July 12, 2023
The discussions within the consultation platform on Zaventem airport did not lead to a consensus. This is according to the final report of the platform, which included representation from residents, municipalities, Brussels Airport, trade unions, and governments. Meanwhile, the bill the Belgian government must pay victims of noise pollution for overflying aircraft is running into […]
July 12, 2023
‘Dacia goes extreme’ is the new slogan of Renault’s daughter Dacia. ‘Extreme’ is, in fact, the new top-of-line version for all Dacias, but the Spring gets a second, more powerful variant with it. We drove it on Belgian roads. Until now, the Dacia Spring, the cheapest EV on the Belgian market, had a 188 kg […]
July 12, 2023
Ministers of the federal and Flemish governments have launched the ‘Stop Aggression’ action plan to tackle the problem of aggression on public transport in Belgium. The 10-point list includes a bus ban for troublemakers, while the demand for controller body cams will be examined. Public railway company NMBS/SNCB received 1 900 reports of aggression against […]
July 12, 2023
The European Commission has proposed increasing the total allowed weight of electric trucks by 2 tons after a similar proposal was approved in 2019. This higher weight limit of 44 tons aims to counteract the weight penalty of battery-electric drivetrains, thus allowing for similar payload figures. The EU wants to cut heavy truck emissions by […]
July 12, 2023
The European Parliament took a final decision on Tuesday: from 2026, the main European highways must be equipped with fast-charging stations for electric vehicles every 60 kilometers. From 2028, this should apply to half of the European road network. Those charging stations must have a capacity of at least 400 kW and be able to […]
July 12, 2023
Renault recently gave a glimpse into readying the production version of its next-generation EV model. The Renault 5 is on a prototype production run in a ‘secret and high-tech miniature plant’. As a part of the brand’s Technocenter engineering complex near Paris, the location itself is not so secret. Created 25 years ago, the Global […]
July 12, 2023
Mercedes-Benz Passenger Cars more than doubled its sales of battery-electric cars in the second quarter to 56 300 units (+123%). This growth was mainly due to demand in three model series. The van division also posted gains in Q2, but not as strong as the passenger car business. With these 56 300 fully electric vehicles […]
July 11, 2023
BMW Motorrad is bringing the head-up display to the motorcycle world with the ConnectedRide Smartglasses. This clever pair of glasses connect to your smartphone to display all relevant riding data, including navigation and traffic information. BMW is not the first to introduce a head-up display (HUD) for bikers. Other third-party manufacturers have had these systems […]
July 11, 2023
To mark the 150th anniversary at the Audi site in Neckarsulm, twelve brand apprentices have electrified the iconic, classic EP4. The ‘E’ in the name of this futuristic one-off stands for the electric drive, and ‘P4’ refers to the NSU Prinz 4, a model that the former NSU Motorenwerke brand built in Neckarsulm from 1961 […]
July 11, 2023
At the beginning of the summer, Fastned, the Dutch fast-charging infrastructure provider, installed its 1 500th charging station northwest of Paris in Rouen. Since last summer, Fastned has opened more than 60 stations in Europe – usually locations with a lot of traffic. The most recent fast-charging station is located along the A13 at the […]
July 11, 2023
A 27-kilometer stretch of bicycle highway between Herentals and Balen is ready for use in the province of Antwerp. The stretch forms part of bicycle highway F105 Herentals-Leopoldsburg to Limburg. The province of Antwerp invested more than 30 million euros in it. The section between Herentals and Balen includes two new bicycle tunnels and nine […]
July 11, 2023
Following the framework agreement announced in November 2022, Geely Holding Group and Renault Group have signed today a binding 50/50 joint venture agreement to launch a new powertrain technology company. It aims to become the global leader in developing, manufacturing, and supplying best-in-class hybrid powertrains and highly efficient ICE powertrains. Aramco, which signed a letter […]
July 10, 2023
Brussels Mobility regularly checks Brussels goods and passenger transport to increase the safety of all road users. The overview of checks carried out over the past three months shows that 20% were in violation. In the past three months, Brussels Mobility carried out 12 control actions in cooperation with various police zones. A total of […]
July 10, 2023
Flanders has more than 25 000 charging stations for electric vehicles and is, therefore, on track to achieve the objectives of the ‘Clean Power for Transport’ agreement: to have 35 000 public and semi-public charging points along the highways and important traffic axes by 2025 The Flemish government wants to increase the number of charging […]
July 10, 2023
VW plans to put self-driving cars on the streets of Austin, the capital of Texas, later this month. It is the first time that the company is tackling such a project in the USA. A total of ten units of the VW ID. Buzz with autonomous driving technology will be deployed. Tests in Germany are […]
July 10, 2023
Dutch contract car manufacturer Nedcar says it has signed a new declaration of intent with a new non-disclosed client to assemble or build cars again in Born near the Belgian border from 2026 on. That would provide 3 000 jobs in the de long term. But het 1 800 lay-offs scheduled in November this year […]
July 10, 2023
In the battle for the top spot in the German electric car market, Tesla was ahead again in the first half of the year, but its lead over the Volkswagen (VW) brand is shrinking. Analysts see a price war coming up in Europe on the EV market, also as a result of the Chinese price […]
July 10, 2023
The international shipping industry is going to reduce emissions from cargo ships. An agreement to this effect was reached between 175 countries at the International Maritime Organization headquarters in London last Friday. The sector, which accounts for almost 3% of global CO2 emissions, aims to cut polluting emissions by at least 20% by 2030 to […]
July 10, 2023
The BMW Group delivered 88 289 fully electric vehicles of the BMW and Mini brands to customers in the second quarter. This means the company again succeeded in more than doubling BEV sales compared to last year’s period (+117,5%). Plug-in hybrid registrations, on the other hand, are falling behind at the moment. According to the […]
July 10, 2023
Mercedes-Benz just became the first German carmaker to join the NACS or North American Charging System initiated by Tesla in the U.S. The company will integrate it into its EV fleet in the US and Canada in 2025. At the same time, Mercedes is sticking to its plans for its own HPC network. Mercedes-Benz follows […]
July 10, 2023
Two years after the full-electric CE 04 ‘kicked off BMW Motorrad’s electric urban mobility future, there is a new full-electric sibling on two wheels: the CE 02 eParkourer. The bike, with its chassis with a double-loop tube frame, telescopic forks, single-sided swingarm, and cast light alloy wheels, looks somewhat like an oversized fat bike. Created […]
July 07, 2023
The final Ford Fiesta will roll off the production line today, Friday, 7 July, following the company’s decision late last year to axe the popular B-segment car after 47 years and eight generations. The final two Fiestas will remain with Ford. One will join the firm’s international heritage fleet, based at the Cologne, Germany, plant […]
July 07, 2023
French railway company SNCF plans to earmark 1 000 hectares of solar panels by 2030 to cover 15 to 20% of its own electricity needs. The plans would make the railway company one of France’s largest green power producers. The SNCF is making this switch to secure supplies and control costs (between 2022 and 2023, […]
July 07, 2023
In November, Mercedes-Benz will bring the CLE on the market, a Coupe that uses the technology of both the C- and (recently updated) E-Class. Later (in 2024), there will also be a cabriolet version and a PHEV variant. Although coupes and cabriolets seem to be an extinguishing species in car land, premium manufacturers like Mercedes […]
July 07, 2023
Belgium’s ambition to lead in developing a hydrogen grid was proved once again last Thursday: the plenary of the House of Representatives approved the first hydrogen law to regulate the transport of green hydrogen via pipelines. It may be the first such law worldwide, according to the cabinet of Energy Minister Tinne Van der Straeten […]
July 07, 2023
The European Commission wants to limit the validity of driver’s licenses for people over 70 to five years. After that time, people would be required to undergo a medical examination or take a refresher course. Okra, the association for the elderly, is highly offended by the proposal and calls it “age discrimination”. And also, the […]
July 07, 2023
While the city car segment is under significant strain due to stronger emission rulings and a growing appetite for SUVs, the French brands aren’t loosening their grip. After the heavily revised Renault Clio, Peugeot took the wraps of its updated 208, last year’s best-selling car in Europe. The facelift doesn’t strike as lightning, as the […]
July 06, 2023
A survey by the Walloon Road Safety Agency (AWSR) shows that one Walloon driver in two drinks alcohol even if he has to drive afterward. One in four respondents recently drove potentially above the legal alcohol limit of 0,5 grams per liter of blood. To do something about the problem, the ASWR will be distributing […]
July 06, 2023
Nissan has launched in the United Kingdom a flexible subscription service featuring a simple all-in-one monthly payment for its EVs, Leaf, and Ariya, and the hybrid Qashqai e-POWER, with 800 miles (1 287 km) per month included. But it doesn’t always come as a bargain. Prices start as ‘low’ as £645/mth (€755) for the Leaf […]
July 06, 2023
Car sector federation Traxio has been studying the latest registrations (first six months of 2023) of new and second-hand cars in Belgium and concludes there’s a real (double) schism in the market between B2B and B2C and between regions. 65% of all new cars have been registered as B2B company cars (companies, leasing, VAT liable), […]
July 06, 2023
The new bicycle highway – F24 – between Louvain and Boutersem was officially inaugurated on Wednesday. Plans and preparations for the project were launched eleven years ago, and now the bicycle connection is finally ready. The new section is 4,5 km long, and 4 meters wide, and follows railway line 36 between Louvain and Tirlemont. […]
July 06, 2023
Stellantis has unveiled STLA Medium, a global battery electric vehicle (BEV) platform. It’s the group’s first dedicated architecture for electric vehicles, dressed to rival MEB from the Volkswagen Group and the underpinnings from Tesla. The ambition for cars building on the architecture is to provide a best-in-class range of over 700 km. STLA Medium is […]
July 06, 2023
Iveco has shown off the strength of its electric Daily with a bit of towing exercise. The eDaily managed to tow a heavy truck carrying a digger, a construction truck filled with rocks, and a fire truck along a short section of runway, setting a new Guinness World Record for ‘Heaviest weight towed by an […]
July 06, 2023
The Chinese car manufacturer SAIC plans to build a plant for electric vehicles in Europe and is currently looking for a location. SAIC has joint ventures in China with Volkswagen and General Motors that produce electric cars, among other things. According to Reuters, the company is not yet giving any further details. SAIC is active […]
July 05, 2023
Imagine Brussels a decade further in the future with electric flying VTOL taxis taking off and landing vertically on ‘vertidromes’ at several places in the inner city, picking up passengers to fly them in no time to the national airport high above a congested city. An airborne ride that would cost you four to eight […]
July 05, 2023
Vilvoorde’s city council is giving negative advice to the plans to redevelop the Brussels Ring Road. Mayor Hans Bonte (Vooruit) is unhappy about the heavy mobility and environmental impact of the works on the city and the region. Several ecological and mobility organizations also side against the plans of the Flemish government. At the end […]
July 05, 2023
Expanding on its European presence, Chinese EV maker Nio has opened an innovation center in Berlin. It will be the hub for five teams focusing on digital technology. Nio is on a roll, as it also starts offering semi-solid-state batteries of 150 kW in China. As the automotive industry is gearing up for software-defined vehicles […]
July 05, 2023
While registrations of new vehicles (51 760 units) almost doubled in June (+48,7%), the second-hand market started to regenerate by growing 15,8% in June to 67 528 units. Cumulated over the first six months, the increase is 5,8% (18 999 units more than in the first six months of 2022), but there is a backlog […]
July 05, 2023
The good news for Rivian is that the American EV start-up has ended its Q2 with good production figures, putting it on track for its 2023 target. Meanwhile, the first European Amazon EDV vans have landed in Germany. Back in April, things were not looking up for Rivian. It had fallen behind on its production […]
July 05, 2023
Italian carmaker Fiat is back in the B-segment with a new electric SUV. Sister of the 500e, the new 600e is based on the same Stellantis CMP electric platform as the Jeep Avenger. The Italian boasts similar performances with a WLTP range of 409 km thanks to a 54-kWh battery. The Fiat is also cheaper, […]
July 05, 2023
The Swedish/Chinese car manufacturer Volvo Cars switches to renewable fuels for ocean freight. The company claims that this will cut fossil CO2 emissions by 84%. “Every year, tens of thousands of containers of production material destined for Volvo Cars factories are carried across the world’s oceans on container ships. From now on, most seafaring journeys […]
July 04, 2023
Energy consumption in Belgium dropped last year to its lowest level since 1995. This is according to the most recent Federal Government Agency Economy data. In the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, high energy prices meant that Belgians consumed less energy than in the corona year 2020. The share of renewable energy in […]
July 04, 2023
According to the latest Clean Cities Campaign, comparing emission-free mobility in 42 European cities, Brussels (11th place), Antwerp (12th), and Ghent (18th) have achieved a place in the top twenty rankings. Liège, on the other hand, sits in 36th place. Still, all four Belgian cities could step up their game toward a zero-emission future, especially […]
July 04, 2023
51 760 cars were newly registered in Belgium and Luxembourg in the month of June, 48,7% more than the same month last year. It also means that the first half-year registrations grew by 35,4% to 264 475, indicating that the supply and delivery problems in the car market are finally fading away. The same tendency […]
July 04, 2023
How do you grab a parking ticket through the passenger window from the boxes at the parking entrance or toll booths when driving a left-hand-drive (LHD) car in the United Kingdom? Tesla drivers get a mechanic grabbing arm called ‘The Reacher’ with their left-hand-drive-only Model S or X these days to solve the problem. In […]
July 04, 2023
An old Belgian icon, the 127-year-old Royal Touring Club of Belgium, has finally been sold to insurance company AG (75%) and Belgian’s biggest bank company BNP Paribas Fortis (25%). It allows Touring to continue road assistance and other activities in a world where mobility is evolving rapidly. After the authorities’ investigation, the deal was officially […]
July 04, 2023
The Meiser Square in Schaerbeek, a major traffic junction in the neighborhood where public broadcasters VRT and RTBF offices are, will be redesigned completely. Brussels Mobility has applied for a permit. The large roundabout is to make way for two intersections and more green space. The Region hopes to start construction works by 2025. Specifically, […]
July 03, 2023
Announcing its production and delivery numbers for the second quarter of 2023, Tesla posted a new record, beating analysts’ predictions. The company is well on track to achieve its annual goal of deliveries by the end of the year, meaning it would globally outperform Audi. But over in China, BYD is in a fierce fight […]
July 03, 2023
Israeli wireless EV charging solution company Electreon has managed to wirelessly charge a 50-ton electric truck on a stationary pad and a ‘Wireless Electric Road’ segment in Sweden. The truck in question was a converted DAF XF from Dutch specialist GINAF, but Electreon says other e-trucks can also be equipped. GINAF specializes in converting DAF […]
July 03, 2023
Dealer group Ghistelinck (Mercedes dealerships in West Flanders and the north of France) starts a partnership with United NRJ, owner of MIG Motors. It buys 50% of the shares of MIG Motors right now, and normally the other 50% of the shares will be purchased within the next five years. MIG Motors represents nine dealers […]
July 03, 2023
BMW has joined forces with long-established Italian bicycle manufacturer 3T to create three types of bikes for various use cases. Customers can choose from a gravel bike, road bike, or urban bike; each of which can also be ordered with an electric motor. All models offer a unique combination of state-of-the-art technology and progressive design. […]
July 03, 2023
Flemish public transport operator De Lijn started the phased roll-out of its primary accessibility network, Hoppin. The new De Lijn network means changes are taking place at 16 000 bus stops, with some 180 to be abolished and others to be relocated, frequencies changed, or new line numbers appearing. But not everyone applauds De Lijn’s […]
July 03, 2023
The number of accidents involving e-scooters has exploded in recent years. To gain insight into the exact causes, the Vias traffic safety institute analyzed a hundred e-scooter accidents with injured people in Brussels in 2020. Most occurred with users under the influence of alcohol and drugs, causing them to lose control. Vias pleads for the […]
July 03, 2023
Wolfgang Bremm von Kleinsorgen (52) is the new CEO of Mercedes-Benz Belgium and Luxembourg and of Mercedes-Benz in the Netherlands as of 1 September. Bremm von Kleinsorgen, a German-speaking Luxemburger, already had a long career at the German manufacturer, starting with Mercedes-Benz Trucks in 1997. He is currently the Head of Mercedes-Benz for Central and […]
July 03, 2023
In a showcase car based on a Porsche Taycan, automotive supplier ZF has unveiled its latest evolution of electric drive. Together with its thermal management system, the EVSys800 sets new weight, compactness, and efficiency standards. The firm eyes a market introduction in 2026. With the EVbeat, ZF wants to demonstrate the potential of future electric […]
July 03, 2023
The Volkswagen Group also opens up to Tesla’s fast charging system in North America. VW’s charging infrastructure subsidiary Electrify America announces that it will integrate the NACS connection into its fast charging stations in the USA and Canada. While Volkswagen is still weighing its options to avoid losing US customers, Polestar confirmed the move entirely. […]
June 30, 2023
Renault delays the stock market introduction of its all-electric subbrand Ampere to the first half of 2024. The French car maker points to a less-than-ideal market climate, but the postponed launch of the all-electric R5 is also playing its part. Renault is pushing forward with a revolutionary plan to launch 18 new models by 2025, […]
June 30, 2023
The Belgian government has agreed with French energy giant Enigma on keeping the Doel 4 and Thihange 3 nuclear power plants open until 2035. Engie will also pay 15 billion euros for the future disposal and processing of all nuclear waste. But on the very day that the deal is knocked off, Elia, the transmission […]
June 30, 2023
Primary school ‘De Wieken’ in Kinrooi (Limburg, Belgium) wants to make the bicycle helmet compulsory next school year. The reason for it is a recent accident in which a 10-year-old boy suffered a severe brain injury. The boy, who did not wear a helmet, was hit by a car while crossing the road and landed […]
June 30, 2023
At the beginning of the year, Polestar released a comprehensive facelift for the 2024 model year of the 2, including new e-motors and more powerful batteries. Variants with a single-motor switched to rear-wheel drive, analogous to the electric drive system update for the Volvo models XC40 and C40, technically a twinned model. There’s one big […]
