Renault Zoe bows out in March 2024

July 27, 2023

Renault will cease production of its Zoe electric car on 30 March 2024. It was already clear that there would be no new Zoe generation, but now the date has been set for the end of production at the Flins plant. The electric Renault pioneer is making room for a new generation of Renault electric […]

Brussels university creates faster and more efficient charging tech

July 27, 2023

The Belgian VUB University (Brussels) is developing a charging technology “to make electric driving more pleasant and efficient”. Researchers at EPOWERS, a research group that works at the VUB MOBI research center, have developed a technology that significantly extends the range of electric vehicles (up to 1 000 km) with a limited number of recharges. […]

BMW inaugurates new automated driving test site in Czechia

July 27, 2023

BMW has launched a new test site for highly automated driving up to level 4 and self-parking in Sokolov, in the former mining region of Karlovarský in Czechia. The ‘Future Mobility Development Center’ (FMDC) was built on 600 hectares of a former surface mine site with 2.2 million cubic meters of recycled soil previously excavated. The […]

British climate activist to launch ‘world’s first hydrogen-powered airline’

July 26, 2023

One of British best-known climate activists and industrialists and founder of Ecotricity, the ‘world’s first green energy company’, unveiled plans to launch by 2024 the ‘first electric airline powered by renewable energy’. Ecojet, as the new airline is called, will operate planes converted to hydrogen fuel cells by 2025 from Edinburgh to start, expanding through […]

Stellantis grows in first half of 2023

July 26, 2023

Stellantis posts strong growth again in the first half of 2023 and sets new records in net revenues, adjusted operational income (AOI), and net profit. Net revenues of €98,4 billion are up 12% compared to H1 2022, primarily due to higher shipments. The adjusted operating income of €14,1 billion is up 11% compared to H1 […]

First Belgian medical transport via unmanned passenger drone

July 26, 2023

On Tuesday, a large unmanned passenger drone took off in Sint-Truiden (Limburg) to transport some blood samples – a European first. The aircraft flew for a kilometer through DronePort’s test airspace. The experiment was accompanied by the Belgian Antwerp-based company Helicus, which develops drone applications and technologies for medical transport. The drone’s test flight was […]

Renault and Nissan definitively agreed on Alliance links

July 26, 2023

Renault Group and Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. today announced that they have entered into the definitive agreements contemplated by the binding framework agreement announced in February 2023. Jean-Dominique Senard, Chairman of The Alliance (Mitsubishi, Nissan, Renault), commented: “The agreements that have been signed today allow us to step into the next chapter of the Alliance. […]

Kid’s Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa gets its own 3D configurator

July 25, 2023

The spoiled rich kid’s ultimate toy car, a fully electric 75% scaled replica of the famous Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa, now has its grown-up configurator in 3D augmented reality. The Little Car Company offers your son or daughter “complete creative freedom to design their very own specification, from choosing a livery to their taste to […]

BMW Opens New Shanghai R&D Center

July 24, 2023

Last week, the BMW Group further expanded its R&D footprint in China with the opening of a new R&D Center in Shanghai. China is already home to BMW Group’s largest R&D system outside of Germany, with locations in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenyang, and Nanjing. Based on the concept of open innovation, all of BMW’s R&D functions […]

Ford’s BlueCruise first to allow full speed hands-free driving in UK

July 24, 2023

Ford has managed to become the first car manufacturer to launch hands-free semi-autonomous highway driving at full speed in Europe, with the introduction of BlueCruise on the UK Mustang Mach-E. 95% of British highways are covered in the so-called ‘Blue Zones’, but the functionality doesn’t come for free. UK owners of a MY23 Ford Mustang […]

Dutch Cyclomedia digitizes Belgium in 360° HD ‘street view’

July 21, 2023

The Dutch geodata specialist Cyclomedia has finished digitizing the whole of Belgium in 360° ‘street view’ high-definition images. It enables one to visit any street in the country virtually and measure distances and building dimensions without physically going there – an asset they sell to public instances and private companies. Using a fleet of nine […]

Ineos Grenadier Demonstrator debutes with BMW fuel cell

July 17, 2023

British Ineos Automotive, the global chemical giant’s daughter, debuted at the Goodwood Festival of Speed (GFS), the hydrogen demonstration version of its Landrover Defender-clone, the Grenadier. The Grenadier Demonstrator got BMW’s latest fuel cell technology as used for the iX5 Hydrogen. After ‘rigorous offroad testing’ in the Austrian mountains, the Grenadier Demonstrator proved capable of […]

Hyundai presents high-performance N version of Ioniq 5

July 17, 2023

Hyundai has unveiled the high-performance version of its Ioniq 5 electric model at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The launch of the new electric Ioniq 5 N is expected in the second quarter of 2024. The basic concept of the Ioniq 5 N and the Kia EV6 GT is the same: both E-GMP models rely […]

Mazda to speed up BEV launch process by 2027

July 17, 2023

Mazda Motor Corp. will launch its first electric-vehicle-only model in 2027, the new CEO Masahiro Moro said in a recent interview in Tokyo, to speed up its electrification efforts and catch up with global rivals. Mazda already has a BEV; in 2021, it started selling an electric model of the compact MX-30 sports utility vehicle,  […]

Bosch starts volume production of fuel cell power modules

July 14, 2023

German automotive supplier Robert Bosch GmbH has started mass production of fuel cell engines at its Stuttgart-Feuerbach factory, one of the ‘oldest’ of the group’s numerous factories worldwide. The first fuel power modules are going to American electric truck startup Nikola, whose Class 8 hydrogen truck should come to the US market in the third […]

Fleet of Dutch PAL-V flying cars to service airplanes anywhere

July 13, 2023

The Dutch ‘flying car’ PAL-V Liberty, currently undergoing an extensive test program to prepare for serial production and homologation for Europe next year, has seduced Austrian aviation specialist Primus Aero to buy the first five of a whole fleet of them for its mobile service teams. At what price wasn’t unveiled. The PAL-V Liberty can […]

Renault’s new electric Scénic to be revealed in September

July 13, 2023

The all-new Renault Scénic E-Tech Electric will make its world premiere during the IAA Mobility 2023 event in Munich on September 4. The car starts to reveal its final silhouette as a fleet of pre-production cars will be driven on open roads this summer by Renault engineers. Made in the Douai ElectriCity factory, the pre-production […]

Renault readies production version of new electric R5

July 12, 2023

Renault recently gave a glimpse into readying the production version of its next-generation EV model. The Renault 5 is on a prototype production run in a ‘secret and high-tech miniature plant’. As a part of the brand’s Technocenter engineering complex near Paris, the location itself is not so secret. Created 25 years ago, the Global […]

BMW Smartglasses: a head-up display for motorcycles

July 11, 2023

BMW Motorrad is bringing the head-up display to the motorcycle world with the ConnectedRide Smartglasses. This clever pair of glasses connect to your smartphone to display all relevant riding data, including navigation and traffic information. BMW is not the first to introduce a head-up display (HUD) for bikers. Other third-party manufacturers have had these systems […]

SNCF wants to generate massive green electricity

July 07, 2023

French railway company SNCF plans to earmark 1 000 hectares of solar panels by 2030 to cover 15 to 20% of its own electricity needs. The plans would make the railway company one of France’s largest green power producers. The SNCF is making this switch to secure supplies and control costs (between 2022 and 2023, […]

New Mercedes CLE also as PHEV

July 07, 2023

In November, Mercedes-Benz will bring the CLE on the market, a Coupe that uses the technology of both the C- and (recently updated) E-Class. Later (in 2024), there will also be a cabriolet version and a PHEV variant. Although coupes and cabriolets seem to be an extinguishing species in car land, premium manufacturers like Mercedes […]

Facelifted Peugeot 208 drops diesel to favor hybrids and electric

July 07, 2023

While the city car segment is under significant strain due to stronger emission rulings and a growing appetite for SUVs, the French brands aren’t loosening their grip. After the heavily revised Renault Clio, Peugeot took the wraps of its updated 208, last year’s best-selling car in Europe. The facelift doesn’t strike as lightning, as the […]

Stellantis’ new electric STLA Medium platform promises 700 km range

July 06, 2023

Stellantis has unveiled STLA Medium, a global battery electric vehicle (BEV) platform. It’s the group’s first dedicated architecture for electric vehicles, dressed to rival MEB from the Volkswagen Group and the underpinnings from Tesla. The ambition for cars building on the architecture is to provide a best-in-class range of over 700 km. STLA Medium is […]

DLR: ‘ride in future VTOL air taxi to cost four to eight euros per km’

July 05, 2023

Imagine Brussels a decade further in the future with electric flying VTOL taxis taking off and landing vertically on ‘vertidromes’ at several places in the inner city, picking up passengers to fly them in no time to the national airport high above a congested city. An airborne ride that would cost you four to eight […]

Nio opens R&D center in Berlin and makes 150 kWh solid-state available

July 05, 2023

Expanding on its European presence, Chinese EV maker Nio has opened an innovation center in Berlin. It will be the hub for five teams focusing on digital technology. Nio is on a roll, as it also starts offering semi-solid-state batteries of 150 kW in China. As the automotive industry is gearing up for software-defined vehicles […]

Left-hand Tesla drivers in UK get mechanic ‘Reacher’ to grab tickets

July 04, 2023

How do you grab a parking ticket through the passenger window from the boxes at the parking entrance or toll booths when driving a left-hand-drive (LHD) car in the United Kingdom? Tesla drivers get a mechanic grabbing arm called ‘The Reacher’ with their left-hand-drive-only Model S or X these days to solve the problem. In […]

Electreon wirelessly charges GINAF 50-ton e-truck

July 03, 2023

Israeli wireless EV charging solution company Electreon has managed to wirelessly charge a 50-ton electric truck on a stationary pad and a ‘Wireless Electric Road’ segment in Sweden. The truck in question was a converted DAF XF from Dutch specialist GINAF, but Electreon says other e-trucks can also be equipped. GINAF specializes in converting DAF […]

ZF’s future electric driveline promises 30% more range

July 03, 2023

In a showcase car based on a Porsche Taycan, automotive supplier ZF has unveiled its latest evolution of electric drive. Together with its thermal management system, the EVSys800 sets new weight, compactness, and efficiency standards. The firm eyes a market introduction in 2026. With the EVbeat, ZF wants to demonstrate the potential of future electric […]

VW and Polestar also opt for NACS charging standard in the U.S.

July 03, 2023

The Volkswagen Group also opens up to Tesla’s fast charging system in North America. VW’s charging infrastructure subsidiary Electrify America announces that it will integrate the NACS connection into its fast charging stations in the USA and Canada. While Volkswagen is still weighing its options to avoid losing US customers, Polestar confirmed the move entirely. […]

Lotus finally launches its Eletre SUV (Update)

June 30, 2023

Lotus has already revealed the final pricing and specifications of its Eletre electric ‘Hyper-SUV’, and the first all-electric Lotus is now available for configuration in Europe. Lotus is launching sales of the Eletre in parallel in Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Italy, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland. In the UK, the electric SUV is […]

Chinese show world’s first passenger car engine on ammonia

June 30, 2023

On its ‘tech days 2023’, state-owned Chinese carmaker GAC (Guangzhou Automobile Group Co.) showed several technical ‘tour de forces’, including the world’s first passenger car engine running on ammonia.  GAC developed a 2.0-liter engine that can burn liquid ammonia, delivering 120 kilowatts of power and a 90% reduction in carbon emissions compared to conventional fuels. […]

French postal service gets new airless Michelin tires

June 28, 2023

Michelin and the French postal services are partnering for a two-year test of airless tires. A European-first, forty yellow ‘La Poste’ vans will be equipped with Michelin Utips tires by the end of 2024 in the Hauts-de-France region. Currently, this is the only airless tire being used on open public roads in Europe. With that, […]

Alpine to launch seven new electric sports cars by 2030

June 27, 2023

French sportscar builder, Alpine, has confirmed its electric ambitions for the future. By 2030, the brand will have launched seven fully electric cars, including a future A110 coupé, a roadster, and a new A310 4-seat coupé, to sit on a new dedicated platform. In Formula 1, Alpine Racing Ltd. gets a €200 million investment to […]

Lucid to power Aston Martin’s first full-electric sports car

June 27, 2023

Prepping for its first battery-powered model in 2025, the British sports carmaker has announced a partnership with American EV start-up Lucid for the supply of batteries and powertrain technology. For Lucid, which gains a 4% stake in Aston Martin in return, it’s the first partnership of this kind. While combustion-engine parts can easily be shared […]

McMurtry’s electric fan car goes into production

June 23, 2023

At the Goodwood Festival of Speed, British EV start-up McMurtry stunned the crowds breaking the hill climb record. The blistering run has spawned the necessary interest in this 1 000 bhp single-seater so that the Spéirling Pure will go into production. As a supercar for the modern ages, the Spéirling Pure builds its performance upon […]

Mazda going for round battery cells from Panasonic

June 22, 2023

Panasonic and Mazda announced they have agreed to enter into discussions on establishing a medium- to long-term partnership for automotive batteries with round cells. The tentative language suits Mazda’s relatively relaxed approach towards electrification, yet the timeline also fits. Mazda said it would commence “concrete discussions” with a view toward Panasonic Energy supplying the carmaker […]

China extends electrified cars’ incentive to reboot sales

June 22, 2023

As the Chinese economy shows signs of slowing down, the government has extended the tax exemption for hybrids and electric cars to 2027. Buyers of these so-called new energy vehicles (NEV) skip the purchase tax. Since 2014, the Chinese government doesn’t impose a ten percent purchase tax on electrified cars to support their adoption and […]

Chinese luxury brand HiPhi reaches European shores

June 21, 2023

The ‘tsunami’ of Chinese EVs is reaching European shores with yet another brand, Human Horizon’s flagships HiPhi X and Z, available now in Norway and Germany. With prices above €100 000 euros, these are not your average budget cars, and they’re bluntly targeting the heart of Europe’s premium car market, armed with luxury and high-tech. […]

Umicore inaugurates Belgian center for solid-state battery materials

June 21, 2023

On Tuesday, June 20th, global materials technology and recycling group Umicore inaugurated one of the world’s most advanced solid-state battery material prototyping facilities in Olen (Belgium). Solid-state batteries are expected to propel electric mobility and complement Umicore’s world-leading portfolio of battery materials technologies. The new 600 m² facilities with state-of-the-art installations and equipment support the […]

SiliconAuto is the new joint venture of Stellantis and Foxconn

June 21, 2023

Car manufacturing group Stellantis, the world’s number four, and Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn have announced the formation of SiliconAuto, an equally owned joint venture for developing and selling advanced semiconductors, particularly for electric vehicles. Like Stellantis, SiliconAuto will be headquartered in the Netherlands and is expected to supply the automotive industry, including Stellantis and Foxconn, […]

Renault: big boss will lead Ampere himself

June 21, 2023

Renault has unveiled the senior management team for its EV and software subsidiary Ampere. Luca de Meo, currently CEO of the Renault Group, will personally take charge of the new management team, and two managers will join him to handle day-to-day operations. Josep Maria Recasens and Vincent Piquet will be appointed Chief Operating Officer and […]

Porsche to become full battery producer and supplier

June 20, 2023

Porsche looks likely to produce high-performance battery cells on a much larger scale than previously planned. The German carmaker will no longer do so with its partner Customcells but on its own. The Cellforce Group, the battery joint venture between Porsche and Customcells, is said to have been completely overtaken by Porsche in May. 20 […]

Mercedes Vision One-Eleven concept: new tech in neo-retro vest

June 16, 2023

Mercedes-Benz has showcased its new Vision One-Eleven concept car. The low and sleek design arches back to the C111 prototypes of the 60s and 70s, incorporating it into Stuttgart’s recent ‘One-Bow’ shape specific to EVs. The new concept features a new axial flux motor from subsidiary YASA, supposedly lighter, smaller, and more powerful. Mercedes-Benz is […]

CATL pioneers with battery swapping for heavy electric trucks

June 15, 2023

Chinese battery giant CATL has launched in its homeland ‘Qiji Energy ‘, a battery swap solution for heavy-duty trucks. These can be equipped with up to three ‘battery blocks’ with a capacity of 171 kWh each, up to 513 kWh. The blocks offered come with specific swapping stations and a cloud platform to make battery […]

Solvay to use salt caverns for energy storage

June 15, 2023

The Belgian chemical company Solvay will use its salt caverns in Germany to store energy. In the caverns, compressed air or hydrogen will be stored to be used later again as an energy provider. Solvay has signed an Option Agreement to provide four salt caverns to the Irish company Corre Energy, which will develop a […]

Rolls-Royce CEO: ‘hydrogen is a possibility’

June 15, 2023

Rolls-Royce is considering using hydrogen fuel cell technology over conventional batteries for its future electric cars once this technology is mature enough to be commercialized at scale for the high standards Rolls-Royce is claiming. The new Rolls-Royce Spectre made its European debut at the Concours d’Elegance event at Villa d’Este (Como Lake, Italy) last week. […]

Belgian solid-state battery start-up SOLiTHOR recruits from Tesla

June 15, 2023

Belgian start-up SOLiTHOR, a spin-off from research company Imec, which is developing its own promising solid-state battery technology, is expanding its scientific staff to move toward the final commercialization, aiming at vehicles and aviation, defense, and maritime applications. Among them, Belgian Dr. Matthieu Moors, returning from Tesla Giga Berlin, where he was Senior Staff Engineer […]

H1st vision, the first concept car by Software République

June 14, 2023

Created only two years ago, Software République is staging the world premiere of a collaborative concept at the Viva Technology 2023 exhibition. H1st vision ( for ‘Human First vision’) incorporates functional and innovative technologies that illustrate its human-centered visions of future mobility. Software République is an open innovation ecosystem created by six large companies (Atos, […]

Fully electric Elise refills as quick as ICE original: in six minutes

June 14, 2023

Petrolheads will immediately recognize this Nyobolt EV Concept as the contemporary version of the original Lotus Elise. Unsurprisingly, this little battery-powered roadster was designed by Julian Thomson, the same man who styled the original version. But instead of lap times, the promised charging time of six minutes stands out, or half the waiting time of […]

Renault introduces V2G on new electric R5

June 14, 2023

The all-electric Renault 5 will be the first Renault vehicle equipped with a bidirectional charger. The associated V2G service will be available from the launch of the Renault 5 in France and Germany in 2024 and in the UK in 2025. Renault is coordinating the introduction of bidirectional charging through its mobility brand Mobilize. In […]

Toyota aims at 1.200 km-range solid state battery by 2027

June 13, 2023

Japanese carmaker Toyota finally seems to embrace the all-electric car and aims at several improved BEV batteries shortly, with an all-solid-state battery announced as soon as 2027. That one should allow a 1 200 km range, later up to 1 500 km, and fast charging from 10-80% in 10 minutes or less. Toyota sold only […]

GM and Ford to use Tesla charging standard NACS

June 12, 2023

From 2025, General Motors will rely on Tesla’s charging port in the USA and Canada – exclusively. GM wants to provide adapters so that all cars equipped with the North American Charging Standard (NACS) can also charge at CCS stations. This makes GM the second major US carmaker to commit to Tesla’s charging standard: Ford […]

Brussels Ring Road in Zaventem has new bridge

June 12, 2023

During the night from Saturday to Sunday, the new Hector Hennaud Avenue bridge on the Brussels Ring Road in Zaventem was successfully put in place. The colossus, which at 106 by 27 meters approaches the area of half a football pitch, weighs just under 2 000 tons. The smoothly run operation allowed the Ring Road […]

Toyota to install new battery lab in the US

June 12, 2023

The world’s number one car manufacturer, Toyota, is investing almost $50 million in a new battery laboratory in the US. This will be built at the research and development headquarters in York Township and will go into operation in 2025. The investment illustrates Toyota’s “change of direction toward electrification”, says Shinichi Yasui, Vice President at […]

Brussels Airport to deploy greener (electric) fuel dispensers

June 09, 2023

Two electric ‘hydrant fuel dispensers’, which pump fuel from the underground piping system into the aircraft, will come into operation at Brussels Airport from next year. The new custom-made devices are part of the greening of the airport sector, says the operator. Ordered by Skytanking The vehicles were ordered by the company Skytanking, which provides […]

Eneco builds 50 MW battery backup power park in Wallonia

June 08, 2023

Eneco, a Dutch energy supplier with its Belgian headquarter in Mechelen, will invest 90 million euros into a 50-megawatt battery power park in the Walloon town of Ville-sur-Haine. The battery park, which will be connected to the high-voltage grid as a backup, should be operational by the end of next year. The park, in the […]

SAS opens bookings for first electric flights in 2028

June 06, 2023

Last Friday, Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) began accepting seat reservations for its groundbreaking commercial electric flights in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark… in 2028. After that, there are no seats available anymore. “This extraordinary event presents an opportunity for travelers to become part of aviation history. Each of the three inaugural flights, scheduled to take place in […]

New Lexus LBX undercuts BMW and Mercedes

June 05, 2023

To boost its European expansion plans, Lexus is treading where BMW and Mercedes cancel out: the class of small city cross-overs. With a length of 4.1 metres, the new Japan-built LBX is beyond competition from the German premium brands, as Audi has announced the withdrawal of the Q2, its closest rival. In fact, this is […]

Toyota Yaris receives second hybrid driveline

June 01, 2023

As from the summer, the Toyota Yaris can be ordered with a second hybrid driveline gaining power and a refined drive. In addition, the upgrade includes new digital features, such as an instrument display and an app-based key. But as for the design, everything remains like before. So, Toyota’s minor overhaul of its city car […]

Belgian record in electricity generated by wind and sun on Whit Monday

May 31, 2023

Around noon on Whit Monday, a record amount of electricity was generated by wind and sun, enough to cover just about all of Belgium’s electricity consumption for a while. This is according to preliminary figures from high-voltage manager Elia. This is the first time that solar and wind have been enough to cover just about […]