Eurostar to reconnect Amsterdam with London directly from 2025

October 03, 2024

From the beginning of next year, anyone wishing to travel from Amsterdam to London by Eurostar will be able to do so again without changing trains in Brussels. The renovation of the terminal in Amsterdam Central will be largely completed by then, says the Dutch railroad company NS. Due to works on the Amsterdam station, […]

BelDrive platform allows to renew Belgian driver’s license online

October 03, 2024

From October 1st, you can renew your driver’s license A and B via BelDrive, FPS Mobility’s online platform. The platform should simplify the process. The European Union has decided that everyone must apply for a new driver’s license by 2033. From then on, everyone must have a bank card-format driver’s license, which is valid for […]

Norway on course to 100% new electric car sales with September record

October 03, 2024

Norway continues to break records in the shift toward electric mobility. In September, 96.4% of all new car registrations in the country were fully electric vehicles. This new record comes just a month after the previous peak in August 2024, where 94.3% of new cars were electric. The surge in electric vehicle adoption reinforces Norway’s […]

Traxio: ‘used car sales on the rise while new decline’

October 03, 2024

While new car registrations slowed, the used car market grew almost continuously over the year’s first nine months. According to mobility organization Traxio, the 500,000 registration mark was already exceeded in August. That figure rose to more than 550,000 registrations (550,781, to be precise) in September, or 6.1% more than last year and 13.7% more […]

Audi Brussels unions claim bigger part from ‘€1.3 billion moneybox’

October 03, 2024

On Tuesday, the unions at Audi’s factory in Brussels, threatened by closure, were told at a works council meeting that only one candidate investor for the plant has come forward but didn’t put a viable plan on the table. At the same time, management made a first proposal for a social plan, which the unions […]

Dutch €22 M incentive for zero-emission trucks almost exhausted in one day

October 03, 2024

The additional round of the Zero-Emission Trucks (AanZET) subsidy program for 2024 in the Netherlands was almost entirely allocated in just one day. Of the €22.2 million budget, €21.4 million was applied for, as companies feel the pressure with several Dutch cities introducing zero-emission zones in 2025. According to the Ministry, a new round of […]

BMW boss ultimately calls to vote against EU tariffs on Chinese EVs

October 03, 2024

In an ultimate attempt to avoid a ‘damaging’ trade war with China, BMW CEO Oliver Zipse has called the EU member states again to vote against punitive tariffs on Chinese EVs. He urges Germany to take a clear position on the matter, as Chancellor Schultz is expected to abstain rather than vote against it. The […]

PwC Belgium doubles its EV company car fleet with 200 MINIs

October 02, 2024

By the end of this year, PricewaterhouseCoopers Belgium and MINI Belux will deliver 200 brand-new full electric MINIs to their starting employees. With the delivery, the company will have a total of 300 electrified MINIs in its fleet. By replacing 200 BMW 1 series diesel cars with new electric MINI Cooper SE models, the company […]

France’s social leasing for EVs could be expensive joke for Citroën

October 02, 2024

Citroën risks losing millions from the social leasing plan launched in France last year to encourage the switch to electric cars. The brand, owned by Stellantis, had until September 30th to deliver the vehicles ordered under that leasing plan. But Citroën is facing delivery delays. According to French media, if the French state prevails, the […]

Free electric shuttles in Namur’s downtown pedestrian zone

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 […]

Skoda Elroq EV: value for money is key asset

October 02, 2024

Skoda has presented the Elroq, its second EV after the Enyaq. When the Skoda comes onto the market in the first quarter of 2025, it will offer much for the money asked.  The price for Belux has just been released: €33,990. The prices of electric cars have long been a much-discussed topic. At Skoda, positioned […]

Belux car sales in September almost one-fifth down

October 02, 2024

According to the latest data from the sector federation Febiac and the federal service Mobility & Transport, the registrations of new cars in September decreased by 18.6% compared to last year. Thirty-one thousand six hundred seventy-six (31,676) new vehicles were registered. The cumulated data for the first three quarters show 356,568 registrations, 4.9% less than […]

Vic Daenen, the Belgian who makes the best of Ford’s ‘late’ EV job

October 02, 2024

Last week, Ford Cologne started ramping up production of its two European EVs, the Explorer SUV and the new Capri, a fully electric crossover. Both are up to 70% more Volkswagen than Ford as they extensively use VW’s MEB platform, siblings of the ID.4 and ID.5. Turning the old Fiesta factory into a modern zero-emission […]

Stellantis reviews forecasts and gets slashed on stock market

October 01, 2024

Car manufacturing group Stellantis is undoubtedly not the first to lower its expectations, but the stock market’s reaction has been the most brutal. Stellantis shares have fallen by more than 10%. It seems that shareholders and speculators wanted to punish Stellantis for its impressive successes in the last years now that the car industry, in […]

Airbus sets up new campus for pilot training in Toulouse

October 01, 2024

European aircraft maker Airbus will build a new campus for training and flight operations in its home port of Toulouse. The Toulouse site, the only center in Europe to provide training on all the European aircraft manufacturer’s programs, will accommodate 600 people starting in 2026. Airbus forecasts that more than 40,000 new aircraft could enter […]

Damage found to concrete shell around Doel 4 nuclear reactor

October 01, 2024

The planned restart of the Doel 4 nuclear reactor has been postponed until December because the outer shell has been damaged. During a scheduled maintenance service, inspectors discovered damage to the concrete reinforcement of the outermost of two casings above the reactor. Last year, the Alexander Decroo government and operator Electrabel decided to keep the […]

‘Seven in ten Walloons do not know how to apply a safety corridor’

October 01, 2024

The Walloon Road Safety Agency (AWSR) reports that about 72% of Walloon motorists do not know how to correctly apply the ‘safety corridor’ rule or the emergency lane, even though it has been in the Belgian highway code for four years. The organization is launching an information campaign to remind road users of this principle. […]

Fifty industry leaders call on EU to stay firm on car CO2 standards

October 01, 2024

A group of fifty companies and organizations from the automotive, clean tech, transport, and energy ecosystem that calls itself ‘Industry for 2035’ urges the European Union not to give in to the rising pressure from some car manufacturers and stay firm on car CO2 standards for 2026 and beyond, including the ICE ban from 2035. […]

MG’s electric roadster Cyberster finally goes on sale in Benelux (update)

October 01, 2024

It’s finally on sale in Europe, the MG everyone is waiting to revive the image of the iconic roadsters from its British heritage: the fully electric Cyberster. The basic 2WD version can be ordered in Belgium for €65,490, and the most potent, 4WD GT version, featuring 375 kW (510 pk), starts at €69.990. 47 pre-orders […]

BYD issues major Dolphin recall in China for fire risk

October 01, 2024

Chinese car manufacturer BYD has filed a recall of nearly 100,000 vehicles due to a manufacturing fault in the electric power steering column assembly (CEPS) controller. According to China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), due to fire risks, the automaker will recall 96,714 Dolphin and Yuan Plus vehicles in China starting September 30th, 2024. […]

Eneco builds Belgium’s largest battery park in Wallonia

October 01, 2024

Sustainable energy producer Eneco has built Belgium’s largest battery park in Ville-sur-Haine in the province of Hainaut (Wallonia). Last Friday, the press was invited to visit the site. The site housed a coal-fired power station until the 1980s. Now, it has 53 batteries that can store 200 MW of electricity. The batteries will store excess […]

Paris mayor wins: 50 km/h on entire ring road from October 10

September 30, 2024

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has won her battle: the planned 50 km/h speed limit will be introduced on part of the Paris ring road tomorrow and will apply everywhere there from October 10. New French Transport Minister François Durovray “regrets the decision, which will affect millions of Île-de-France residents.” But Durovray, who threatened to scrap […]

United Kingdom closes its last remaining coal power plant

September 30, 2024

The United Kingdom has marked a historic moment in its energy transition by shutting down the Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station in Nottinghamshire (East Midlands of England). It was the UK’s last remaining coal power plant. Officials have described its closure as a “tremendously important milestone in the global route to decarbonization.” After decommissioning, the site will […]

Brussels Airport tests steeper approach routes for less noise pollution

September 30, 2024

Brussels Airport and air traffic controller Skeyes are starting demonstration flights with landings at a steeper angle on Tuesday. This test aims to analyze whether there is a positive impact on noise pollution, CO2 emissions, and fuel consumption. The tests are part of the HERON (Highly Efficient Green Operations) project, a broad international consortium of […]

German CAM sees ‘giant leap in EV adoption in 2025 despite resilience’

September 30, 2024

The German-based Centre for Automotive Research (CAM) has released an analysis of EV registrations in Europe’s key markets for the first half of the year. CAM sees a significant opposing trend where the UK is nearing taking the lead from Germany as Europe’s biggest EV market. CAM spots an overall resilience for electric cars, especially […]

De Lijn to get extra resources for more staff and greening its fleet

September 30, 2024

The new Flemish government has decided that the Flemish public transport company De Lijn will receive additional funds to green its fleet and will also be allowed to decide in the future to raise fares. However, it is not clear exactly how much extra money is going to De Lijn. In addition to substantial investments […]

Volkswagen slashes 2024 outlook amid sales crisis

September 30, 2024

For the second time, Volkswagen, Germany’s largest automaker, has cut its 2024 revenue and profitability forecasts, signaling a deepening crisis within the German automotive industry. Citing a challenging market environment, the company announced on Friday that it now expects lower sales and earnings than previously projected. Volkswagen initially forecasted a revenue increase of up to […]

New Flemish government to slacken LEZ reins and tax EVs

September 30, 2024

Since this weekend, Flanders has a new government and embarks now on a new course to appease mobility and the environment. The latter comes off second-best as LEZ zones are ‘frozen’ to their current restrictions, and the 2029 ban on new cars with combustion engines (ICE) is set back by six years to 2035. And […]

Airbus reorganizes production to scrutinize costs without redundancies

September 27, 2024

European aircraft maker Airbus is reorganizing its production to better respond to supply chain disruptions and its main competitors, the American Boeing and the ambitious Chinese Comac. It is doing so under the banner ‘LEAD!’. The new strategy includes structurally improving performance by simplifying the organization, cost savings, and not hiring new staff, but there […]

JLR invests £500 million in its Halewood factory

September 27, 2024

Jaguar Land Rover is getting its 61-year-old factory in Halewood near Liverpool ready for EV production. Here, the carmaker will manufacture mid-size electric SUVs based on the new Electric Modular Architecture (EMA) platform. The first half of the £500 million investment (€600 million) has already been used to modernize production lines and machinery, train staff, […]

Belgium one of leading EU countries in CO₂ reduction of new car fleet

September 27, 2024

Belgium’s automotive market outperforms most European markets in reducing CO₂ emissions from new cars. According to Febiac and the European Environment Agency data, Newspaper De Tijd reports that the average emissions from new cars in Belgium decreased by over 40% between 2019 and 2023. This is significantly better than the EU average reduction of 27%, […]

TNO: ‘Half of Dutch second-hand car buyers consider EVs’

September 27, 2024

The Dutch non-profit research organization TNO (Toegepast Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek) survey shows that 48% of potential second-hand car buyers prefer an EV. The survey asked 1,512 respondents which type of car they would buy on the second-hand market in the five years to come. Almost half (48%) preferred an electric car, and 59% thought it feasible […]

Polestar and Allebike launch second joint electric mountain bike

September 27, 2024

Polestar’s collaboration with Swedish bicycle brand Allebike has resulted in a second joint e-mountain bike: the limited-edition Allebike Elize Polestar Engineered. This new bike, priced at €8,900, is designed for challenging off-road adventures, combining the design and performance elements that Polestar is known for. It’s designed to complement the carmaker’s SUV range. The new e-mountain […]

Eurostar and SkyTeam to offer joint tickets

September 26, 2024

High-speed train operator Eurostar and the airline alliance SkyTeam will work together to offer integrated tickets. They have signed a memorandum of understanding to this end. The intention is to offer joint trips combining long- and medium-haul flights on the one hand and Eurostar train rides on the other, starting in the first half of […]

Postponement of the LEZ in Brussels is coming

September 26, 2024

The tightening of the low-emission zone (LEZ) in Brussels will most likely be postponed from 2025 to 2027. The proposal of an ordinance to this effect by MR, PS, Les Engagés, and Open Vld was approved on Wednesday in the Environment Committee of the Brussels Parliament. The Brussels Parliament’s plenary session on October 4th must […]

German Tesla managers visit ‘sick’ employees at home

September 26, 2024

Absenteeism is peaking at the Tesla factory in Grünheide, near Berlin. Management has, therefore, decided to visit employees on sick leave at home to check whether their absence is legal. In August, the sick leave rate among the 12,000 employees in Grünheide had risen to 17 percent; at the beginning of September, it was still […]

BYD celebrates 9 millionth new energy vehicle milestone

September 26, 2024

BYD marked a significant milestone on September 25th, as the Chinese automaker celebrated the production of its nine millionth new energy vehicle (NEV). The landmark car, a Yangwang U9 electric supercar, crowned the event. The achievement symbolizes BYD’s rapid growth and expansion in the electric vehicle market. Two months ago, BYD reached its eighth millionth […]

Touring: ‘Average EV driver is highly educated and wealthy’

September 26, 2024

According to the mobility organization Touring,  the average EV driver in Belgium is highly educated, has a higher-than-average income, and has a private parking spot for his car. Touring has realized the latest European Alternative Fuels Observatory (EAFO) survey in Belgium in cooperation with the Brussels VUB University and interrogated 1,356 Belgian drivers. 96 of […]

Elia: ‘new wind farms and nuclear to cover growing electricity demand’ (update)

September 26, 2024

According to electricity provider Elia, electricity demand will only increase over the next 25 years. Cars will run on batteries, industrial processes will run on electricity, and we’ll heat our homes with heat pumps. Elia, therefore, wants the new government to make decisions about new investments in power supply and the future energy mix because […]

Leapmotor arrives in Europe

September 25, 2024

The first European Media Drive for the Leapmotor C10 and T03 models is currently taking place in Milan. The event marks Leapmotor International’s official debut in Europe. Meanwhile, the Chinese carmaker is already readying other models to enter the market. In October 2023, Leapmotor and Stellantis announced that Stellantis would invest around 1.5 billion euros […]

Cambio Flanders celebrates 20 years and expands to Ghent suburbs

September 25, 2024

Cambio CarSharing Flanders is celebrating its 20th anniversary. The car-sharing service started in 2004 in Ghent and is active in more than 100 Flemish cities and municipalities today. More cities and municipalities will be added in the coming years, starting with the Ghent boroughs. The car-sharing service also wants to improve its software and further […]

New ICE high-speed connection between Paris and Berlin

September 25, 2024

Starting December 16th, a high-speed train will run daily between Paris and Berlin. French railroad company SNCF Voyageurs and German operator Deutsche Bahn will operate the line. The journey will take about eight hours in total. A stopover in Brussels or Belgium is not planned because the train will enter France or Germany via Strasbourg. […]

Flixbus launches bus line between Brussels and Kyiv

September 25, 2024

The German Flixbus launches a direct bus connection between Brussels (Belgium) and Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital. The first trip from Kyiv to Brussels is planned for Wednesday. There will be two rides per week. The bus leaves Kyiv on Wednesday and Friday mornings. In the opposite direction, the departure from Brussels North is scheduled for Monday […]

D’Ieteren’s Poppy adds taxi services with 800 ‘certified drivers’

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 […]

BMW updates model offer for autumn 2024

September 25, 2024

BMW just released more information about its model offer update for the autumn and winter of 2024. Just a few weeks after the new BMW 1 Series launches, another two model variants will be available from November 2024. At the same time, the line-up of drive systems for the BMW i5 Touring and BMW 5 […]

NMBS/SNCB rolls out silence zones on main intercity trains

September 24, 2024

In the coming weeks and months, railroad company NMBS/SNCB will roll out silence zones on Belgium’s main IC trains. By next summer, 65% of all passengers traveling between major cities should generally be able to use them. The quiet zones have been tested on trains between Eupen and Ostend and Brussels and Luxembourg. According to […]

New French Minister to block Paris’ 50 km/h on ring road?

September 24, 2024

The Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, wants to introduce a speed limit of 50 km/hour on the Paris Ring Road from October 1st. Whether it will come to that remains to be seen because brand-new Transport Minister François Durovray says he is unconvinced about the project. “I think this is not a decision that the […]

Flemish mobility organization VAB celebrates its 100th anniversary

September 24, 2024

The Flemish mobility organization VAB will celebrate its 100th anniversary this year, at September 30. On the occasion of its centenary, the organization will also have a new slogan: “VAB, daar kom je verder mee” (VAB will take you further). Over the past century, the organization has grown into a company that offers driving lessons, […]

Belgium tops China’s NEV world export ranking in 2024

September 24, 2024

In the first eight months of this year, China exported 4.09 million vehicles worldwide, with Russia (705,514 units) as its biggest export market. Belgium ranks fifth with 182,504 cars. However, when the Chinese Customs data are broken down to figures for NEVs only (New Energy Vehicles, as China calls electrified cars), Belgium tops the world […]

Peugeot bumps e-3008 and e-5008 range to near 700 km

September 24, 2024

French carmaker Peugeot has finished homologating the new Long-Range versions of its electric SUVs. Thanks to a larger 96,9-kWh battery, the e-3008 now claims up to 700 km of range, while the 7-seater e-5008 follows with up to 668 km of range. The new 230 Long Range powertrain shared by the two electric SUVs features […]

Northvolt to cut 1,600 jobs over EV cooldown

September 24, 2024

Swedish battery manufacturer Northvolt, Europe’s unicorn start-up in the electric vehicle (EV) battery market, announced it will cut 1,600 jobs. The number accounts for roughly 20% of its global workforce. The decision comes as the company faces significant financial challenges and a slowdown in the EV market. The cuts will disproportionately affect Sweden, with around […]

US wants to ban Chinese ‘car connection technology’ from roads

September 24, 2024

On Monday, due to national security concerns, the US Commerce Department proposed prohibiting essential Chinese software and hardware in connected vehicles on American roads. This move would effectively ban Chinese cars and trucks from the US market. The planned regulation, first reported by Reuters, would also force American and other major automakers to remove critical […]

August car sales show mixed fortunes for automakers in Europe

September 24, 2024

August was a turbulent month for the European automotive market, with notable winners and losers among car manufacturers. Overall, vehicle sales dropped by 17%, as reported by Dataforce, but a few brands managed to defy the trend with impressive gains. Volvo’s soon-to-be-built-in Ghent EX30 continues its winning streak, while Chinese newcomer Omoda outperforms established names […]

Belgium’s King Philippe runs in new Brussels Tram Line 10

September 23, 2024

The new streetcar line 10 was officially opened in Neder-Over-Heembeek on Saturday, with Belgium’s King Philippe—a licensed jet and helicopter pilot—in the driver’s seat for this occasion. The latest Brussels tramline runs from the Military Hospital to the center of Brussels and on to Churchill in Uccle, passing key interchanges such as North Station, Rogier, […]

Teleworking saves Belgium 34 million commuter kilometers daily

September 23, 2024

According to the BeMob survey of the FPS Mobility and Transport, thanks to teleworking, 34 million kilometers are avoided daily, including 16 million by car. The survey, carried out between August 2023 and July 2024, questioned more than 4,000 Belgian workers. Almost one-third of Belgian employees (31%) work from home at least one day a […]

Mercedes-Benz abruptly lowers profit forecast over weak China sales

September 23, 2024

Luxury automaker Mercedes-Benz has revised its annual profit target downward for the second time this year, citing a challenging economic climate, particularly in China. This revised forecast follows a similar downgrade earlier this year due to weak second-quarter results. As the headwinds for German car makers grow stronger by the day, Berlin has set up a […]

Mobility Minister scraps rollback of additional Belgian trains

September 23, 2024

Resigning Mobility Minister Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo) has scrapped NMBS/SNCB’s decision not to expand its train offer by the end of this year, the newspaper De Standaard reports. The socialist union considers the Minister’s plan unrealistic, given the staff shortage and delayed equipment deliveries. In early September, news broke that NMBS/SNCB had to scale back its […]

VW Polo production stops in Europe after almost 50 years

September 23, 2024

After 40 years, Volkswagen is no longer building Polo models in Europe. VW has ended its Polo production in Europe as it shifts its focus to smaller, more affordable EVs. Volkswagen has been building Polo models in Pamplona, Spain, since 1984. Over 8.4 million Polos have been assembled at the Pamplona plant as one of […]

Smart #5 pre-orders open in China at €31.200

September 23, 2024

The official launch of Smart’s biggest model, the #5, is planned for the end of October, but in China, pre-ordering opened a few days ago at a price of 245,000 yuan, or some 31,200 euros. The #5 was previously tipped to the European market in 2025, costing around €40,000. Still, the possible imposition of new […]