July 22, 2020
The talks dragged on for months, but an agreement has finally been reached on support for Brussels Airlines. The rescue operation amounts to €460 million: €290 million via a loan until 2026 from the Belgian federal government, and a capital injection of €170 million from Lufthansa to its Belgian subsidiary. Negotiations only took off when […]
July 22, 2020
With the Covid-19 health crisis and the economic crisis that will follow, experts not only foresee a 20% fall for the automotive sector in 2020, they also anticipate a reduction in fully autonomous driving technology development. According to them, priorities are revised and investments are directed to the electric car. “There is an obvious process […]
July 22, 2020
Some billionaires – Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson, Ray Dalio, among others –are investing in Kobold Metals, a start-up that is looking for new sources of cobalt via satellite images and mining data. Cobalt and nickel The start-up intends to create a kind of ‘Google Maps of the Earth’s crust’, and to offer scientific […]
July 22, 2020
Nine multinationals, including Mercedes-Benz of the Daimler Group, have joined forces at Microsoft’s initiative to reduce their carbon footprint. They will share their research and strategies to enable all companies to become carbon-neutral by 2050. The initiative is called ‘Transform to Net Zero‘. The companies involved in the effort include Danish carrier AP Moller-Maersk, Starbucks, […]
July 22, 2020
On Tuesday, the Trade Court of Nanterre has put the French long-distance coach operator Eurolines into compulsory liquidation, only one year after its take-over by German Flixbus. Management justified this situation by pointing at a difficult financial situation, which was worsened by the Covid-19 health crisis. “The accounting and financial situation of the company has […]
July 22, 2020
The Colruyt family, the family that gave its name to one of the biggest retailers in Belgium, has invested in VoltStorage. This German start-up produces big batteries for home-storage of locally produced electricity (solar panels, wind…) Via their private holding Korys, the family is the biggest investor of a group that injects €6 million into […]
July 22, 2020
A British start-up, lead and founded by some ex-Airbus engineers, promises ‘the world’s first 70-seater electric-hybrid airplane’ operational by 2028. It will be a propeller plane with four engines, two electric and two on kerosine or a more sustainable fuel, and will have a range of 800 nautical miles (1 481 km) to start. Kamran […]
July 20, 2020
Forming an ’emergency lane’ to give priority vehicles a clear path through traffic jams, will be mandatory in Belgium from October 1st. The law proposal from MP Joris Vandenbroucke (sp.a) was voted in the parliament on June 11th, but an exact date for the activation wasn’t set yet. The Federal Mobility Agency confirmed the date […]
July 20, 2020
French train manufacturer, Alstom, has presented the new TGV ‘of the future’ in its La Rochelle site. This new train made out of recycled materials, which consumes 20% less energy and transports one fifth more passengers, should enter service in June 2024, just in time for the Paris Olympic games. “This train will run for […]
July 20, 2020
According to a recent study ordered by French highway operator, Vinci Autoroute, a 10- to 20-minute nap after lunch significantly improves driving attention. Researchers have observed 40 test subjects and noted a 21% increase in highway driving deviations when the driver doesn’t sleep. “All studies reveal that there is an accident peak between 1 and […]
July 20, 2020
Despite a loss of € 1,68 billion for the second quarter, Daimler performed better than expected on the stock market in the last days. On the other hand, there’s more and more confirmation that 20 000 people will have to leave the company. Last Friday, Daimler’s shares closed at +4,4%, pulling along the entire car […]
July 20, 2020
The corona crisis is causing problems at bus builder Van Hool in Lier. Orders are down, turnover is plummeting, 300 people have been laid off at the factory in Macedonia, 70 temporary jobs have been cut in Belgium, and construction of the factory in the US has been put on hold. Van Hool employs 4 […]
July 20, 2020
The traffic junction of the Brussels Ring Road and the A201 to Brussels Airport will be completely renewed from 2022 onwards. Instead of a multitude of entrances and exits, traffic will be brought together in the middle at a single intersection controlled by traffic lights. “This is a first for Belgium,” says Flemish Minister of […]
July 20, 2020
In the Netherlands, they seem to have to cope with a new criminal trend. Criminals from Eastern Europe are massively stealing catalysts from cars. Since October last year, 1 400 cases have been registered. According to the police, the most popular ‘victim’ is the Toyota Prius. Piece of cake Camera images show how easy it […]
July 17, 2020
After the ultimate consultation phase with the Region’s 19 municipalities, the police zones, and the STIB/MIVB, Brussels has validated the definitive map of the future 30-zone. As of January 2021, 30 kph will become the default speed limit on 85% of Brussels roads. Only a few major axes such as the Louise and Franklin Roosevelt […]
July 17, 2020
The price tag of the new train station in Mons has doubled to 324 million euros. The Belgian railway company, NMBS/SNCB, hopes to complete the mega project in 2023, eight years later than planned. That is what the newspaper De Tijd writes. Headache file Mons is one of the biggest headache files of NMBS/SNCB. In […]
July 17, 2020
The adjusted version of the electric ‘bolderkar‘, as the Dutch call the Stint, is not allowed to hit the Dutch roads again, for the time being. Expectations are that the Foundation of Scientific Research into Traffic Safety (Stichting Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek Verkeersveiligheid, SWOV) can only test the new vehicle by the end of August. Methodology After […]
July 17, 2020
In June, The European automotive market fell by 22,3% year-on-year overall. The situation is less dramatic than in the previous three months, thanks, in particular, to the French support plan. Within the EU, France stood out as the only country to post an increase (+1,2%). This is a consequence of “the new measures to stimulate […]
July 17, 2020
“European leaders should deal with climate change as a crisis.” That is what’s written in an open letter to the EU, published by four youths for climate, Swedish Greta Thunberg, Belgians Anuna De Wever, and Adélaïde Charlier, and German Luisa Neubauer. Since Thursday, the online version of the letter was signed already by nearly 20 […]
July 17, 2020
The city of The Hague is pushing through its plans to ban older diesel cars and vans up to Euro 3 – mostly built before 2006 – from its ‘environmental zone’ as of mid-2021. ‘Environmental zone’ is the Dutch way of naming a Low-Emission Zone (LEZ). For diesel trucks, stricter standards are implied from 2022, […]
July 17, 2020
In Germany, you can drive a Renault Zoë free of charge. How is this possible? Two reasons: manufacturers need electric cars to lower their average fleet consumption, and many governments subsidize heavily after the corona crisis. Autohaus König, a large German car dealer with different outlets, proposes an electric Renault Zoë for two-year leasing at… […]
July 16, 2020
German car manufacturer, BMW, has concluded a long-term agreement with the Swedish battery manufacturer, Northvolt, for sustainably manufactured battery cells. As of 2024, the order volume would turn around 2 billion euros. The cells will be produced in the Northvolt giga-factory in Skelleftea (north of Sweden), which is still under construction. Sustainable energy A key […]
July 16, 2020
Almost half of Belgians (43%) want to avoid public transport in the next few months for fear of the coronavirus. This is the conclusion of a mobility study by consultant Deloitte. This behavior could even persist for another two to three years, causing fears for more car use and, therefore, more traffic jams in Belgium. […]
July 16, 2020
The corona health crisis has given the sales of bicycles in Belgium and the Netherlands an unprecedented boost. Demand is so high that manufacturers cannot deliver due to the lack of components. Also, in the Netherlands, the sales of e-bikes crushes all records. Since the corona outbreak, cycling is also booming in France and other […]
July 16, 2020
A study by Dutch environmental research and advise bureau, CE Delft, based on the comparison of a classic gasoline Golf, the e-Golf, and the fuel cell Toyota Mirai concludes that there is no real future for the hydrogen car. The EV will be by far the most sustainable and cheapest of all, the fuel cell […]
July 16, 2020
On March 17th, Brussels Airlines requested a €290 million state aid to survive the corona crisis. Today, there is still no deal. Minister of Finance, Alexander De Croo (Open Vld) attributes the situation entirely to the owner Lufthansa. Twenty-four video calls, six versions of agreements – mostly Belgian – and three letters to the Prime […]
July 16, 2020
German railway operator, Deutsche Bahn (DB) is set to reinforce its long-distance fleet of trains with 30 new high-speed machines. Worth one billion euros, these new trains should be operational by 2022, and they will bring the total transport capacity of the group to 13 000 seats. “From 2022, Deutsche Bahn will reinforce its fleet […]
July 16, 2020
On Wednesday, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and PSA Group revealed the name of the new concern: Stellantis. The new group will be the fourth in the world volume-wise, and the third worldwide when you consider turnover. Stellantis comes from the Latin word ‘stella’, referring to the shining of stars. “The Latin origin of the name wants […]
July 15, 2020
After several years of increase, the average CO2 emissions of new cars in Belgium have decreased 8,6 grams per kilometer. CO2 emissions have never been so low. This is apparent from an analysis by Febiac, the Belgian federation for cars and two-wheeled vehicles. ‘Historically low result’ In 2019, the figure was 121,2 grams per kilometer, […]
July 15, 2020
The Belgian rail freight sector wants to take twice as much freight out of traffic jams and transfer it onto the railways by 2030. Its federation, the Belgian Rail Freight Forum, drew up an ambitious long-term master plan for this purpose. The plan was presented to the federal parliament on Tuesday. The sector also made […]
July 15, 2020
With the coronavirus health crisis and the lockdown, motor vehicle inspection centers had to close for a few weeks. They have now reopened and inspection periods have been extended but still, 180 000 cars are waiting to pass in front of the inspector’s eyes in Wallonia alone. “Don’t panic, there are still many months left”, […]
July 15, 2020
The Ministers of Mobility in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg are calling the European Commission to promote the use of the bicycle in the European climate-friendly and sustainable mobility policy. Momentum According to a common declaration they transferred to the vice-chairman Frans Timmermans, they ask co-financing for the construction of bicycle infrastructure, and more money […]
July 15, 2020
On Tuesday, the Munich court has forbidden Tesla to use the expression ‘Autopilot’ in its advertising in Germany as it suggests the car to be capable of fully autonomous driving, while it still is an advanced driver’s assistance system (ADAS). The German Agency to Combat Unfair Competition (Wettbewerbszentrale) initiated the lawsuit based on Tesla’s pre-ordering […]
July 15, 2020
On Wednesday, 15 July, Nissan presented its new electric SUV crossover, the Ariya, in a new pavilion in its home turf Yokohama. In Europe, the newcomer will be available in five versions, two front-wheel driven, and three four-wheel driven. The new car sits high on its wheels but has a sleek coupe-style design, which makes […]
July 14, 2020
Paris has its ‘ville du quart d’heure’, Melbourne its ‘twenty-minute neighborhoods’, and Flanders is ready to welcome its ‘fifteen-minute city’. A city, buzzing with activity, but without cars. A city where everything you daily need is nearby. Self-supporting village You could easily describe the fifteen-minute city as a collection of small villages in a town. […]
July 14, 2020
The American company Fisker, which is working on the development of the Ocean, an electric urban 4×4 (SUV), announced on Monday that it would go public via a merger with a subsidiary of the investment company Apollo, valuing it at 2,9 billion dollars. Business plan The announcement of the company’s arrival on Wall Street comes […]
July 14, 2020
Electrifying the Walloon car fleet, that is the mission that the MP André Antoine (CDH) has set himself. Noting that other countries are encouraging the purchase of electric vehicles with financial incentives, André Antoine proposes that Wallonia should do the same. The former minister now sits in the opposition in the Walloon Parliament. He wonders […]
July 14, 2020
“The intentions to save money on public transport to cut losses in the aftermath of the corona crisis is not a good idea,” says Bert van Wee, professor transport policy at TU Delft. People are afraid to use public transport lately, and the use of it shrank dramatically in the last months in bigger cities. […]
July 14, 2020
The Brussels public transport company, MIVB/STIB, received the first brand new M7 subway train on Monday at its site in Haren. It will now be extensively tested and put into service on the network at the beginning of 2021. MIVB/STIB has ordered a total of 43 of these new subway trains. Made in Spain In […]
July 14, 2020
While other major truck manufacturers are still experimenting with hydrogen for heavy transport, Hyundai’s first ten fuel cell trucks of a fleet of 50 are on their way to Switzerland. The 34-ton Hyundai XCIENT Fuel Cell with a range of 400 km will be leased by a joint venture with Swiss company H2 Energy to […]
July 14, 2020
The giant fusion deal between Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and the PSA Group risks turning turtle. Analysts still think that it can work, but they are questioning the 50/50 deal. An equilibration even less justified since FCA has a state-certified loan of €6,5 billion. The deal is also in a critical phase because of the […]
July 13, 2020
The Luxembourg government is heralding a new era in climate goals that will mean the end of cheap refueling with gasoline or diesel within five years. According to its Mobility Minister, François Bausch, CO2 taxes on fuels will be increased gradually not to cause a shockwave. Bausch, who is a member of the green party […]
July 13, 2020
The Public Prosecutor did not succeed in finding the cause of the accident with the Stint in Oss. Almost two years ago, there was a fatal accident with a Stint – a so-called ‘bolderkar’ in Dutch – on a railway crossing in Oss. Hope for explanation Even after all this time, it isn’t clear yet […]
July 13, 2020
With the coronavirus health crisis and the economy being brought to a halt, 2020 is set to record a 13% drop in greenhouse gases. But that positive effect is only short-lived, as experts say emissions will rise up again in 2023, and many more changes will be necessary to meet the 2030 objectives. The 2050 […]
July 13, 2020
The Cairgo Bike project, a project of Brussels Mobility, has just been selected by the European program of Innovative Urban Actions to benefit from significant financial support. Within the framework of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), this program offers urban areas the opportunity to test innovative solutions to urban challenges linked to, for example, […]
July 10, 2020
The Belgian national railway company, NMBS/SNCB, has developed a new tool to follow up on the punctuality of the trains. Travelers can now check the accuracy of their route day by day, the NMBS/SNCB announced on Thursday. Personal perception Until recently, figures about the punctuality of the trains were usually published monthly. “Although these data […]
July 10, 2020
The immobilization of society in April due to the corona pandemic has saved more than 500 lives the European countries. An unprecedented decrease of 36%. Only in the Netherlands, the number of victims went up. That is what the European Council of Transport Safety discovered. Empty roads Still, the Council expected fewer victims. In the […]
July 10, 2020
Belgian used car sales increased by almost 22% in June compared to the previous year. Now that planes are not perceived as the most corona-proof way to travel, people quickly want a car to go on holiday. And there are long waiting lists for new cars. Furthermore, there is also still some reluctance to take […]
July 10, 2020
According to data from an online survey realized by Ivox for the federal government service Mobility and Transport, the corona health crisis won’t have changed mobility significantly in Belgium. The majority of respondents see no impact, but most of them call for more telework. Judging by the data, public transport will take the biggest hit […]
July 10, 2020
The European Court of Justice has decided that the consequences of the installation of emissions-cheating software in VW products (the so-called dieselgate affair) can be prosecuted all over the EU. The judgment of the Court was issued because Volkswagen was contesting the international jurisdictional competence of the Austrian courts. Subpoena all over Europe The Austrian […]
July 10, 2020
A research team of the Belgian KU-Leuven university has developed a prototype ‘solar panel’ that can produce ‘green hydrogen’ directly out of the air, using the energy of the sun. After ten years of research, it’s ready for upscaling. If Europe is serious about a clean hydrogen strategy for industry and transport to become carbon-neutral […]
July 10, 2020
Only 76 of the 302 average speed checks along Flemish roads are operational. That is barely one on four. This is apparent from figures presented to the Flemish Parliament by the Flemish Minister of Mobility, Lydia Peeters (Open Vld). According to Peeters, the problem lies at the federal level. It promised a new database more […]
July 10, 2020
The Walloon government has announced the details of its new two billion euro infrastructure plan. From 2020 to 2026, this envelope will be used to renovate and maintain roads and tunnels, to increase road safety, and to enhance public transport. Soft mobility also sees its budget doubling (€250 million). “This plan defends the idea of […]
July 10, 2020
According to Elon Musk, fully autonomous driving in any circumstances without a driver required – so-called SAE Level 5 driving – is “very close”. He’s confident Tesla will have the basics ready “before the end of the year” and with the current hardware of the Teslas. It’s merely a matter of software and addressing a […]
July 10, 2020
After barely a week, Dutch subsidies for private individuals wishing to buy a new electric car have already been fully used up. Ten million euros had been earmarked, enabling 2 500 private individuals to buy an electric car with a €4 000 subsidy. The scheme came into effect on 1 July, and the money has […]
July 09, 2020
The Dutch society could save four billion euros if everyone who was able to work from home during the corona crisis would also do so after the crisis for at least once a week. This is the result of a calculation made by PricewaterhouseCoopers, a multinational professional services network of firms. On top of that, […]
July 09, 2020
The European Parliament has voted the long-awaited ‘Mobility Package’, containing a series of directives to combat social dumping in the road transport sector in Europe. The directives also define the working framework for truck drivers. On the agenda: improvements in rest periods, driving times, and the installation of tachographs in vehicles. Vans over 2,5 tons […]
July 09, 2020
At the construction site of the Euro Space Center in Transinne, there’s is a Belgian first: luminous concrete. This material diffuses glow at night. It can be used for decoration or lighting, for example, for cycle paths and parking lots, and has the advantage that it lasts for decades, whereas paint has to be redone […]
July 09, 2020
The European Union sets the bar high in greening its industry and transport sector and goes all out for hydrogen to achieve its goal of reaching climate neutrality in CO2 emissions by 2050. From steel and cement industry to trucks, trains, airplanes, and ships, hydrogen will become one of the key factors. And in this, […]
July 09, 2020
Last week, Brussels Mobility Minister, Elke Van den Brandt (Groen), and Environment Minister, Alain Maron (Ecolo), have announced that the Region aims at installing 11 000 charging points by 2035. An ambitious plan, knowing that currently, the Region counts only 350. The text also notes that fast-charging solutions aren’t planned, as they are ‘unnecessary’. To […]
