EV4 sedan and EV2 Concept: Kia’s electric unflagging zeal

February 28, 2025

While European carmakers one after another slink off with their tail between their legs, abandoning their fully electric goals and pushing hybrid ICE instead, South Korean Kia goes straight ahead with its electric flagging zeal. At the brand’s 2025 Kia EV Day in Tarragona, Spain, it unveiled its latest weapons to conquer that part of […]

Milence opens first megawatt chargers in port of Antwerp

February 26, 2025

Milence, the joint venture between Europe’s largest truckmakers created to develop the fast-charging network for battery-electric trucks, has deployed its first two chargers using the Megawatt Charging System (MCS) standard. Belgium has the honor, as these MCS chargers can be found at the Ketenis truck stop in the port of Antwerp. The Megawatt Charging System […]

Study: phasing-out of gasoline and diesel crucial to EU’s car industry’s future

February 25, 2025

Is Europe’s ban on combustion engines a curse or a blessing for its industry? Dwindling profits, plant closures, and firm reliance on global outsourcing seem to point to the first, but a study from the University of Sussex claims the opposite. “Changing gears (or acting as Trump does in the US, ed.) would be a […]

Mercedes tests solid-state battery in adapted EQS

February 25, 2025

Mercedes-Benz has started testing a solid-state battery from partner Factorial Energy in a modified EQS this month. In the coming weeks, the Stuttgart-based company wants to collect data on the battery’s efficiency, durability, and performance. Road tests with the new solid-state battery in a ‘1,000 km’ EQS test car started in February 2025. According to […]

Will Lamborghini use sodium-ion batteries for its first EV?

February 25, 2025

While one would expect a luxury carmaker like Lamborghini to bet on solid-state technology for its debut in the electric supercar market, the Italian carmaker ordered a study at Princeton University to investigate sodium-ion chemistries. The results are promising.  As sodium-ion chemistries don’t rely on lithium, they are a cost-effective alternative to current lithium-ion battery […]

De Lijn orders hundreds of bus charging poles worth €24.2 million

February 24, 2025

The Flemish public transport company De Lijn has placed a new order for charging poles for electric buses. This time, it involves 600 to 900 charging poles from SPIE-Ekoenergetyka with a capacity of 50 to 180 kW, representing an investment of 24.2 million euros. The order is important in preparing De Lijn’s 50 depots to […]

BMW gives more info about its Gen6 electric drive

February 24, 2025

The BMW Group is presenting its next step in electric drive technology. At its Tech Days event in Landshut, the company provided some initial insights into developing and producing high-voltage batteries and electric drive systems using the sixth generation of BMW eDrive technology. This technology will benefit every fully electric Neue Klasse vehicle. The first […]

Mercedes cuts costs and invests to prepare for challenging years

February 21, 2025

Yesterday, Mercedes-Benz revealed plans to cut costs by several billion euros or 10% by 2027. Car production will be reduced from 2.5 million units to ±2.2 million in 2027. At the same time, the company wants to become “leaner, faster, and stronger”. Group earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) reached €13.6 billion (2023: €19.7 billion), […]

Rolls Royce Black Badge Spectre: could it be a little more?

February 20, 2025

It‘s a bit like the butcher who asks, can it be a little more? The Black Badge Specter might be tempting if you’re in for a fully electric Rolls Royce: a four-figure torque output (1075 Nm), with a record 485 kW (659 hp) of power, makes it the most powerful Rolls-Royce in history. Unlike the […]

Mitsubishi revives Grandis nameplate as hybrid SUV

February 19, 2025

Mitsubishi is set to return the Grandis nameplate, though not as the spacious MPV it once was. Instead, the new Grandis will be a rebadged version of the Renault Symbioz, aligning with the company’s strategy of leveraging Renault platforms under their alliance agreement. The Grandis will slot above the ASX in Mitsubishi’s lineup and be […]

Peugeot expands electric SUV lineup with all-wheel drive option

February 18, 2025

Peugeot is taking the next step in its electrification strategy by introducing more powerful, all-wheel drive versions of its electric SUVs, the e-3008 and e-5008. A new five-seat variant of the e-5008 is set to debut, catering to customers who prioritize cargo space over passenger capacity. Until now, Peugeot’s fully electric e-3008 and e-5008 have […]

Renault to share its patented battery-fire extinguishing tech for free

February 18, 2025

French carmaker Renault has decided to make its ‘Fireman Access’ patents, developed with professional rescue services to extinguish an EV’s battery on fire in a few minutes, freely available to the entire automotive industry. A process that otherwise can take hours by immersion of the whole vehicle in a container with water. Renault says car […]

Toyota presents third-generation of its fuel cell system

February 17, 2025

Toyota has unveiled its third-generation fuel cell system, which is intended for passenger cars, commercial vehicles, trains, ships, and stationary applications. The market launch is planned for 2026. According to Toyota, the new generation is characterized by improved durability, efficiency, and cost reductions through innovations in cell design and manufacturing processes. However, the Japanese company […]

BMW steers its ‘Neue Klasse’ EVs with ‘Heart of Joy’

February 17, 2025

The BMW Vision Driving Experience (VDX) serves as a rolling test rig for the drivetrain and driving dynamics management technology developed especially for the Neue Klasse, the next generation of BMW vehicles. BMW refers to it as the ‘Heart of Joy.’ The prototype car put the Heart of Joy’s capabilities to the ultimate endurance test […]

BYD targets 2027 for first solid-state battery rollout

February 17, 2025

BYD is joining the group of Chinese car makers unveiling their road map towards the commercialization of solid-state batteries. The company will start the demonstration phase of the technology around 2027, in line with the objectives of Toyota and MG, for instance. As for large-scale commercialization, we won’t see BYD models with revolutionary packs until […]

New technology converts jet wind into electricity

February 14, 2025

Aircraft taking off move an enormous amount of air. The American company JetWind Power Corporation now wants to use the jet wind that is released to generate energy. In this way, airplanes, which are polluting because they usually run on kerosene and emit CO2, can still contribute to sustainability. The idea is not revolutionary. In […]

Rollout of cruise control on trains in Belgium almost complete

February 14, 2025

Fifteen years after the train disaster in the Flemish-Brabant village of Buizingen, the rollout of the rail safety system ETCS, a train cruise control, is almost complete. The rollout was accelerated after the disaster, which killed 19 people. As of the end of this year, no trains not equipped with this cruise control will be […]

British solar-powered flow reactor turns captured CO2 into synthetic fuel

February 13, 2025

A University of Cambridge scientists team, led by professor Erwin Reisner, has created a solar-powered flow reactor that can capture C02 from the air at night and convert it into fuels like diesel, methanol, or ammonia during the day with the help of the sun. If scaled up, it would theoretically allow people to generate […]

Lucid and BMW challenge idea of need for ever bigger EV-batteries

February 13, 2025

As automakers continue to push the boundaries of the electric vehicle range, two industry namesakes – Lucid Motors and BMW – are advocating for a different approach. Both companies argue that more miniature battery packs, increased efficiency, and improved charging infrastructure are the future of sustainable EV adoption. Can less really be more? Lucid Motors, […]

Hyundai to open pilot production line for solid-state batteries in March

February 11, 2025

According to Korean media ET News, Hyundai plans to introduce a pilot production line for solid-state batteries inside the brand-new Uiwang Battery Research Center in the Gyeonggi Province in South Korea. The opening ceremony should be held in March, with a prototype expected by the end of the year. To be clear, Hyundai has not […]

BYD to equip all its cars with ‘God’s Eye’ advanced driver aid for free

February 11, 2025

China’s most significant EV carmaker, BYD, has launched its newest advanced driver system, ‘God’s Eye’. It will be available in all its models in China, top-down, from the luxury Yangwang U9 supercar to the modest cars under 100,000 yuan (€13,278) like Dolphin or Seagull. It comes in three flavors, À-B-C, with or without LiDAR, to […]

Caselani transforms Citroën Ami into retro Type H

February 10, 2025

This wasn’t supposed to happen. Italian tuner Caselani showcased a prototype of an Ami disguised as an old Type H van at the 2CV 24H race at Spa-Francorchamps. The concept was meant to remain a concept. But reactions were so overwhelming that the company decided to offer it as part of its portfolio. From movies […]

Airbus warns its hydrogen aircraft to be delayed

February 10, 2025

European aircraft manufacturer Airbus’s development of the hydrogen aircraft is proceeding slower than expected, it says in a statement to the French news agency AFP. In doing so, Airbus is responding to a union pamphlet stating that the aircraft manufacturer has pushed back the target date for the aircraft’s entry into service by five to […]

Renault’s new electric LCV’s: Estafette, Goelette and Trafic

February 10, 2025

Renault has unveiled its new generation of electric light commercial vehicles (LCVs), which will be called Estafette, Goelette, and Trafic. The names are new, but the cars were already presented under the Flexis name in January due to the joint venture between Renault Group, Volvo Group, and CMA CGM. A couple of weeks ago, Flexis […]

From fairway to highway: how golf ball design improves tire efficiency

February 07, 2025

Continental has unveiled its latest innovation in tire technology, the EcoContact 7 and 7 S, designed to maximize electric car efficiency and improve range. The company has drawn inspiration from an unusual source: golf ball aerodynamics. This is how it works. Tire manufacturers are continuously seeking innovative ways to improve the rolling resistance of their […]

Plug-in hybrid sales to show little change in 2025

February 07, 2025

Plug-in hybrids saw a modest decline in Europe last year (-4%), and despite renewed government strategies and binding CO2 targets, their popularity isn’t expected to rise much. Stricter emission rulings will prevent carmakers from launching new models. So, as the Belgian government provides some slack for these plugged fossil drivelines, nothing fundamental is about to […]

Stellantis patents ‘EV exhaust system’ to prevent thermal runaway

February 05, 2025

It sounds like a ‘contradictio in terminis,’ an exhaust system for fully electric vehicles that are supposed to have no emissions at all. Still, Stellantis Group, parent company to Peugeot, Jeep, and Fiat, among others, has filed a patent with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for a system that would evacuate dangerous […]

De Wever I to allow AI cameras to catch phone use while driving

February 04, 2025

The new federal government plans to expand the permitted use of smart cameras to facilitate police work. According to business newspaper De Tijd, the intention is to use more AI cameras to track down suspects and, for example, detect mobile phone use behind the wheel. The network of license plate recognition (ANPR) cameras will be […]

Kia confirms EV2 launch for beginning next year, EV4 spied

February 03, 2025

The ramp-up towards compact affordable EVs is taking shape as Kia confirms it will officially launch the EV2 in January 2026. The announcement, made during the company’s full-year 2024 earnings call, marks a significant milestone for Kia’s “EVs for all” strategy, which aims to rapidly increase its electric car share. The importance of these small […]

Renault shows electric demo car Filante Record 2025

January 30, 2025

Renault Filante Record 2025 is an electric demo car developed to maximize energy efficiency and set a new record for power consumption and range with an 87 kWh battery, i.e., the same capacity as the Scenic E-Tech electric. We’re talking about a single-seater with a streamlined body design for aerodynamic efficiency. The Renault Filante Record […]

Hongqi unveils a BMW i5 rival: the Tiangong 05 sedan

January 28, 2025

China superluxury brand Hongqi has unveiled the Tiangong 05, a pure electric sedan the size of a BMW i5 and the second model in its Tiangong series, which is compatible with battery swapping technology. A market launch is scheduled for later this year, but whether the model will be exported to Europe remains unconfirmed. The […]

Tesla Model Y ‘Juniper’: a €9,000 surprise for Belgian buyers

January 27, 2025

After unveiling the Chinese version, Tesla officially introduced the new Model Y Juniper in Belgium. A series of upgrades are introduced to safeguard the SUV’s leading position in sales. Deliveries are set to begin in March, as the Grünheide factory in Germany has already commenced production. But Belgian prices show a steep 9,000 euros increase […]

Voyah Courage kicks off global journey, charges into Norway first

January 27, 2025

Shipments of the Voyah Courage, Dongfeng Motor’s premium electric SUV, have officially kicked off. The first batch of vehicles has left China for Europe. The car is Voyah’s first global EV and will debut in Norway before launching in other European markets. The first batch of vehicles departed for Norway via the China-Europe freight train, […]

Formula E finally introduces mid-race 600-kW recharging

January 25, 2025

After several delays, the FIA Formula E electric racing series is finally introducing mid-race fast-charging pitstops at the Jeddah E-Prix in Saudi Arabia in February. Drivers will have to take a mandatory pit stop, during which a 600-kW ultra-fast charger will provide a 10% energy boost. Ever since the introduction of the third-generation Formula E […]

Dutch electric submarine water toy faster than a dolphin?

January 24, 2025

Dutch U-Boat Worx launched its upgraded ‘Super Sub,’ a luxury three-passenger electric submarine water toy it claims is now faster than a dolphin. According to Wikipedia, the company, based in Breda (Netherlands), is recognized as the foremost manufacturer of private submersibles globally, with over 60 submarines in operation. The Super Sub resembles an ultra-streamlined, suppository-like […]

Segway-Ninebot launches seven new eKickScooters

January 23, 2025

Chinese manufacturer Segway-Ninebot, the global leader in e-scooters with more than 13 million Ninebot eKickScooters on the road, is launching its next generation of eKickScooters. Seven new models are involved. With that new generation, the quality, such as an improved suspension system and the driving range of almost every model, increases slightly again. Like all […]

TIP launches world-first e-reefer trailer with solar and energy recovery

January 22, 2025

Dutch truck and trailer rental company TIP Group has created, together with SolarEdge e-Mobility and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Thermal Transport, the world’s first e-reefer trailer that combines solar, battery, and kinetic energy recovery, the Powered Trailer. This solution should provide emissions-free, temperature-controlled transport while also saving money. So-called “reefer” trailers are temperature-controlled trailers mainly used […]

Chery’s Zongheng: the SUV that floats like a boat

January 21, 2025

Jetour, a sub-brand of Chery Automobile, has steep ambitions in its home country to mimic what Land Rover does in the UK and Jeep in the USA. A fresh teaser video of its upcoming luxury off-road vehicle series, Zongheng, shows a camouflaged vehicle sailing through the water like an amphibious car. This sets new benchmarks […]

D’Ieteren’s hyperchargers redefine speed and charging comfort

January 20, 2025

D’Ieteren Energy, the new energy arm of Belgian auto importer D’Ieteren, is steping into hypercharging with the unveiling of its innovative FusionCharger. This cutting-edge DC charging station, developed by Huawei, leverages liquid-cooled technology to deliver ultrafast charging capabilities and keep peak power available regardless the number of charging cars.  The FusionCharger was under demonstration at […]

Belgium’s major bicycle show Velofollies attracts +39,000 visitors

January 20, 2025

The 17th edition of the bicycle fair Velofollies attracted over 39,000 people to Kortrijk Xpo. The e-bike was still central to the offerings of just about all manufacturers. Sales of e-bikes fell by 5.9% last year. With a drop of 11.6%, sales of traditional bikes took an even harder hit, but the second-hand market for […]

Polestar 3 freezes out Tesla in Norway’s brutal winter range test

January 17, 2025

The Polestar 3 surfaced victoriously in Norway’s latest El Prix winter range test. The Chinese-Swedish flagship SUV scored the second-best result in the test history. Despite Tesla’s reputation for range consistency, the Model 3 fell short of expectations. The world’s leading country for EV adoption isn’t the most benign region. Norway’s freezing winter temperatures and […]

No more ‘spy cars’: US bans Chinese and Russian tech in vehicles

January 16, 2025

Outgoing US President Joe Biden presented a farewell gift this week. He announced sweeping new restrictions, banning Chinese and Russian technology in connected vehicles over national security concerns. The new regulations will prohibit the sale, import, and use of hardware, software, and complete vehicles incorporating such technologies in the US. The White House stated that […]

Febelauto realizes a 97.7% recycling score for cars in Belgium

January 15, 2025

Febelauto will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2025. It is a Belgian organization committed to the sustainable recycling of cars and high-voltage batteries from electrified vehicles. Since its start in 1999, Febelauto has organized the recycling of some 2.6 million vehicles in Belgium, recuperating 2.5 million tons of (raw) materials.  In 2023, 6,662 end-of-live HEV […]

‘Hey Mercedes!’ means ‘Hey Google!’ in the upcoming CLA

January 14, 2025

While most carmakers choose ChatGPT as the digital assistant for the infotainment experience, Mercedes will embark on Google’s new Automotive AI Agent from the upcoming CLA. This should provide enhanced dialogues based on the tech company’s extended location data from its navigation maps and Waze. Google has officially unveiled its new Automotive AI Agent, a […]

300 exhibitors get ready for Velofollies in Kortrijk

January 13, 2025

From Friday to Sunday, Kortrijk Xpo will host Velofollies, the leading trade fair for cycling enthusiasts in Flanders. At this 17th edition, there will be a lot of interest in gravel bikes and e-bikes, two trends of recent years that have not lost popularity. Velofollies is the second largest bike fair in Europe, after Eurobike […]

Microlino Spider world’s debute in Brussels: ready to conquer US

January 13, 2025

One of the most miniature cars at the Brussels Motor Show, somewhat lost in the vast exposition hall occupied by Belgium’s most significant car importer, D’Ieteren, is a world premiere: the Swiss Microlino Spider. Still a concept, this roofless version, with open side panels and no doors, is meant to recall the simplicity and functionality […]

Honda unveils 0 Saloon and 0 SUV at CES, brings ASIMO back

January 08, 2025

Honda took center stage at the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) with the debut of its groundbreaking 0 Series electric vehicles, the 0 SUV and 0 Saloon, set to hit production in 2026. Alongside these futuristic prototypes, Honda announced its first proprietary vehicle operating system, ASIMO OS, named after its legendary humanoid robot. The announcements […]

Sony-Honda Afeela 1 will launch in 2026 for over $100,000

January 08, 2025

Sony’s first foray into the auto industry, the Afeela 1 electric saloon developed with Honda, will launch in mid-2026 for a steep price tag of $102,900. A slightly more affordable ‘Origin’ version will follow in 2027 for $89,900. Pre-orders have already been opened, but only in California. After a prototype in 2020 with the Vision-S […]

Škoda launches new Enyaq EVs with up to 590 km range

January 08, 2025

Czech Škoda Auto, Volkswagen’s daughter and one of the first to follow the group’s advanced EV strategy is introducing the new Enyaq family, what it calls “one of Europe’s most successful all-electric model series.” Both the Škoda Enyaq and the Škoda Enyaq Coupé now feature the brand’s new Modern Solid design language and offer enhanced […]

US Defense blacklists world’s leading Chinese battery maker CATL

January 08, 2025

In its latest update of the ‘Chinese military companies’ list, the US Department of Defense (DoD) mentions the Chinese battery giant CATL for the first time, along with Tencent, another Chinese giant in gaming and communications. CATL is the world’s biggest EV battery maker, with nearly 37% market share. It is way ahead of the […]

BMW shows Panoramic iDrive at CES in Las Vegas

January 08, 2025

At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, BMW shows the close-to-production version of the new BMW iDrive, its future display and operating concept that will be introduced across all new BMW models from the end of 2025. The software underpinning it all is the new BMW Operating System X, the intelligence hub behind […]

Flanders to allow super-trucks, Brussels and Wallonia hesitate

January 03, 2025

Flemish Mobility Minister Annick De Ridder (N-VA) wants to allow super trucks on Flemish highways within two years. The approval for the longer and heavier vehicles, or LHVs as these trucks that are up to 25,25 meters long and weigh up to 60 tons are officially called, will come on condition that a few strict […]

Brussels Motor Show: European first for Leapmotor C10 with range extender 

December 27, 2024

Leapmotor plans to make waves at the 101st Brussels Motor Show in January 2025 by unveiling its latest innovation: the C10 REEV (Range Extender Electric Vehicle). This marks the first introduction of Leapmotor’s REEV technology in Europe as the company seeks to expand its presence in the growing EV and hybrid markets. Leapmotor enlarges its […]

China decade ahead target, selling more electrified cars than ICE in 2025

December 27, 2024

China is firmly on track to sell more ‘electric’ cars—that is, EVs and plug-in hybrids—than pure traditional gas cars with internal combustion engines (ICE) in 2025, reaching its 50% electric target a decade before the deadline the government had set by 2035. According to The Financial Times (FT) analysis, so-called New Energy Vehicle (NEV) sales […]

‘World’s safest’ CATL Bedrock skateboard promises +1000 km range

December 27, 2024

Chinese battery maker CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd) launched a new skateboard called ‘Bedrock’ the day before Christmas that should be as hard to crush as the name suggests, the safest EV chassis so far. What’s more, is that it promises a range of over 1,000 kilometers and supports Level 3 and 4 autonomous […]

Einride starts first commercial daily autonomous freight operation

December 23, 2024

Swedish freight technology company Einride, specializing in sustainable and autonomous vehicle solutions, has achieved a European milestone by launching the continent’s first daily commercial autonomous freight operation. Partnering with online pharmacy Apotea, Einride’s autonomous trucks now transport goods between the retailer’s warehouses in Morgongåva, Sweden, and so officially move to the road network. The operation […]

NIO’s flagship sedan ET9 flabbergasts former VW boss Diess

December 23, 2024

The day before Christmas, at Nio Day 2023, the Chinese premium EV maker took off the wraps of its new ‘executive flagship sedan,’ the ET9, which has to play in the highest luxury car segment like the Mercedes-Maybach or EQS, or the BMW i7. Exactly a year later, the ET9 launches in China for 788,000 […]

Alfa unveils Junior Q4 as world premiere at Brussels Motor Show

December 19, 2024

Alfa Romeo is bringing a world premiere to the Brussels Motor Show next January. The Italian brand will unveil the four-wheel driven version of its small SUV Junior, based on the hybrid driveline. It seems Stellantis is keen on making a grand entrance in the capital of Europe. With the demise of motor shows worldwide, […]

Lamborghini latest brand to postpone electric

December 18, 2024

Lamborghini’s first EV, likely a production version of the Lanzador concept car, won’t show up in 2028. According to remarks from CEO Stephan Winkelmann, the Italian manufacturer will release its first fully electric model in 2029 at the earliest, citing low market interest in electric sports cars. Although Lamborghini has partly embraced the electrification of […]

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