March 20, 2025
Four scientists from KU Leuven, the University of Ghent, and Transport and Mobility Leuven have concluded that it makes no sense to choose the train instead of the plane for trips within the European Union to emit less CO2. Due to the European emission ceilings, someone else will emit the saved CO2 anyway. The Emission […]
March 13, 2025
According to communications from Wanfeng to investors, Chinese concern Wanfeng wants to acquire Volocopter, the German maker of flying cabs that take off vertically. Volocopter initiated bankruptcy proceedings late last year and hoped for a relaunch with new investors. Wanfeng wants to acquire the start-up for 10 million euros. Pioneer Volocopter makes vertically rising electric […]
March 10, 2025
Volvo Group, the company behind Volvo Trucks and Renault Trucks, has shared the 2024 sales results of both truck brands. And it has been a productive year, with positive figures overall, making Volvo Trucks the heavy truck market leader in Europe, both in electric trucks and overall. Volvo Trucks and Renault Trucks have been pioneers […]
March 07, 2025
Getlink, the operator of the Channel Tunnel, posted a net profit of 317 million euros last year, down 5% from 2023. The drop in profits is due to the suspension of services from ElecLink, the high-voltage cable linking France and England through the Channel Tunnel. Competition from ferries also played tricks on Getlink. EuroTunnel, Getlink’s subsidiary […]
February 26, 2025
Milence, the joint venture between Europe’s largest truckmakers created to develop the fast-charging network for battery-electric trucks, has deployed its first two chargers using the Megawatt Charging System (MCS) standard. Belgium has the honor, as these MCS chargers can be found at the Ketenis truck stop in the port of Antwerp. The Megawatt Charging System […]
February 25, 2025
Freight transport by train in Belgium rose slightly again last year. Over 55.2 million tons of freight were transported by rail, 3.2% more than in 2023 but still less than the peak years of 2008 (73 million tons) and 2021 (63 million tons), according to data on the open data website of rail network operator […]
February 24, 2025
The Flemish government is still awaiting more than 14 million euros in outstanding fines for violations of the mileage charge. About 13 million euros of that is charged to foreign trucks. The business newspaper De Tijd reports that barely half of the fines are collected from some countries. Although about half of the freight traffic […]
February 20, 2025
Hydrogen Vehicle Systems (HVS), a Scottish start-up founded in 2017 to develop a hydrogen-electric heavy truck, is changing course to avoid bankruptcy. The company faces over €10 million in debt and will now focus on retrofit conversions and selling its technology to cut costs. HVS was founded in Glasgow in 2017 by Abdul Waheed with […]
February 10, 2025
Renault has unveiled its new generation of electric light commercial vehicles (LCVs), which will be called Estafette, Goelette, and Trafic. The names are new, but the cars were already presented under the Flexis name in January due to the joint venture between Renault Group, Volvo Group, and CMA CGM. A couple of weeks ago, Flexis […]
February 10, 2025
It looks like it is further going downhill with American hydrogen truckmaker Nicola, following a The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg report that the company is considering Chapter 11 to propose a plan of reorganization to keep its business alive and pay creditors over time. Last week, Nicola (NASDAQ: NKLA) shares tumbled as much as […]
February 05, 2025
DB Schenker France, the French branch of the German logistics multinational, is expanding its electric truck fleet with 66 additional Renault Trucks E-Tech models that will join the 69 electric vehicles already in circulation. By 2040, DB Schenker France wants to achieve carbon neutrality. After a large order of 53 electric trucks at the end […]
February 03, 2025
Antwerp-based transport company ADLC, which offers transportation by drones to companies, has raised 2 million euros in fresh capital. With that additional money, the company plans to further expand its services in the maritime and offshore industry. From now on, DronePort in Sint-Truiden, at the former air force base in Brustum, Limburg, will also be […]
January 30, 2025
Flexis, a collaboration between Renault Group, Volvo Group (Trucks, not Cars), and CMA CGM, has unveiled its line-up of electric vans. The Panel Van, Cargo Van, and Step-In Van are all based on the same software-defined ‘skateboard’ platform and feature a high level of modularity, an efficient electric drivetrain, and future-proof technology. The name of […]
January 27, 2025
European aircraft maker Airbus is ceasing operations with Airbus Beluga Transport (AiBT), its cargo company, for exceptional transport. The company used specially developed megaplanes, ‘Beluga ST’. It involved 75 jobs. “Global demand for cargo transport by aircraft remains strong,” said Airbus. “But we have found that certain activities have shifted to shipping.” In addition, the […]
January 23, 2025
Dutch catering wholesale company Bidfood Netherlands, part of South African holding Bidcorp, is doubling its electric truck fleet with an order of 25 additional Renault Trucks E-Tech vehicles. This brings the total to 50 zero-emission trucks in its fleet. Bidfood has been running Renault Trucks E-Tech electric trucks since 2021. According to the manufacturer, the […]
January 22, 2025
Dutch truck and trailer rental company TIP Group has created, together with SolarEdge e-Mobility and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Thermal Transport, the world’s first e-reefer trailer that combines solar, battery, and kinetic energy recovery, the Powered Trailer. This solution should provide emissions-free, temperature-controlled transport while also saving money. So-called “reefer” trailers are temperature-controlled trailers mainly used […]
January 21, 2025
Austrian transport company Hödlmayer has put its first electric truck for car transport into operation, transporting vehicles for Magna Steyr in Graz. This Mercedes eActros 300 is also Austria’s first electric car transporter, a type of transport where electrification is still rare. On January 9, 202, Hödlmayer first started using its Mercedes eActros 300 with […]
January 15, 2025
E-commerce giant Amazon has placed an order of more than 200 Mercedes eActros 600 electric heavy trucks, the largest order of e-trucks to date by the American company and also a new record for manufacturer Daimler Truck. The e-trucks will be used in Germany and the UK to transport more than 350 million packages yearly […]
January 14, 2025
Swedish Scania Trucks veteran Christian Levin was elected chair of the Commercial Vehicles Board of ACEA for 2025. He sees a monumental challenge for the European truck and bus sector—one that requires the complete reimagination of an entire ecosystem: the transition from ICE to zero-emission vehicles. And that is a transition of “a magnitude unprecedented […]
January 08, 2025
The market share of Lineas, Europe’s largest private rail freight operator, has fallen below 50%. However, it is still higher than the European average. This is according to a report by the Belgian rail regulator. The report refers to 2023. According to the Rail Transport and Airport Operations Regulatory Service, Lineas’ market share then fell […]
January 08, 2025
For the first time in Belgium, the truck kilometer charge has brought in more than a billion euros. This is according to statistics for 2024 published by Viapass, the public body that coordinates and monitors road pricing in Belgium. Tolls brought in 658 million euros in Flanders, 347.1 million in Wallonia, and 10.8 million in […]
January 07, 2025
Between 2017 and 2024, the modal share of the car in Wallonia dropped from 83% to 71.4%, although the car remains the most popular means of travel there, as just under three-quarters of trips were made by car. This is according to figures from the FPS Mobility and the Walloon statistics office Iweps. Attempts to […]
January 03, 2025
Flemish Mobility Minister Annick De Ridder (N-VA) wants to allow super trucks on Flemish highways within two years. The approval for the longer and heavier vehicles, or LHVs as these trucks that are up to 25,25 meters long and weigh up to 60 tons are officially called, will come on condition that a few strict […]
December 23, 2024
The long-awaited project around electric flying cabs in Paris will not happen this year. The French Council of State annulled the ministerial decree authorizing the creation of an aircraft take-off and landing platform of 740 m² on the Seine in Paris. French airport operator Aéroports de Paris (ADP), along with Volocopter, the German manufacturer of […]
December 23, 2024
Swedish freight technology company Einride, specializing in sustainable and autonomous vehicle solutions, has achieved a European milestone by launching the continent’s first daily commercial autonomous freight operation. Partnering with online pharmacy Apotea, Einride’s autonomous trucks now transport goods between the retailer’s warehouses in Morgongåva, Sweden, and so officially move to the road network. The operation […]
December 18, 2024
The non-profit International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) has published a study about the European heavy-duty vehicle (HDV) market in the first three quarters of 2024, specifically the development of electric vehicle market share. Even with a slow Q3 in the overall market, the growth of electric heavy commercial vehicles continues. The European truck market […]
December 16, 2024
Embattled hydrogen truck maker Nikola is grappling with severe financial strain as it scrambles to secure funds and stave off bankruptcy. The company has confirmed another round of layoffs this month while warning in filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that it does not have enough cash to sustain operations through the […]
December 10, 2024
After kicking off series production in November, Mercedes-Benz Trucks has delivered the first eActros 600 long-haul electric heavy trucks to customers. By the end of the year, around 50 units will be handed over to German customers, who have received a state subsidy from the German Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and Transport for their […]
December 06, 2024
The company that wants to take over the financially troubled airline Air Belgium is known. It is a consortium of two companies: Dutch company PESO Aviation Management and British company Air One Holding International. That consortium also wants to keep only 197 of Air Belgium’s 401 current employees. This was announced before the Nivelles enterprise […]
November 29, 2024
What was first feared is now confirmed: the only take-over bid for Air Belgium only concerns the cargo operations. In other words, passenger operations will disappear. The ailing airline will know on December 5th whether the sale proposal receives court approval. But it looks like an end to Air Belgium anyway. Candidate is a European […]
November 26, 2024
Renault Trucks has announced a new long-range version of its E-Tech T electric heavy-duty truck. This version promises a range of up to 600 km on a single charge thanks to the incorporation of an e-axle, which frees up space for additional battery packs. However, there is an impact on the payload. Until now, the […]
November 25, 2024
Renault Trucks has achieved its first-ever approval in France for an electric retrofit truck. This pioneering vehicle, a 12-ton Renault Truck D, previously powered by a diesel engine, has been converted into a battery-electric truck. The retrofit truck will be leased for several years to Extime, the operator of duty-free stores at Paris Airport. Retrofitting […]
November 22, 2024
German parcel company DHL Express and energy company Shell have signed a one-year agreement for the use of 25,000 tons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at Brussels Airport. This will allow it to replace a third of the traditional kerosene in the planes departing from Brussels Airport with the more environmentally friendly fuel derived from, […]
November 21, 2024
These are tense times for Air Belgium. An investor has submitted a bid for the ailing Walloon airline. Judicial reorganization proceedings ended in late September, and potential investors had until November 15th to go forward. The court in Nivelles will consider the bid on December 5th. Who the investor is and the plans regarding activities […]
November 08, 2024
At their annual press conference, the Belgian Association of Vehicle Rental Companies Renta urgently appealed for help. Renta Chairman and Ayvens CEO Johan Portier made it clear that the second-hand market needs structural support, now. “The Belgian market is now like an island in Europe. With its heavy emphasis on company cars (B2B market) and […]
November 06, 2024
The H2Rescue, a hydrogen fuel cell truck made for disaster relief by Cummins’ subsidiary Accelera, has set a new Guinness World Record for distance driven by a hydrogen truck without refueling, driving 1,806 miles or 2,910 km across California. A Guinness World Records adjudicator validated the entire trip. When the 175-kg hydrogen tank was unsealed, […]
November 06, 2024
Climate United, a US-based clean energy coalition with more than $30 billion in capital, has announced its plans to buy up to 500 Class 8 electric trucks for up to $250 million. It intends to lease these vehicles to small transport companies to accelerate electrification for smaller fleets. More specifically, Climate United plans to expand […]
November 05, 2024
Fret SNCF, the cargo arm of the French national railroad company SNCF, will cease operations in 2025. The freight division will be replaced by two new companies: Hexafret for freight transport and Technis for locomotive maintenance. The transformation also involves a 10% reduction in jobs. The changes are the result of proceedings initiated against the […]
November 04, 2024
Oxa, a British autonomous driving tech firm, has unveiled its autonomous Ford E-Transit Van and Minibus. They will enter operation in the UK and US as the first mass-production vehicles to make use of Oxa’s software. Enough for one of the company’s VP’s to take a stab at Tesla, which unveiled its Robovan concept in […]
October 31, 2024
Rail passenger traffic in the European Union reached a record last year if you look only at the number of passenger kilometers, according to data from the European statistics office Eurostat. In 2023, 8 billion passengers used trains in the EU. Thus, the dip initiated by the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 was also eliminated for […]
October 30, 2024
With series production of its first ‘long-range’ electric heavy truck, the Mercedes eActros 600, kicking off next month, Daimler Truck is getting the Mannheim factory ready. One of the most critical components, the front box, has already started production. But what is it? The front box is a multi-component module that contains many of the […]
October 29, 2024
Volvo Group (the parent company of Volvo Trucks and Renault Trucks) and Daimler Truck (Mercedes-Benz Trucks) have signed a binding agreement for their new joint venture to develop a software-defined vehicle platform, which was announced earlier this year. After regulatory approvals, the new company is expected to be founded in the first half of 2025. […]
October 21, 2024
Volvo Group, the Swedish manufacturer of Volvo Trucks, Renault Trucks, and Mack Trucks, has announced a hefty profit drop for the third quarter of this year. Due to slowing demand in the freight and construction segments, the forecasts for 2025 are also not very optimistic. Volvo Group earned an adjusted operational profit of 14.1 billion […]
October 17, 2024
The brand new Höegh Aurora is currently the world’s biggest auto carrier, capable of storing 9,100 cars on its fourteen decks. It has visited Zeebrugge’s car terminal and the Antwerp harbor before sailing further to Gothenburg. The Höegh Aurora is making its maiden trip as it is the first launched of twelve Aurora Class ships […]
October 03, 2024
The additional round of the Zero-Emission Trucks (AanZET) subsidy program for 2024 in the Netherlands was almost entirely allocated in just one day. Of the €22.2 million budget, €21.4 million was applied for, as companies feel the pressure with several Dutch cities introducing zero-emission zones in 2025. According to the Ministry, a new round of […]
September 18, 2024
Renault continues to pursue its nostalgic path. It presented the all-electric Estafette van study at IAA Transportation, and the new Renault Master with hydrogen drive was also on display at the same trade fair in Hanover. The Estafette Concept is an electric study intended to evoke memories of Renault’s iconic 1959 van of the same […]
September 18, 2024
BYD is presenting a new electric van tailored to the European market at Hanover’s IAA Transportation trade fair. The E-Vali is BYD’s entry into the electric 3.5 and 4.25-ton segment. The Chinese manufacturer has announced two lengths and two drive options for its electric van aimed at Europe. The shorter 3.5-tonner has a wheelbase of […]
September 17, 2024
German Aerospace Center DLR (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfarth) is keeping its ‘feet’ on the ground at IAA Transport in Hanover these days, showing the result of its research into autonomous last-mile delivery, the modular U-Shift concept. It’s basically a U-shaped platform or ‘drive board,’ and the capsules are designed for various purposes, such […]
September 17, 2024
Belgian, West Flanders logistics company Eutraco is buying 50 eActros 600 trucks from Mercedes-Benz, representing an investment of 14 million euros. With that move, the company is electrifying a third of its fleet, making it the first logistics player in Belgium to have such a large fleet of e-trucks, according to the company. “Sustainable transport […]
September 17, 2024
At the IAA Transportation 2024 in Hannover, Hyundai launched the first vehicle from its global eLCV platform for European markets in partnership with the Italian multinational transport vehicle manufacturer, IVECO. The Iveco eMoovy combines Hyundai’s EV chassis-cab-based 800-volt platform with a cargo compartment from Iveco. The Italian manufacturer of LCVs and trucks, Iveco and Hyundai, […]
September 16, 2024
Volkswagen has launched its newest Transporter model ahead of the IAA Transportation event, showcasing a van that shares much of its DNA with the Ford Transit. Despite this collaboration, Volkswagen has emphasized that the new Transporter maintains its distinct character, reflecting the brand’s rich legacy while advancing into the electrified vehicle market. The new Transporter, […]
September 16, 2024
Danish logistics company DSV has announced acquiring freight carrier DB Schenker from German rail company Deutsche Bahn for 14.3 billion euros. The companies expect to complete the transaction next year. Once the deal is finalized, after the German government gives it the go-ahead, DSV will become the world’s largest freight forwarder. One of the industry’s […]
September 13, 2024
Heavy goods vehicles (HGV), increasingly seen on European roads, still represent only 3% of the vehicles but are involved in almost 15% of all EU road fatalities. That’s the main reason why Euro NCAP starts (crash-)testing heavy trucks this autumn to give them a bronze, silver, or gold safety rating. These ratings focus at the […]
September 12, 2024
From the end of October, Latin American airline LATAM Cargo is tripling the number of flights at Brussels Airport from four to twelve per week. Cargo activity is also on the rise at Liège Airport, which has gained two new cargo connections, respectively to Hangzhou in China and Oakland in the United States. The tripling […]
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 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 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 […]
August 29, 2024
The ministerial instruction of outgoing Mobility Minister Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo) preventing the use of Boeing 777 aircraft at Brussels Airport at night has been suspended. The Minister said this in the Parliamentary Committee on Mobility. If consultations with the Flemish government come to nothing, it will be up to the next federal government to resolve […]
August 22, 2024
DSV, one of the largest transport companies in the world, based in Denmark, has ordered 300 electric trucks and 500 diesel and gas trucks from Volvo Trucks. This marks one of the largest orders of Volvo e-trucks to date, and the trucks will be delivered between 2024 and 2026. DSV is a Danish multinational specializing […]
August 13, 2024
Fewer cars and trucks drove on Flemish highways last year than in 2019, the year before Covid-19. Nevertheless, according to the Flemish Traffic Center’s annual overviews, traffic congestion was at its highest level in 2023. On an average working day in 2023, almost 3% fewer vehicle kilometers traveled on Flemish highways than in 2019, a […]
