Hit by the pandemic and still searching for a profitable business model, free-floating services seek other revenue sources. American Bird is spreading its wings by selling some of its products in addition to renting them. French Zoov-Smoove is also diversifying by a new long-term bicycle renting solution at 69 euro per month. While they weren’t […]
September 02, 2021
The Italian-developed Cleverpod CP01 is a compact three-wheeler with an electric drive system and a 450-liter loading space, with a range of 330 to 390 km. Starting price is $5 500 (€4 640). Its main USP is its 5G connectivity and the batteries that can be easily detached and charged separately. According to the manufacturer, […]
August 30, 2021
British transport companies should better recruit British drivers to solve the lack of drivers in the country instead of drawing drivers from abroad. The British Ministry of Economics calls on British employers to invest in native staff. The United Kingdom suffers from a severe lack of drivers. Transport companies have difficulties with the distribution of […]
August 30, 2021
At the motor show in Münich, Renault’s mobility arm, Mobilize, will reveal its first product. It’s called the Limo, and it’s an all-electric, D-segment-sized sedan that will be made exclusively available through subscription. But whereas similar formulas, like Lynk&Co, aim at private customers, the Mobilize Limo should be regarded as a response to the ride-hailing […]
August 27, 2021
Porsche Digital is expanding its product portfolio together with bicycle manufacturer Storck. In addition, both will address new digital business models in urban mobility with their joint brand Cyklær. In addition, Porsche’s digital subsidiary is developing an e-bike together with Storck and with the help of component manufacturers Greyp and Fazua. The first Cyklaer The […]
August 24, 2021
Europe has the ambition to dispose of one public charging station per ten electric cars, but we’re far from that target, and EV drivers face waiting times to find a free charging station more often. That is why LeasePlan launches the Happy Charger Campaign, a kind of etiquette subscription to improve courtesy when charging. In […]
August 18, 2021
Bicycles are gaining in popularity, and by now, almost half of all new bicycles sold are electrically assisted. Moreover, since e-bikes are increasingly used for commuting, it is fiscally interesting for many users to lease the bicycle instead of buying it privately. In 2020, almost 600 000 new bicycles were sold in Belgium, increasing by […]
August 18, 2021
Adaptive City Mobility GmbH (ACM) is targeting mass production of the ACM City One in 2024. The Munich-based company and contract manufacturer Magna have signed a memorandum of understanding to sell 208 000 vehicles. ACM founder and CEO Paul Leibold plans to present the City One for the first time at the IAA trade fair, […]
August 17, 2021
On Wednesday, IKEA will start a free shuttle bus service between Wilrijk and the Antwerp city center. ‘Pändelbuss’ is a test project collaborating with Autocars De Polder that will last at least three months. The Swedish conglomerate hopes this will attract more visitors and take car traffic off the road. The shuttle bus will stop […]
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 […]
August 10, 2021
The Munich-based car subscription provider Finn.Auto has just bought some 500 units of the Aiways U5, a Chinese-made electric SUV. The first 150 vehicles will be delivered to Finn.Auto over the next three months. Finn.Auto says it plans to offer the U5 on a flexible subscription basis with immediate effect. This should support sales for […]
August 09, 2021
The restoration works of the car ferry connection between Meeswijk (Maasmechelen, Belgium) and Berg (Urmond, the Netherlands) have to be finalized by the end of August. Flemish Minister of Mobility Lydia Peeters (Open Vld) announced this on Friday. According to Minister Peeters, “the car ferry connection between Belgian and Dutch Limburg is too important for […]
August 04, 2021
The Belgian national rail, NMBS/SNCB, is looking for 10 000 travelers to test a new app that automatically registers the traveled journey and charges the cheapest ticket. An idea of Swiss start-up Fairtiq. The ‘FTQ Lab’ sales system makes traveling by train easier: the app registers a user through the smartphone’s built-in GPS when approaching […]
July 30, 2021
Dutch charging infrastructure operator Allego has announced its IPO. Through a merger with Spartan Acquisition Corp., a listing on the New York Stock Exchange is planned for the fourth quarter of 2021. In the process, a carmaker (Fisker) will also join the company. Allego is choosing the path of a merger with an already listed […]
July 29, 2021
France’s petrochemical company Total, recently renamed TotalEnergies, has scored an e-mobility deal in Singapore. Its compatriot Bolloré will hand over what it claims to be the largest EV charging network in the city-state, Blue Charge. TotalEenergies still has an image closely linked to oil and gas, but it’s very obvious it wants to expand as […]
July 29, 2021
Fifteen years after their peaceful separation, Volkswagen and Europcar have united again. The board of Europcar has approved Wednesday the €2,9 billion offer (inclusive debts) of a consortium led by Volkswagen. Volkswagen is the biggest partner in the bidding consortium, but there is also the British fund Attestor Limited and the Dutch Pon Group. Attestor […]
July 28, 2021
Tesla will make its global network of superchargers accessible to non-Tesla drivers in the future. The American car and battery manufacturer has also just announced that the charging rates will be variable depending on how busy it is. At the most recent Tesla earnings call – where the results for the second quarter of 2021 […]
July 28, 2021
Clear Channel, the American advertising company, recently signed an agreement to exploit the advertising space in the Belgian train stations. With this 10-year contract, the company will become the national leader in the field of digital out-of-house ads. Clear Channel says it wants to support the national rail, NMBS/SNCB, and improve the traveler’s experience. Train […]
July 19, 2021
Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg set up a joint venture to stimulate cross-border electric driving and charging. The Benelux IDRO, as the joint venture is called – the ID Registration Organization – will give service providers and charging operators in the Benelux ID codes to facilitate the billing. Employing these unique ID codes, operators and […]
July 08, 2021
The multimodal route planner for Antwerp’s urban mobility project ‘Smart Ways to Antwerp’ has been given a few extra applications. From now on, the website and app also show you taxis and various shared vehicles as possible means of transport to get to your destination. “As far as I know, we are the only one […]
July 02, 2021
The agency model for sales of electric cars is becoming a rising star. Audi has confirmed that it will follow to adopt the model for its e-trons as of 2023, following in the footsteps of sister company Volkswagen that already went through this struggle with its dealers for the cars in its ID range. The […]
July 02, 2021
Renting a car may be complicated this summer after months of pandemic pause, especially in most tourist areas. As a result, there is not only the risk that rental companies may be short of cars, but prices have also doubled or tripled in some European countries compared to other years. This trend in the agencies […]
July 01, 2021
The car world is on a tipping point with the energy transition and the autonomous car appearing in the (far?) future. But the technicians who are supposed to work on this new technology are also challenged. BMW Group Belux lends a hand by donating 23 BMW and Mini cars to technical schools. “Car technology is […]
June 24, 2021
The Dutch lease company, MisterGreen, specialized in leasing Tesla cars, is expanding its activities to Denmark. By doing so, the company will be the first pure electric lease company in Scandinavia. The target of Mistergreen is to realize more than 10% of the turnover of Tesla in Denmark within five years. It will increase its […]
June 18, 2021
Mobilize, Renault’s new mobility brand, has just presented its upcoming projects for the next few years. With Duo, Bento, and Hippo, the business unit is presenting, among other things, three fully electric shared mobility vehicles for transporting people and goods. Renault first mentioned Mobilize when it presented its ‘Renaulution’ strategy. The new business unit develops […]
June 16, 2021
EV Belgium is the new name of the cooperation between AVERE and EV Belgium. It now unites users of electric vehicles and companies that provide services within this growing sector. Both organizations join forces to make electric driving more attractive. Until now, there were two organizations in Belgium. On the one hand, there was AVERE, […]
June 02, 2021
The deal, which was already announced on the 9th of March, has now come to a full close and approved by relevant antitrust authorities. The exact amount of money involved in the transaction remains a matter of discretion, but BMW and Daimler have sold their joint venture Park Now to the Swedish EasyPark Group. Park […]
May 25, 2021
The recent decision in Belgium about the electrification of company cars has emphasized the problem of infrastructure. Charging infrastructure is a regional matter. The Flemish Minister of domestic governance, Bart Somers (Open VLD), has launched a facilitating plan, but not everyone is happy with it. Compared to certain other countries, e.g., the Netherlands, the charging […]
May 12, 2021
SkyTechnics, one of D’Ieteren’s major subcontractors for installing EDI charging stations based in Nazareth near Ghent, is launching a mobile EV-charging service under the brand name ‘SkyCharge’ to get stranded EV drivers with an empty battery back on the way. A SkyCharge van equipped with a mobile 9.6 kW AC charger can deliver a 1 […]
