September 29, 2022
Daimler Truck has already received an order of 50 electric Mercedes-Benz eActros LongHaul from the German transport group Hegelmann, only a few days after revealing the near-production version of the long-distance electric truck at IAA Transportation in Hannover. It has been a productive show for Daimler Truck at IAA Transportation. After showing the near-production ‘concept […]
September 28, 2022
Premium carmaker BMW is partnering with German ‘historic’ combustion engine manufacturer Deutz AG in a ‘real-life operation’ project to test the feasibility of using heavy trucks with a six-cylinder combustion engine burning hydrogen instead of diesel in its logistics chain. The project is called HyCET (Hydrogen Combustion Engine Trucks) and is led by the BMW […]
September 27, 2022
Infrabel, the infrastructure branch of Belgian Rail, has ordered three battery electric measuring trains from Italian supplier Mermec. These so-called hybrid-electric trains can use a catenary system like regular trains but also access railway lines without it, pure on battery energy. The trains, totaling €42 million, will be delivered in 2024, 2026, and 2027. Measuring […]
September 26, 2022
Every year, bicycle use in Belgium avoids 1 294 premature deaths. At the same time, 137 717 tons of CO2 emissions are avoided because motorized traffic is replaced by bicycle trips. This is shown by a new study by road safety institute Vias. Moreover, also not insignificant when looking at the whole mobility cost picture: […]
September 22, 2022
ElectricBrands, best known for their funky XBUS, brought three new vehicles to IAA Transportation in Hannover. The XBUS S, Evetta Cargo, and NITO C+S are all compact electric vehicles designed for business use but with a friendly touch. The German start-up ElectricBrands first came into the spotlight with two compact electric vehicles based on iconic […]
September 22, 2022
Five industry giants, IKEA, Unilever, JSW Steel Limited, A.P. Moller – Maersk, and GeoPost/DPDgroup, commit themselves to have their heavy truck fleet (+7,5 tons) converted to zero-emission by 2040 in OECD markets, China and India. “Medium- and heavy-duty trucks, representing 4% of all vehicles on the road globally, account for 40% of all road transport […]
September 21, 2022
The Flemish Institute for Logistics (Vlaams Instituut voor Logistiek, VIL) and the Hasselt University joined forces to analyze what they could do about the acute shortage of truck drivers. Together, they launched the ‘Truck Driver 4.0’ project in search of solutions for the sector. The project’s starting point was the problematic shortage of truckers, despite […]
September 21, 2022
Maxus has expanded its European model range with three new electric models: the T90 pickup truck, the MIFA 9 minivan, and the 7,5-ton Electric Light Truck. With this expansion, the Chinese manufacturer enters both passenger and heavier commercial vehicle markets. Maxus, part of the Chinese conglomerate SAIC and imported by Astara Western Europe in Belgium, […]
September 21, 2022
Quantron has presented its QHM FCEV Heavy Truck at the IAA Transportation in Hannover, a MAN TGX-based hydrogen truck that boasts driving ranges of up to 1 500 km. That would make it the longest-range hydrogen truck on the market, with delivery expected in 2023. The Quantron QHM FCEV Heavy Truck uses two 120 kW […]
September 20, 2022
Bosch has developed an electric motor that can be used for vans and small trucks. By integrating the inverter into the motor housing, the powertrain becomes more compact but, above all, more efficient so that the autonomy of electric vehicles improves. The efficiency of electric vehicles is too often measured by the performance and storage […]
September 20, 2022
Iveco shows off its hydrogen and electric future for vans and trucks at the IAA Transportation in Hannover, thanks to partnerships with Hyundai and Nikola. Both the Daily light commercial vehicle and the Nikola Tre zero-emission truck will be available with either batteries or a hydrogen fuel cell. Back in March, Hyundai and Iveco announced […]
September 19, 2022
Daimler Truck has unveiled a ‘concept prototype version of the Mercedes-Benz eActros LongHaul at the IAA Transportation in Hannover. It previews the design of the long-haul electric truck, which will enter production in 2024 and boasts ranges of up to 800 km. The truck won the “2023 Truck Innovation Award” at the show, a prize […]
September 15, 2022
The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) has conducted a study on the viability of decarbonizing European road transport with hydrogen trucks by 2030. It appears that, even with dropping (green) hydrogen prices and more stringent CO2 reduction measures, subsidies will still be needed to bridge the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) gap between renewable […]
September 14, 2022
Volvo Trucks is starting series production of the fully electric range of its popular heavy trucks, the Volvo FH, Volvo FM, and Volvo FMX, able to handle a total weight of 44 tons Gross Combination Weight (GCW). The production will start in the Tuve factory in Gothenburg, Sweden, and next year at the factory in […]
September 13, 2022
DAF Trucks has started deliveries of its zero-emission, battery-electric LF truck, aimed at use in urban areas. The first one goes to Dutch logistics service provider Nabuurs, delivering beer to hospitality establishments in Groningen for the AB InBev brewing company. AB InBev wants to reach a net zero carbon footprint in its supply chain globally […]
September 09, 2022
By the middle of this decade, Mercedes-Benz Vans stated that all newly introduced vans would be electric only. And looking beyond that date, it will build large electric vans in Europe together with American startup Rivian. For this, both companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and will set up a 50/50 joint venture for […]
September 06, 2022
At the Mobility and the Future Mobility Summit in early September 2022, Mercedes is showing four improvements for its technology demonstrator ‘Sustaineer’ based on the Mercedes e-Sprinter. Those make the van more energy-efficient and ecological but also consider the driver’s comfort. The Sustaineer, which stands for Sustainable Pioneer, was first shown a year ago and […]
September 06, 2022
Belgium has to focus more on transport via rail and waterways. That is one of the conclusions of the latest Mobility Report 2022 from the Mobility Council (Mobiliteitsraad, MORA). “The transport sector surely has put efforts into promoting inland shipping and rail transport but not enough to realize the modal shift,” says Tim Buyse, MORA’s […]
August 23, 2022
In Schaarbeek, the railway infrastructure manager Infrabel started this summer with the renewal of the so-called Carwash junction, which forms the gateway to the Schaerbeek-Formation tracks. This is the largest switch renewal in Brussels in recent years, representing an investment of over 10 million euros. The renovation of the railway intersections, which will be finished […]
August 11, 2022
Due to the persistent drought and record temperatures, the water level in the Rhine near Kaub, between Koblenz and Mainz in Germany, is dropping so low that many cargo ships will no longer be able to sail there as of Friday. That is a problem for the industry. The Rhine, one of the busiest waterways […]
August 11, 2022
Electric carmaker Tesla will finally deliver the first fully battery-electric class-8 Semi trucks with a 500-mile (800 km) range by the end of 2022. At least, this is what Elon Musk promised on Twitter. And PepsiCo, which ordered 100 of them years ago, is probably the lucky one to get them first. Tesla unveiled the […]
August 11, 2022
On Wednesday, the new Willems quay in Balen along the Dessel-Kwaadmechelen channel has been officially inaugurated. “The installation of such quays has to promote inland shipping and inspire other companies,” said Flemish Minister of Mobility Lydia Peeters (Open Vld) at the inauguration. Inland shipping has the capacity to remove another 160 000 trucks from the […]
August 03, 2022
Hyundai is expanding its hydrogen truck fleet in Europe by delivering 27 XCIENT fuel cell trucks to seven German logistics, manufacturing, and retail companies. They applied and got approval for the funding of eco-friendly commercial vehicles from Germany’s Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV). BMDV has a budget of 1,6 billion euros available until […]
July 26, 2022
Mercedes-Benz Trucks started at its Wörth am Rhein plant in Germany, producing the eEconic, its second fully battery-electric truck next to the eActros. The key technical specifications of the eEconic are mainly identical to those of the eActros, but aimed at municipal use or last-mile delivery, in particular, the truck builder says. The eEconic was […]
July 14, 2022
SNCF boss Jean-Pierre Farandou has estimated the need for additional investment in French railways at around 100 billion euros over fifteen years. This is to help decarbonize transport by doubling the share of trains. To achieve this objective, the president of the French railway company defended several projects that will require an investment that is […]
July 12, 2022
The Flemish government does not agree with the environmental impact statement about the noise nuisance of Brussels Airport. That is what the newspaper De Standaard wrote on Monday. The study was ordered in 2017 by then Minister of Mobility François Bellot (MR). The French consultancy agency Envisa finally suggested nine scenarios to spread the nuisance […]
July 12, 2022
The Belgian materials technology and recycling group Umicore is investing in a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell catalyst production facility in China. Located in Changshu, northwest of Shanghai, the plant is expected to be operational by the end of 2024. It will be scalable to adapt to the growth of the H2 commercial vehicle […]
July 12, 2022
Scania has delivered an all-electric truck specially designed for transporting timber to Swedish timber processor SCA, offering a gross vehicle weight of up to 64 tons on public roads and up to 80 tons on private roads. The vehicle will transport timber to SCA’s terminal in Gimonäs and the paper mill in Obbola near Umeå […]
July 11, 2022
Since Friday, two new bridges over the Brussels Charleroi Canal have been officially inaugurated. On the border of Drogenbos and Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, it is the Three Fountains Bridge (Drie Fonteinenbrug). In Halle, it is the Misia Bridge, formerly known as the Zuidbrug. Thanks to the new Three Fountains Bridge, a bridge made of 600 tons of […]
July 06, 2022
According to a study by Belgian traffic safety institute Vias, more than half of all parcel carriers admit – sometimes or often – driving too fast. The Vias study was commissioned by Minister Petra De Sutter (Groen). The study was intended to map the impact of parcel deliveries on mobility and traffic safety in Belgium. […]
July 05, 2022
Peaking fuel prices in the Uk are triggering a wave of ‘go-slow protests’ on the nation’s highways. On Monday, the police warned about serious disruption throughout the day, and motorists were urged to stay at home where possible. Protesters created a rolling blockade along the M4, among others – the London-South Wales highway – at […]
June 29, 2022
Rail freight company Lineas will fit more than 5 000 wagons with silent brake blocks with the support of the Belgian federal government. The investment of 2,18 million euros is part of the ‘Retrofit Project’ and should give rail freight a much-needed boost. The government’s ambition is to double the freight transported by rail by […]
June 28, 2022
A new study on the cost of decarbonizing European shipping shows that running ships on green hydrogen-based fuels would hardly make consumer goods more expensive. On the contrary, green shipping would add just a few cents to most consumer goods. “Green shipping would add less than 10 cents to a pair of Nikes,” says Faig […]
June 28, 2022
The Walloon government has reached an agreement on the new car taxation scheme that was already due for a certain time. Normally, the whole scheme should come into effect from 1 September 2023 onward and totally implemented by 2026. As well road tax and registration tax will be revised, the global ‘tax pressure’ should stay […]
June 23, 2022
In a second vote on the climate ambitions of the European Commission, assembled under the ‘Fit for 55‘ umbrella, the European Parliament has agreed with the remaining issues and measures to reduce greenhouse gases by 55% in 2030. A central issue is the reform and the enlargement of the Emission Trade System. The European car […]
June 22, 2022
An earlier EU phase-out date for cars and vans with internal combustion engines would net significant savings for European drivers and hugely reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to new calculations by Greenpeace Germany. “An end to sales of new gasoline, diesel, and hybrid cars in 2028 would reduce oil use enough to save drivers €635 […]
June 21, 2022
Sevic? Never heard of it? Well, that might change as the German EV engineering start-up has its first V500e vehicles delivered by Bulgarian contract EV manufacturer Milara International to Bochum for internal testing and client approval. And it’s ready to take the European cities. The compact light utility EV with a unique cargo swap system […]
June 21, 2022
Swedish truck builder Volvo Trucks has unveiled its first heavy-weight fuel cell electric truck with a range of more than 1 000 km and two 300 kW generating fuel cells on board to handle up to 65 tons of weight. Refueling takes only 15 minutes as a regular diesel truck. Cellcentric will provide the fuel […]
June 15, 2022
American fuel cell specialist Hyzon is buying itself an entry into the German zero-emission truck market by acquiring the Orten Group, one of the pioneers in Germany for the electrification of new and used commercial diesel vehicles. “The acquisition brings three fully-operational production facilities and a team of over 80 employees under the Hyzon umbrella. […]
June 15, 2022
Despite the 666 new job recruitments of train drivers and conductors, the Belgian railway company NMBS/SNCB will cut 1 771 jobs in the coming ten years. On the other hand, the 666 new jobs will expand the train offer by 10%. Rail manager Infrabel will cut 900 jobs by 2032. The company estimates to need […]
June 08, 2022
Flanders is beefing up the subsidies for investments in sustainable trucks for heavy transport and buses. For hydrogen trucks, the subsidies even double. “The government wants to support the sustainable transition,” explained the Flemish Minister of Economy and Innovation, Jo Brouns (CD&V). That is also why the financial support for fossil alternatives like LNG or […]
June 02, 2022
Renault is extending its range of electrically powered vans with an EV version of the latest Kangoo, the Rapid E-Tech Electric. The arrival of an electric version of the newest generation Kangoo is a logical step. After all, the manufacturer also has a Master E-Tech Electric on offer in the larger van segment. This Kangoo […]
May 31, 2022
Daimler Truck has built the first prototypes of the battery-electric long-distance truck eActros LongHaul and plans to test them on public roads this year. In addition, the truck manufacturer has announced further variants of the eActros for distribution transport. The eActros is an electric truck for distribution transport, delivered since the end of February 2022. […]
May 25, 2022
On Tuesday, the CEO of the French railway operator SNCF, Jean-Pierre Farandou, announced that a new high-speed TGV line linking Paris to Berlin was in the making. It should be operational by December 2023, and connecting the two capital cities is around seven hours. “A few years ago, we thought it was a bit long, […]
May 23, 2022
In 2021, there were 41,1 million trucks, mostly foreign, on Belgium’s roads. Never before has this number been so high. This is evident from the report for its operating year drawn up by Viapass, the organisation that manages the kilometer charge for trucks in Belgium. Consequently, revenues for the kilometer charge are also peaking: 822 […]
May 17, 2022
In his eagerly awaited report, the intendant appointed by the Belgian government, Guy Vloebergh, concludes that the Ventilus line is best placed above ground. The high voltage connection, which must bring wind electricity from the North Sea onshore, has been strongly debated. Action groups now threaten with legal procedures, which would stall the project resulting […]
May 13, 2022
The Environmental Committee of the European Parliament has voted in favor of a sales ban on internal combustion engines for cars and vans as of 2035. The Committee dismissed synthetic fuels as a solution and didn’t adopt new interim CO2 targets for the automotive industry. The European lawmakers stayed close to the original proposal by […]
May 09, 2022
Febetra, the federation of Belgian haulers and logistic service providers, has used Mother’s Day to launch a call for more female truck drivers. The freight transport sector urgently needs to fill in 5 000 vacancies in the coming years. In Belgium, hardly 1,66% of truck drivers are female. In 98% of the cases, a man […]
May 09, 2022
We were allowed a sneak preview in a black box in Barcelona last week, but now it’s here for the whole world to see: Ford’s second all-electric van, the one-ton E-Transit Custom. Besides the exterior looks, there is still little specific information, except for the 380 km range of the EV and the ability to […]
May 03, 2022
The Flemish Government wants to continue to focus on alternatives to road transport, with companies choosing the proper mode of transportation for each flow of goods. It is extending the Multimodal Flanders project by five years until 2027. The organization behind the project, the Flemish Logistics Innovation Center (VIL), reported this. Transport via rail or […]
May 03, 2022
Daimler Truck, Europe’s leading manufacturer of buses and coaches, plans to turn the page on diesel-powered city buses by 2030, aiming for a 100% electric offering that will rely, in part, on hydrogen. The German group, which has sold some 600 e-buses out of a total of 18 700 units in 2021, only wants rechargeable […]
April 27, 2022
The number of people traveling, especially by train, will reach a ceiling in Belgium in the coming years due to the widespread use of teleworking and the aging of the population. Specifically for commuter traffic, the train would even lose 20% of passenger kilometers by 2040. But on the other hand, the Belgian Federal Planning […]
April 27, 2022
London’s typical ‘black cabs’ are crossing the Channel to Belgium in white and blue livery and as a battery-electric van with a range extender. The first two LEVC VN5 vans were delivered to logistics company Hazgo, a specialist in transporting medical samples, headquartered at BruCargo in Brussels. LEVC (London Electric Vehicle Company) has been making […]
April 25, 2022
Since the start of the kilometer charge for trucks in 2016, nearly 64 million euros in Flemish fines have been issued. However, almost 21 million euros of that budget has yet to be received. The information came to light upon request from Flemish parliamentary group chairman Peter Van Rompuy (CD&V), who interjected Flemish Finance Minister […]
April 20, 2022
Belgian logistics player BD Logistics has asked Antwerp University to develop a tool to calculate the CO2 emissions of its urban delivery activities using a standardized calculation method. The calculation tool perfectly estimates the carbon impact of a specific delivery or shipment. This technology would also allow consumers to compare different players or means of […]
April 19, 2022
Young start-up E-Load has inaugurated its first powerful public charging station in the industrial zone ‘Europark’ in Houthalen. The Limburg-based company plans to install at least five similar charging stations in the province and is already negotiating with the cities of Genk and Hasselt. The official inauguration took place on Saturday in the presence of […]
April 15, 2022
In Flanders and Brussels, the rates for the kilometer charge for trucks will be increased on 1 July. It is an index adjustment. In Wallonia, the tariffs for the toll were indexed on 1 January. Viapass, the public body that coordinates and monitors the kilometer charge in Belgium, also reports that no paying toll roads […]
April 11, 2022
Belgian oil tanker giant Euronav and its Norwegian peer, Frontline, want to merge into what’s to become the world’s biggest oil tanker company. The new fleet will consist of 115 tankers, 69 Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs), 57 Suezmax tankers, and 20 smaller Aframax ships. But after the news of negotiations starting broke last week, […]
April 07, 2022
Two French industrial companies aim to replace all freight diesel locomotives on the non-electrified parts of the French rail network. Train manufacturer, Alstom, is set to develop a heavy-load fuel-cell locomotive, while energy provider Engie will produce and supply emission-free hydrogen from renewable energies. The new train’s first runs are scheduled for 2025. “Our ambition […]
March 30, 2022
A new study in six major European markets by Transport and Environment (T&E) shows that today’s electric vans are, on average, 25% cheaper per km to operate than diesel vans. That is €0,15/km for the e-van versus €0,20/km for the diesel van. In another study published simultaneously, most fleet owners show to be prepared to […]
