September 12, 2024
Wind energy is now the largest source of electricity in the European Union, after nuclear energy. The European Commission announced this on Wednesday in its annual energy report. On the other hand, gas consumption has fallen sharply (-18%). In August, during the energy crisis, the European Union’s countries set a common objective: to voluntarily reduce […]
September 12, 2024
The new Chinese EV brand Jiyue, created by internet services giant Baidu in a joint venture with Geely, has officially launched its second model, the 07 sedan. Its starting price is 209,900 yuan or roughly 26,700 euros. The first ‘owner’ to receive the keys at the launch was Robin Zeng, chairman and CEO of battery […]
September 12, 2024
House searches are taking place at several companies that carry out bus trips for the Flemish public transport companies De Lijn and its Walloon counterpart, TEC. This is reported by the Belgian Competition Authority (BMA). There would be suspicions of price fixing and falsification of public tenders. Which coach companies are involved is not yet […]
September 12, 2024
Mercedes-Benz is betting on solid-state batteries, co-developed with US-based Factorial, for its future electric car range. The companies promise a high energy density of 450 Watt-hours per kilogram that can extend the EV range up to 80%, which, at the same time, is safer, more compact, and cost-efficient to produce. The new battery—Solstice—should be ready […]
September 11, 2024
The European Space Agency (ESA) warns in a report published on Tuesday that global methane emissions, a powerful greenhouse gas, continue to rise. The report reveals that human activities are responsible for at least two-thirds of global methane emissions.“The trends are going in exactly the opposite direction of what is needed to maintain a habitable […]
September 11, 2024
Denmark’s subsea CO2 storage facility is ready to receive high volumes of CO2. So reports British chemical company Ineos after receiving a positive final report for the pilot project. Ineos said Denmark now has “a safe and functioning underground storage facility in the North Sea, where CO2 can be permanently stored to combat climate change.” […]
September 11, 2024
Tensions with unions are rising in Wolfsburg. Volkswagen has announced the termination of a 30-year-old job security agreement, signaling a significant shift in its labor policies and setting the stage for potential layoffs starting next July. The main culprits are declining car sales, a disappointing return on investment over low EV adoption, and increased competition. […]
September 11, 2024
Specter, the Belgian manufacturer of specially designed speed pedelecs, has raised two million euros in new capital to expand its activities in Belgium and abroad. In addition to the existing partners, Fundracer Capital—a new party with extensive experience in the micro-mobility and bicycle industry—will invest in the start-up. Maarten Baert, founder and CEO of Specter: […]
September 11, 2024
In the wake of establishing a new European Commission, Italy and Spain are urging officials to revise the policies concerning the scheduled ban on combustion engine sales and the import tariffs for Chinese carmakers. Italy wants to accelerate the planned revision to the 2035 ban, which it calls ‘absurd’, while Spain calls for a less […]
September 11, 2024
The 2023 European EAFO Consumer Monitor, an EU survey among 17,034 non-electric drivers and 2,046 actual BEV drivers in twelve countries, shows that despite the negative press EVs are getting in some countries, most EV drivers are generally satisfied and not willing to go back to fossil. Among non-EV drivers, 57% consider buying one in […]
September 10, 2024
The Brussels holding company D’Ieteren, known among other things as an importer of Volkswagen and car glass repairer Carglass, will eventually, after seven generations, be owned by only one branch of the family: Nicolas D’Ieteren and his investment vehicle, Nayarit. The latter is buying out his nephew Olivier Périer and his holding company, SPDG Group. […]
September 10, 2024
At Schiphol Airport (in the Netherlands), travelers with reduced mobility will be brought to their gate by self-driving wheelchairs. A test experiment with the self-driving wheelchairs was launched in February 2023. Ten autonomous wheelchairs will be deployed starting this week and will be available for the general public to test. The vehicles have a luggage […]
September 10, 2024
After years of much excitement about the ‘hyperloop’, a science-fiction way of transporting people and goods at speeds above 1,000 km in vacuum tubes connecting cities envisioned by Elon Musk, it remained deafening quiet. However, Dutch Hardt Hyperloop, one of the pioneers, announced the first successful test of its hyperloop vehicle at the European Hyperloop […]
September 10, 2024
From October 1st, only 50 km/hour may be driven on the Paris Ring Road. The news was already announced last year, but Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has officially confirmed the speed limit. Remarkably, for the measure intended to reduce pollution for more than half a million inhabitants, Hidalgo is not awaiting the advice of the […]
September 10, 2024
Swedish battery manufacturer Northvolt, the flagship start-up in Europe’s quest to catch up with Asian and American battery giants, is drastically revising its operational activities. The company has announced plans to scale back its workforce over a slowdown in electric vehicle sales and intensified competition from China. Northvolt is joining the string of manufacturers tuning […]
September 10, 2024
Bicycle sharing is extremely popular in Ghent. This year, 657,843 trips have been made with a shared bike, more than the previous year. July was the busiest month ever, with 113,386 rides. A shared bike is a flexible, affordable, and convenient way to get around. More and more shared bicycles are also being made available. […]
September 10, 2024
Volkswagen faces unprecedented challenges as it struggles to navigate an increasingly harsh economic landscape. It is facing plant closures in its home country and has replaced the Financial Director, as slow EV sales and rising competition are slowly strangling Europe’s number one car brand. CEO Oliver Blume says the challenging situation is “one we’ve never […]
September 10, 2024
BYD has launched an updated version of its flagship sedan. For 2025, the Han gets a new, fifth-generation hybrid system, a LiDAR option for the first time, and an 800-volt architecture for the electric variant. BYD also takes this mid-life refresh as an opportunity to lower the starting price to 165,800 yuan or around €21,000. […]
September 09, 2024
During the upcoming Matexpo-powered Demo Days, a two-day event with over 100 building construction machines (6-8 September 2024), Fimatec will install a state-of-the-art ‘mobile’ charging park to offer visitors and participants a unique charging experience. This charging park, equipped with ten Emoss site charging poles and 40 charging points, is powered by the Atlas Copco […]
September 09, 2024
The oil price has dropped significantly again. A barrel of US WTI oil now costs 67.67 dollars, after the peak in April of around 87 dollars per barrel. A barrel of Brent North Sea oil now costs about 71 dollars a barrel, down from more than 90 dollars in April. The price drop, the lowest […]
September 09, 2024
NMBS/SNCB’s Board of Directors unanimously approved the train offer for 2025 on Friday. This offer is less ambitious than anticipated, partly due to a staff shortage. Overall, the train offer increases by almost 2% (in a million train kilometers) compared to 2024. In addition, 220 trains that had been scaled down in 2022 due to […]
September 09, 2024
According to Copernicus Climate Change Service’s latest publication, the summer of 2024 was the warmest ever recorded worldwide and for Europe. August 2024 was the second warmest August globally (along with August 2023), with an average surface air temperature of 16.82°C, or 0.71°C above the August average from 1991-2020. August 2024 was 1.51°C above pre-industrial […]
September 09, 2024
According to targets set in 2017, the EU requires carmakers to bring the average CO2 emissions of their newly sold car fleets below 93.6g/km by 2025. If this target is not met, they might have to pay €95 fine per gCO2/km over the target and per car sold. But now Luca di Meo, CEO of […]
September 06, 2024
As rumored before, BMW and Toyota officially announced their deepened partnership in developing a broader range of hydrogen cars on Thursday 5th of September. The first offspring that the collaboration for the next generation of fuel cell technology will bear is a mass-produced BMW FCEV by 2028. “The result of this collaborative effort will be […]
September 06, 2024
The Daimler Truck Supervisory Board has appointed Karin Rådström, the current CEO of Mercedes-Benz Trucks, as the new CEO of the entire Daimler Truck group. She succeeds Martin Daum, who leaves the company after 37 years of service. This is the first time in the company’s history that a woman has held the top spot. […]
September 06, 2024
Belgians are the most geographically mobile employees in Europe. They travel the longest distance to work, an average of 39 kilometers of all Europeans. Half of Belgians travel 25 km to and from work every day. HR service provider SD Worx discovered this after surveying employees in 18 European countries. Danish and Italian commuters cover […]
September 06, 2024
MG is beating rivals to the punch in the race for solid-state batteries in electric cars. The company has announced that it will start equipping its electric vehicles with solid-state batteries within twelve months. Speaking at the Chengdu Motor Show in China, Yu Jingmin, executive vice president of Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC), MG’s parent […]
September 06, 2024
What so many commuters, young people, and weekend tourists were looking forward to is threatening to be a hefty blow to rail travelers and a PR thud for Belgian rail company NMBS/SNCB. After all, the public rail company wants to postpone the planned expansion of its offerings, which are scheduled for the end of this […]
September 06, 2024
Renault has unveiled a new concept car that reimagines a classic from its past: the Renault R17 Electric Restomod. Based on the sporty Renault 17 coupé from the 1970s, this modernized electric version was developed in collaboration with French designer Ora Ito. The R17 Electric Restomod is to remain a one-off and will make its […]
September 06, 2024
Lynk & Co, the Swedish-Chinese sister brand to Zeekr, Volvo, and Polestar, is going fully electric with the in July newly revealed Z10, a five-meter-long luxury sedan with a pure electric range of over 800 km. Presented first in Gothenburg, Sweden, it now debuts in China, with prices starting at 202,800 yuan (€25,733) to 288,800 […]
September 05, 2024
Volvo, the Swedish car manufacturer owned by the Chinese Geely Group, has announced that it will abandon its ambition to sell only fully electric cars by 2030. Instead, it aims for 90-100% of its global sales to be either pure electric or plug-in hybrids at that time. Volvo attributes the change in policy to a […]
September 05, 2024
It must be no coincidence: just when three French-speaking parties involved in the formation of the Brussels government decided on their own to present a proposal in parliament to postpone the tightening of the emission standard for the low-emission zone (LEZ) in Brussels from the beginning of 2025 to 2027, the non-profit organization Chercheurs d’Air […]
September 05, 2024
Nine years after the dieselgate scandal, the former VW Group CEO Martin Winterkorn finally appeared before a German court Tuesday. He denied all allegations against him and pleaded not guilty. He will make a declaration on Wednesday concerning his involvement. Winterkorn, aged 77, led the VW Group from 2007 to 2015. Under his leadership, the […]
September 05, 2024
Following the larger eTGS and eTGX models, MAN has now electrified its 12-tonne distribution truck to create the eTGL. It features a range of up to 235 km, a payload of up to 6.6 tonnes, and a fast charging time of around 30 minutes. The new MAN eTGL will make its debut at the IAA […]
September 05, 2024
Opel is bringing a hydrogen fuel cell variant of its sizeable electric van, the Movano Electric, to the IAA Transportation in Hannover. It features a range of around 500 km, 5-minute refueling, and no compromise on the payload or cargo capacity. It will be built in-house at Stellantis’ Gliwice plant in Poland. Earlier this year, […]
September 05, 2024
It sways the news headlines: the European car industry is facing one of the most challenging times in its 130-year history: reinventing itself in the much-needed energy transition while facing cutthroat competition from China. Still, EU car production jumped in 2023, nearing 15 million vehicles—nearly two million more than the previous year. China is the […]
September 04, 2024
Kia has unveiled the EV3, a new compact SUV with electric drive. The 4.30-meter-long model adopts many elements of the large EV9 inside and out; the platform is essentially the same. In Belgium, only the long-range version was available in August, starting at a special price of €39,090 (instead of 41,190) to be eligible for […]
September 04, 2024
In Flamanville, France, electricity producer EDF has been able to start up a new nuclear power plant, Flamanville 3, after a 12-year delay. However, it will take another three months before the first electricity is pumped into the French grid. Flamanville 3 is France’s 57th nuclear reactor and, with 1,600 megawatts, will be the most […]
September 04, 2024
Maxus Motors, part of the Chinese conglomerate SAIC, is bringing two new models in its commercial vehicle range to the IAA Transportation in Hannover later this month: the eTerron9, an electric ‘performance’ pickup, and the eDeliver5, a relatively compact electric van. Both models should join the Maxus model range by the end of the year. […]
September 04, 2024
The new Swedish government, a right-wing minority government with tacit support from the radical-right Sweden Democrats, will abolish the ‘flyswatter’, or flight tax, introduced by the previous red-green government on July 1st next year. “Sweden depends on competition in the airline industry,” says Sweden Democrats group chairman Linda Lindberg. “Companies and individuals need air travel, […]
September 04, 2024
Nearly two years after its unveiling, the Volvo EX90 is starting to reach customers. Software delays postponed the launch of the electric 7-seater SUV by around a year. The first United States and Europe customers are getting their cars this month, with deliveries ramping up between Q4 2024 and Q1 2025. The Volvo EX90 is […]
September 04, 2024
Cupra, a Volkswagen Group brand, has revealed the new Terramar. Unlike the brand’s new Tavascan, the new mid-size SUV isn’t electric. It shares its platform and powertrains with the new VW Tiguan, including a new plug-in hybrid powertrain with up to 100 km of range. The Tavascan, designed in Spain but built in China and […]
September 04, 2024
After an intense period with many used car registrations in July, August saw a slight dip with -4.0%. Still, the provisional annual total is heading toward half a million second-hand car registrations (490,296 units), almost 60,000 more than two years ago. Gradually, more electrified used cars are offered, as 12.7% of registered vehicles are chargeable. […]
September 04, 2024
In China, the fierce price war among the big car manufacturers raves on, with Geely throwing in a new weapon, the Geome Xingyan EV, for city dwellers at a bottom price of around 80,000 yuan or 10,170 euros. It’s targeted directly against BYD, which beefed up its popular Dolphin at unchanged prices starting at 99,800 […]
September 04, 2024
As the VW Group will miss its savings targets by several billion euros, the top management is planning further cuts. For the first time in its 87 years of existence, possible plant closures and redundancies are being considered, also in Germany. Meanwhile, VW’s daughter Audi announced that the Audi Brussels plant would not produce a […]
September 03, 2024
Volvo Trucks is almost ready to launch the next generation of its electric heavy trucks. The new long-range FH Electric, coming next year, will offer a range of up to 600 km, doubling what is possible now within Volvo’s 44-tonne range. This would allow for an entire working day of driving on long-distance routes without […]
September 03, 2024
Lufthansa’s big boss, Carsten Spohr, met yesterday with members of the Portuguese government about a possible stake by the German airline group in TAP. According to Italian business newspaper Corriere della Sera, Lufthansa is interested in taking a 19.9% stake in the publicly owned Portuguese airline. Lufthansa, Air France-KLM, and British Airways parent company IAG […]
September 03, 2024
Cyclis Bike Lease, the Belgian bicycle leasing company, has decided to partner with the German JobRad Group. The Hasselt-based company was founded in 2014. Ten years ago, the company was one of Belgium’s first bicycle leasing companies. Cyclis has been the market leader Belgium for years, with 37,000 bicycles under contract. Among them are all […]
September 03, 2024
While the rest of Europe reports discouraging figures, Norway continues to set new benchmarks in electric vehicle adoption. In August, more than 94 percent of all new passenger cars registered were electric, a new record for the world’s forerunner in the EV transition. “This looks very promising to reach 100% as of January,” reacted secretary […]
September 03, 2024
Researchers from the SLAC-Stanford Battery Center, linked to Californian Stanford University, have found that using high currents for the first charging after the battery’s production can improve its lifespan by 50 to 70%. At first glance, this might contradict the general belief that charging EV batteries frequently at ‘superchargers’ shortens their lifespan. However, it could […]
September 03, 2024
According to the data of the sector federation, Febiac, 29,333 cars were registered in Belgium and Luxembourg in August 2024, a regress of -20,3% compared to the same month last year. Cumulated over the previous eight months, this means a decrease of 3.3% overall. It is noticeable that the segment of individual buyers is still […]
September 03, 2024
Contrary to popular belief, most cars on the road are not company cars. At least half of private sector employees use their own car to get to work. In SMEs, half of employers (54%) offer a company car. Belgian SMEs’ costs to provide company cars have also increased significantly, by an average of 30%, over […]
September 02, 2024
Zeekr, one of Geely’s Chinese subsidiaries, has launched its flagship electric SUV. The Zeekr 7X inherits the 007 sedan’s and the Smart #5’s optimized PMA2+ platform, which gives it an extremely high range of 780 km and ultra-quick charging times. It has already launched in China, with international markets following soon. The Zeekr 7X is […]
September 02, 2024
Tesla plans to start mass production of a seven-seat version of the Model Y at its Giga Shanghai plant in October, with the updated electric SUV set for launch in the Chinese markets. However, according to the National Business Daily, the new Model Y variant has already completed homologation for the European Union market. Officially, […]
September 02, 2024
MR, Les Engagés, and the PS, the parties negotiating a new Brussels government on the French-speaking side, want to present a proposal in the Brussels Parliament that would postpone the introduction of the stricter low-emission zone (LEZ) emissions standards from early 2025 to early 2027. The parties report this in a joint press release. Groen, […]
September 02, 2024
What had become apparent over the past few days is now official: BYD is taking sales in Germany into its own hands. To this end, the Chinese car manufacturer founded BYD Automotive GmbH and took over Hedin Electric Mobility, the Hedin subsidiary previously responsible for BYD imports. There were increasing signs that BYD was dissatisfied […]
August 30, 2024
Polestar, the electric car brand of Geely and Volvo, announced the appointment of Michael Lohscheller as its new CEO. In October, he will succeed long-term CEO Thomas Ingenlath, who has held the position since 2017. The new appointment comes shortly after another significant change at the top of the board. On on October 1st, Lohscheller […]
August 30, 2024
Europe’s largest battery park, which the Giga Storage company plans to set up in Rotem/Dilsen-Stokkem (Belgium), will have a capacity of 700 megawatts, 100 megawatts more than initially planned. The battery park’s name is Green Turtle. In the meantime, the construction team has been assembled. Giga Storage agreed with Tractebel for technical support, and Stadsbader […]
August 30, 2024
As great was the joy a few weeks ago at the inauguration of the new streetcar in Liège, so great is the disappointment today among the advocates of a sustainable mobility policy for the Liège metropolis. After all, the new Walloon government has abandoned the project to extend the Liège tramway to Herstal and Seraing. […]
August 30, 2024
It’s been a long runner-up toward the official release of Smart’s largest and most advanced model. After the showstopper concept at the Beijing Autoshow and the leaked images from the Chinese regulator, Smart has now cleared the official pictures and specifications on the #5. The all-electric SUV hits the heart of the electric car market, […]
