December 18, 2025
Wallonia lags behind Flanders and neighboring countries in charging station density. To address this situation, the Walloon government has made two decisions. Firstly, (ultra) fast chargers are now also allowed at motorway parking areas without petrol stations. And secondly, to accelerate the rollout of charging stations, “Électromobilité”, or Electromobility, is being set up, a committee […]
December 18, 2025
Elon Musk oversees Tesla and Starlink, the company that provides internet access through its satellite system. What if the two were combined to provide Tesla cars with connectivity everywhere they roam? A new patent points exactly in that direction. Tesla has filed a patent application for a vehicle roof assembly constructed from radio-frequency-permeable materials. This […]
December 18, 2025
The announcement in an official press release on 18 December that BNP Paribas’ subsidiary, Arval, has entered into exclusive negotiations to acquire Athlon from Mercedes-Benz Group is widely seen as the next significant milestone in consolidating Europe’s vehicle leasing market. If completed, the transaction would create a full-service leasing group managing around 2.3 million vehicles, […]
December 17, 2025
In Ghent (Belgium), more than 250 residents will be measuring air quality in and around their homes for three months. This pilot project, called ‘Luchtmeters’ (Air meters), aims to map particulate matter pollution (PM 2.5), an essential source of pollution from wood stoves, traffic, and industry. The pilot is also intended to share experiences and raise […]
December 17, 2025
The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) has responded to the European Commission’s decision to postpone the 2035 ICE ban for cars and to weaken van CO2 targets. The lobby group is satisfied with the EU’s direction but wants greater clarity for trucks as soon as possible. For context, the European Commission has announced its ‘Automotive […]
December 17, 2025
Fare evasion on the Belgian railway company NMBS/SNCB is clearly on the rise. This is once again evident from the results of a recent large-scale ticket inspection. We are observing a similar trend in neighboring countries, along with higher fines. However, there is one notable exception: Luxembourg, because traveling by public transport there does not […]
December 17, 2025
It’s almost an early Christmas story: last Monday, an American woman gave birth to her child in a Waymo autonomous vehicle while en route to UC San Francisco Medical Center. “A woman in labor gave birth in the back seat of a Waymo robotaxi, the company confirmed in a blog post on Wednesday. Mother and […]
December 17, 2025
In the short term, Europe’s car industry gains breathing space. In the longer term, Europe’s climate policy and electric-mobility leadership risk losing clarity and momentum, despite mounting evidence that the electric car is already the technologically and economically superior option. That is the uncomfortable trade-off at the heart of the European Commission’s new automotive action […]
December 17, 2025
The European Commission has presented as expected on Tuesday its broad Automotive Action Plan aimed at supporting the competitiveness of Europe’s car industry while maintaining the EU’s long-term climate objectives. Central to the proposal is a revision of the framework governing CO₂ emissions from new cars and vans after 2035, combined with industrial support measures […]
December 16, 2025
Rail freight operator Lineas has been operating at a loss for years. After the Belgian government saved the company from imminent bankruptcy in July with a loan that can be converted into shares, Lineas has now applied for a closed judicial reorganization procedure. This should allow the company to reach a restructuring agreement with its […]
December 16, 2025
Flemish arable land, intensively cultivated and driven over by heavy machinery, has the lowest soil carbon stock per hectare, particularly in the topsoil. Even the average Flemish garden performs better. Frequent tillage, heavy machinery, and limited long-term organic inputs accelerate the decomposition of organic matter, thereby increasing CO₂ emissions. This is evident from the latest […]
December 16, 2025
Last year, the Brussels-Capital Region spent 3.2 million euros on resurfacing its 800 kilometers of regional roads, well below the region’s own targets. According to De Standaard and BRUZZ, the structural resurfacing program requires an annual budget of approximately 10 million euros to maintain the road network. Every year, at least 10% of Brussels’ regional roads, […]
December 16, 2025
Chinese carmaker BYD has announced one of the most generous battery warranties yet. The world’s best-selling EV maker promises a coverage of 250,000 kilometers, up from 200,000 kilometers previously. The increased mileage seems bold, even disruptive, but behind the figure sits a more complicated story about trust, technology, and the yearly mileage European customers cover. […]
December 16, 2025
Peugeot is reaching for its two-wheeled past as it prepares to relaunch the 103, one of Europe’s most famous mopeds. But instead of pedal power, it comes with a battery pack this time. Set for launch next year, the reborn 103 blends familiar styling cues with modern tech. For decades, the Peugeot 103 was a […]
December 16, 2025
Renault has put a number on its promise to democratise electric city cars. As promised, the new Twingo E-Tech Electric starts at €19,500 in Belgium, making it one of the very few fully electric cars from a mainstream European brand to slip under the symbolic €20,000 threshold. And that, more than any design cue or technical […]
December 16, 2025
According to a newly released statement from Smart Europe, the fully electric #2, to be launched at the end of 2026, has entered an intensive real-world validation phase on its entirely new Electric Compact Architecture (ECA). The #2, expected to become the spiritual successor to the original Smart Fortwo, arrives at a moment when the […]
December 15, 2025
MAN Truck & Bus has secured the largest-ever bus tender for German public transport operator Deutsche Bahn. The two companies agreed on a framework for delivering more than 3,000 buses from 2027 to 2032, including a significant share of electric buses. While Belgian public transport operator De Lijn has come under fire for shunning its […]
December 15, 2025
All main lines of the Belgian rail network, covering 6,399 km, are equipped with the ETCS safety system. This train-speed control system continuously monitors speed and intervenes when a train exceeds the speed limit. The rollout by rail network operator Infrabel, which involved installing more than 48,000 beacons in the tracks and equipping more than […]
December 15, 2025
Geely has unveiled a vast new safety complex in eastern China, a flagship project shaped by the engineering competence of its Swedish subsidiary, Volvo. The Chinese car group wants to leverage its competitive edge and plans to make safety, alongside reliability, a sales argument in an increasingly crowded market. The new facility carries a price […]
December 15, 2025
The first urban cable car has been put into service in the Île-de-France region, near Paris. The cable car, reportedly the longest urban cable car in Europe, connects the Pointe-du-Lac stop in Créteil to the Villa-Nova stop in Villeneuve-Saint-Georges in 18 minutes, compared with around 40 minutes by bus or car. The C1 is expected […]
December 15, 2025
LKAB, a state-owned Swedish iron ore mining company, has taken delivery of a unique electric mining truck from Scania. The 8×4 heavy tipper, nicknamed “Sleipner” after Odin’s legendary eight-legged horse, has entered operations in the Malmberget mine, transporting waste rock. LKAB’s Malmberget mine is an iron ore mine that extends more than 1 km below […]
December 15, 2025
On Sunday, the eighth and final element of the immersed Scheldt tunnel in Antwerp was successfully lowered into place. This is a technically demanding operation in which massive concrete tunnel sections are floated into position, then carefully sunk and connected on the riverbed. The final element was inserted between elements six and eight, and there was only 25 centimeters of […]
December 15, 2025
Renault has announced that it will dismantle its standalone mobility arm, Mobilize, drawing a line under its brief experiment with car-sharing and electric microcars. The French car maker needs to counter mounting financial pressures. The French carmaker said it would wind down Mobilize, halt production of its electric quadricycles, and exit the car-sharing market altogether. […]
December 15, 2025
Road assistance company Touring and D’Ieteren’s car-sharing platform Poppy will pilot an innovative project starting at the beginning of next year. Together, they will test remote-controlled cars to transport people. Anyone experiencing car trouble in the port of Antwerp can be taken to the replacement car depot by a remotely controlled Poppy vehicle. The experiment will […]
December 15, 2025
Toyota takes another step in the gradual expansion of its European electric vehicle range with the unveiling of the final all-new Urban Cruiser, a compact battery-electric SUV designed to compete in one of the continent’s fastest-growing segments. The model made its world premiere at the Brussels Motor Show earlier this year. Positioned below the bZ4X […]
December 15, 2025
BMW has quietly drawn a strategic line in the fast-evolving battle over electric-vehicle batteries. With the commissioning of its new battery cell recycling facility in Bavaria, operated with circular-economy specialist Encory, the German carmaker is not only closing the loop on its electric drivetrains but also making a clear statement about which battery chemistry it […]
December 15, 2025
The EU and China have resumed negotiations on a minimum price plan for electric cars manufactured in China. Most recently, the EU had examined a possible exemption for Volkswagen from EV tariffs, which now appears to have set the process in motion again. Representatives of the European Union and China are once again discussing alternatives […]
December 13, 2025
Best known until now for televisions and household electronics, Chinese Skyworth has set its eyes on the Belgian car market. To stand out in the plethora of Chinese newcomers, the brand promises an 11-minute charge with grace from the 800-volt network. The question remains whether its K800V SUV can earn enough trust with sharp numbers […]
December 12, 2025
According to organizer Febiac, the Brussels Motor Show 2026 is alive and kicking. This 102nd edition will feature a record number of participating exhibitors (64), while two-wheelers are back again, with an additional 28 exhibiting companies. Frank Van Gool, CEO at the sector federation Febiac: “Records are always lovely for statistics, but to me it’s […]
December 12, 2025
The speed at which emergency services respond is crucial for the survival of road accident victims. The Vias Institute therefore analyzed the time elapsed between answering the emergency call after an accident with injury and the arrival of emergency services at the scene. In Belgium, emergency services arrive at their destination within 12 minutes (11 minutes and […]
December 12, 2025
French train manufacturer Alstom plans to cut 150 jobs at its factory in Bruges from mid-2026. Earlier this year, Alstom lost out on a large train order from the Belgian public railway company NMBS/SNCB, which opted for the Spanish company CAF. The unions feared that this would lead to job losses at the Bruges factory, […]
December 12, 2025
Europe will no longer hold on to its long-promised ban on new registrations of gasoline and diesel cars as of 2035. The Commission has settled for a rewrite, now demanding that the average vehicle sold will be obliged to emit 90% less CO2 after that deadline. Pitched as a measure to safeguard jobs in the […]
December 11, 2025
Oslo’s ambition to reshape its transport system around cleaner, more flexible mobility has taken a new step through a partnership with Volkswagen that will bring an autonomous ID.Buzz fleet to the city’s streets from 2026. Once again, the Norwegian capital is positioning itself as an early adopter of technologies that many European cities embrace far […]
December 11, 2025
TotalEnergies’ lawyers have, in turn, presented their arguments in the so-called ‘Farmer case’, the lawsuit brought by Hugues Falys, an organic farmer from Hainaut, against the French oil giant. Falys holds the energy company responsible for climate change and, consequently, for the storms and droughts that have significantly impacted his business. According to them, a […]
December 11, 2025
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has quietly rewritten its climate-change pages, removing or downplaying the scientific consensus that human emissions of greenhouse gases are the dominant cause of current global warming. Under pressure from US President Donald Trump, climate science is being rewritten step by step, and some essential aspects on the EPA’s website have […]
December 11, 2025
De Lijn is expanding its e-bus fleet with another 350 vehicles from BYD and Daimler. The BYD buses are the last of a 2023 framework agreement for 500 e-buses, which sparked criticism from Belgian stakeholders for not selecting local bus manufacturers VDL and Van Hool, both of which have since gone bankrupt. The first BYD […]
December 11, 2025
Last week, President Donald Trump’s administration proposed loosening federal fuel-economy standards, giving automakers a reprieve from stringent emissions rules and prompting some analysts and environmental organizations to say the change could mean the return of the gas-guzzler. Trump and Department of Transportation officials said automakers might now be required to meet an average of 34.5 […]
December 11, 2025
Will we soon be hearing “Bon appétite!” or “Enjoy your meal” a little faster before the British border comes into view on the Eurostar? There’s a good chance of that happening, as the British government has changed the rules on bringing meat and dairy products into the UK as ‘personal luggage’ in response to outbreaks […]
December 11, 2025
Mercedes has inked a significant new supply deal with South Korea’s LG Energy Solutions. On paper, the agreement appears to be a routine procurement for the carmaker’s next wave of electric models. But in practice, it exposes the deepening malaise within Europe’s battery ambitions, as one of the continent’s flagship manufacturing projects continues to miss […]
December 10, 2025
There has been a flood of reactions to Ryanair’s threats to reduce passenger numbers at Brussels Airport and Brussels South Charleroi by 1 million. Is this a bluff, a negotiating tactic, or will the higher flight tax in Belgium indeed jeopardize Europe’s largest airline’s profit targets? Whichever way you look at it, the International Air […]
December 10, 2025
Sustainability saves lives and the global economy. Investing in a sustainable planet could extend millions of lives, end hunger, and ultimately generate trillions of dollars a year for the worldwide economy. That is the conclusion of 287 scientists from 82 countries in the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) ‘s Global Environmental Outlook, the most comprehensive report […]
December 10, 2025
VAB, Belgium’s largest mobility organisation, will undergo a leadership transition in mid-2026. Outgoing CEO Geert Markey has announced on LinkedIn that he will retire on 1 July 2026, with Werner Eetezonne to succeed him. The move marks a significant shift at the top of a company that plays a central role in roadside assistance, insurance […]
December 10, 2025
German luxury carmaker Mercedes has partnered with Chinese software firm Momenta to deploy autonomous S-Class limousines, aiming to differentiate itself from Waymo and Tesla with a premium offering. Mercedes is to enter the commercial robotaxi market with a fleet of autonomous S-Class limousines in Abu Dhabi, as the German manufacturer attempts to carve out a […]
December 10, 2025
Under the slogan ‘small is the new big’, Citroën launched its ELO concept car, “a laboratory of ideas that embodies the brand’s values of innovation and creativity and brings together ideas for the future,” according to Citroën. “ELO is small but thinks big! Small in size, it surprises with its spacious interior and modularity thanks […]
December 10, 2025
When the doors of the Brussels Motor Show open in January 2026, all eyes will turn to several ‘world premieres’, and one of them is Opel. The German brand is preparing the fully updated Opel Astra range, including the Astra Electric and the Astra Sports Tourer Electric. And fittingly, Brussels itself has grown in strategic […]
December 10, 2025
The Supervisory Board of BMW has decided on the successor to CEO Oliver Zipse: At the Annual General Meeting in May 2026, current Production Board Member Milan Nedeljković (56) will take over as Chairman of the Board in Munich. BMW had already made an exception to its internal age rule for Zipse. In 2023, the […]
December 09, 2025
Renault Group and Ford form a strategic partnership for passenger and commercial vehicles, starting with two affordable electric cars in Europe. The companies have signed a partnership agreement to develop two Ford-branded passenger electric vehicles based on Renault Group’s Ampere platform. Additionally, the companies will explore the opportunity to collaborate in the commercial vehicle segment […]
December 09, 2025
In the Brussels municipality of Ukkel/Uccle, the new Carsoel Bridge over the Schaerbeek-Halle railway line has officially been put into service. The new bridge at Sint-Job station looks like a small square and is set to become a central intermodal hub, designed to promote sustainable transport. The revamped mobility project at the station, which welcomes […]
December 09, 2025
When Chinese battery giant CATL announced last week that fully electric vessels capable of open-ocean voyages could be commercially viable within three years, the claim sent a jolt through the maritime world. Batteries have already reshaped personal mobility and are rapidly gaining ground in Europe’s leisure boating market, but scaling them to the demands of […]
December 09, 2025
Lotus has unveiled its first extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) based on the Eletre SUV. The Lotus For Me, as it’s called in China, features a dual-motor electric drivetrain aided by a gasoline engine for additional driving range. But apart from that, the electric performance is perhaps even more interesting… Lotus was set to become an […]
December 09, 2025
From January 1st, 2026, medical exemptions authorising the use of seat belts will cease to be valid in Belgium. Anyone who benefits from an old exemption, issued before March 1st, 2022, and whose state of health still justifies the impossibility of wearing a seatbelt, will have to submit a new application. An exemption is only […]
December 08, 2025
The charging infrastructure in Europe will increase from approximately 12.2 million charging points to around 35.4 million by 2030. That means almost a threefold increase over five years. This is according to a recent report compiled by the consulting firm Ricardo on behalf of the European division of the International Automobile Federation (FIA). A large […]
December 08, 2025
Fines for traffic violations will soon increase by 10%; court fines will even increase by 25%. This was confirmed by the office of Minister of Justice Annelies Verlinden (CD&V). In concrete terms, this means that a minor first-degree offense, such as forgetting to signal, will now cost €63.80 instead of €58. A second-degree offense will increase […]
December 08, 2025
According to a recent study by the Belgian road safety institute Vias, there really is an “affective polarization” in traffic ─ negative feelings and hostility ─ between different groups of road users. People clearly rate their own group more positively than others, with particularly negative feelings toward e-scooters and cyclists. In an urban context, these tensions […]
December 08, 2025
Smart has unveiled the first official images of its new #6 sedan via China’s MIIT filings, confirming a significant shift in direction for the brand — one that points to a different trajectory than the one Smart follows in Europe. The #6 mirrors the plug-in hybrid approach of the Smart #5, underscoring how Smart China […]
December 08, 2025
The new GLB with EQ technology aims to maintain its reputation as the most practical of Mercedes-Benz’s entry-level models in the electric age. Following the CLA and its Shooting Brake variant, Stuttgart has now unveiled the most versatile model based on the MMA platform. While the drivetrain options hold no surprises, the design certainly does. […]
December 05, 2025
A Dutch study has revealed interesting differences in brand loyalty between Asian and European, mainly premium, brands. The study was conducted by ikwilvanmijnautoaf.nl – translated as ‘I want to get rid of my car’ – a Dutch website that helps people sell their car quickly and hassle-free. Analysis of data from 250,000 vehicles registered in […]
December 05, 2025
Lexus is officially resurrecting its most hallowed nameplate, but it is compliant with modern times. The screaming V10 engine that defined the original icon is swapped for a battery pack. While expectations are that this model will crown Toyota as one of the first legacy manufacturers to turn to solid-state battery packs, that part of […]
December 05, 2025
It begins with a thud that shouldn’t be survivable. In a video ricocheting across Chinese social media and picked up by YouTube channel Planet Car News, a two-ton palm tree with a trunk thicker than a man’s torso is dropped on a gleaming BYD Yangwang U8L luxury SUV. The impact is violent, the shockwave rippling […]
December 05, 2025
For the 39th edition of the Family Car election by Flemish mobility club VAB, the participating journalists and VAB members could choose from two pricing categories. In the past, there was a third category for electric cars, but it has since been abolished as more affordable BEVs have entered the market. This year, (partial) electrification […]
