March 24, 2022
Mini is now developing its fifth generation and, just like the current generation, it will have an electric version. The emphasis seems to be on this zero-emission version, as the manufacturer is already running the arctic winter tests with the new e-Mini in Arjeplog, Sweden. Mini also promises to present a concept study of a […]
March 24, 2022
According to the newspaper L’Echo, Euro 4 diesel cars driving inside the Brussels Low-Emission Zone (LEZ) won’t be fined until July. The newspaper reports that the official reason is new car delivery delays, but it also cites a computer bug at Brussels Taxation. Since January, Euro 4 diesel cars have been supposedly banned from the […]
March 24, 2022
Pressure has risen on French companies Renault and TotalEnergies to the degree that both have taken measures to cut their Russian ties. The moves come after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky personally addressed several French companies in a video conference. Renault has now announced that it will suspend its industrial activities in the country and that […]
March 24, 2022
Several demo cars of the BMW iX5 Hydrogen are traveling around Europe to gather support (financial and other) from all kinds of instances. BMW sees FCEVs as an exciting alternative for BEVs in the far future, and this move illustrates BMW’s belief in the technical solution. Last week, we talked with Jürgen Guldner, Vice President […]
March 23, 2022
The German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, DLR) has developed a ‘groundbreaking’ new concept of a lightweight plug-in fuel cell vehicle combining a 48 kWh rechargeable battery and a 45 kW fuel cell to offer a 1 000 km range. New letter words to learn: PFCV, PFCEV, PHFCEV? The Interurban Vehicle (IUV) […]
March 23, 2022
At the assembly plant of Spring Hill in Tenessee, Cadillac has started production of its first all-electric vehicle, the Lyriq SUV. The Lyriq is a milestone, internally called “the standard for future Cadillacs.” If you’re waiting for the Lyriq to hit European shores, you’ll have to remain patient. “The Lyriq is a global project and, […]
March 23, 2022
As one of the first journalists in Europe, we were able to drive the first Subaru EV, the Solterra, on a closed test circuit in Aldenhoven, near Aachen (Germany). This spring, the Solterra arrives on the market together with the Toyota bZ4x, its twin brother. But to say that Solterra is a mere copy of […]
March 22, 2022
On Tuesday, Tesla’s brand-new German gigafactory officially opened in Grünheide in the rural state of Brandenburg, near Berlin. Something Elon Musk didn’t want to miss, as he was welcoming Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the site, along with Economy Minister Robert Habeck and Brandenburg state Premier Dietmar Woidke. Musk himself handed over the first thirty Germany-produced […]
March 22, 2022
The rapidly rising prices for raw materials affect the cost of battery cells and packs. Chinese EV manufacturers are complaining that these price surges are ‘ridiculous’. Meanwhile, many manufacturers are trying to get a hand in the whole supply chain to be sure of a reliable flow of materials at an affordable and reasonably stable […]
March 22, 2022
Last week, Norwegian-Swedish, shipping and car handling company Wallenius Wilhelmsen, has received the first shipment of 3 000 Polestar EVs at its new expanded marine terminal, Bastenaken West, at the port of Zeebrugge in Belgium. The company accelerated the planned 50-hectare expansion project of the marine terminal to cope with the increasing demand for EVs […]
March 21, 2022
Lydia Peeters (Open Vld), Flemish Minister for Mobility, has finished the promised mapping of new potential semi-public charging points for Flanders. Local governments can now consult the map that shows in hexagonal areas of approximately 200 meters the best locations for installing those public chargers. Today, with some 640 added this year until March, Flanders’ […]
March 21, 2022
Porsche has officially confirmed that it intends to offer its mid-engine 718 sports car exclusively in all-electric form by the middle of the decade. In addition, the sports car brand will also invest in its own High-Power Charging infrastructure. The announcement was made when Porsche presented its business figures for 2021. Porsche CEO Oliver Blume: […]
March 18, 2022
By 2025, there will be an electric Maserati across the entire range, and by 2030, the last car with a combustion engine will have left the factory. That was the CEO of Maserati Davide Grasso’s message in a nutshell on Thursday’s media briefing on the financial results of the carmaker for 2021. Grasso also released […]
March 18, 2022
Ford is opening up its ‘secret’ Lommel Proving Ground facilities and its team of highly skilled trainers to the general public, offering basic safety up to specialist sporty driving skills courses. At €249 per person, everyone can learn to control a vehicle on a slippery surface in all kinds of conditions or how to avoid […]
March 18, 2022
By 2026, more than 600 of the 700 traffic lights installed along the regional road network in Wallonia will become smart traffic lights. The intervention should ensure that buses are given priority at intersections and that traffic flows more smoothly. On Thursday, the Walloon Government approved a contract to modernize traffic lights, announced Walloon Mobility […]
March 17, 2022
Audi took the wraps from the A6 Avant e-tron concept as a prelude to its annual media conference. The station wagon is the second concept hinting at Audi’s electric future in the mid-size executive class, sharing most of its technology with the A6 Sportback e-tron unveiled in Shanghai last year. The message? Audi is not […]
March 16, 2022
“The profitability of EVs, a source of anxiety among car manufacturers for long, will be comparable to that of ICE cars sooner than expected,” said Volkswagen CFO Arno Antlitz in an online press meeting on Tuesday. The Volkswagen Group benefits from increasing economies of scale and is “optimistic about attaining the same profit margins earlier […]
March 16, 2022
According to an analysis by Wells Fargo, global car production could shrink with up to 700 000 units during the first half of the year or 15% of Europe’s output. With 17 factories, Ukraine is one of the top producers of wire harnesses, which is in particularly high demand for building EVs. Due to the […]
March 16, 2022
Swedish battery manufacturer Northvolt announces a second giga-battery factory to be built in Germany, in the northern part, in Heide (Schleswig-Holstein). Volkswagen has a deal with the Swedish for building ‘Northvolt Zwei, in Salzgitter, so this plant is baptized ‘Northvolt Drei’ (Northvolt Three). The new battery factory should have an annual potential capacity of 60 […]
March 16, 2022
Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares has declared that its manufacturing group (the fourth in the world) has the necessary tools to catch up with all other EV competitors, Tesla included. The executive stated that he believes the competition between Stellantis and Tesla, and all other players implied, will be a healthy one and, in the end, […]
March 15, 2022
Finally, the Belgian Federal Government has reached an agreement on Monday evening to lower the excise on fuel and bring the VAT on gas back to six percent, like decided earlier for electricity. This will cost the government at least 1,3 billion euros. It comes on top of the 1,1 billion euros foreseen for the […]
March 14, 2022
The Brussels Parliament has approved the proposal to better regulate shared e-scooters, bikes, and mopeds. The text provides compulsory parking in drop zones, reduced speed in pedestrian zones, and stricter enforcement. The latter is meant to tackle the nuisance of e-scooters lying around and the lack of safety in pedestrian zones. From now on, there […]
March 14, 2022
Mercedes-Benz has presented its global strategy for recycling electric vehicle battery systems. This initially includes the construction of the company’s own pilot battery recycling factory in Kuppenheim, Germany, and plants in China and the USA. The recycling factory in Kuppenheim, Baden, Germany, had already been confirmed by the Group in November 2021, when the planned […]
March 11, 2022
What was deemed impossible until recently, has suddenly become a reality because of Putin’s war in Ukraine. According to an analysis by BloombergNEF grey – or polluting – hydrogen has become more expensive than its green alternative due to the critical rise in prices for fossil natural gas it is made from. In Europe, it […]
March 11, 2022
The net benefit of BMW Group more than tripled in 2021. This was caused by a higher turnover and lower production costs, and despite the semiconductor shortage, a press release explained yesterday. Meanwhile, the supply situation caused by the Ukraine war seems to be improving. Revenues have increased by 12% t BMW, now peaking at […]
March 11, 2022
Belgian bus manufacturer Van Hool from Koningshooikt (Lier) may build at least 56 tram-buses that will run in Paris. The electric vehicles will be charged using an in-built fast-charging system. A world-first, says the company. Van Hool is working on this with French Alstom and German Kiepe Electric. The consortium, where Van Hool is the […]
March 10, 2022
The all-electric spiritual successor to the iconic T1 Bulli doesn’t fail to wow. With intelligent safety systems, bidirectional charging, a spacious interior, and good fast-charging, the ID.Buzz will shake things up in a class still modestly waking up to electrification. Deliveries of the ID.Buzz are only scheduled for autumn, but Volkswagen already removed the blindfolds […]
March 09, 2022
D’Ieteren Automotive, the importer of the Volkswagen brands in Belgium, is showcasing at its distribution center in Kortenberg there is more than selling cars these days. It invites fleet owners to get to know – besides the newest models – a number of mobility services that grew out of its think tank Lab Box, going […]
March 09, 2022
Minister for Climate Transition and Environment Alain Maron (Ecolo) announced that the city of Brussels had approved the budget hike for its scrappage scheme for cars. It is now raised from €750 000 to €3 million. The money serves to convert the Brussels’Air bonus into a full-scale mobility budget. Residents of the Belgian capital can […]
March 09, 2022
Volkswagen has imposed an order freeze for plug-in hybrids. It follows sister brand Audi, which took the same decision two days ago, and other group brands. Also, other manufacturers are affected by the war in Ukraine, apparently deepening the problems with semiconductor supplies and other parts. “Due to increasing order numbers for the plug-in hybrid […]
March 08, 2022
The all-new Mazda CX-60 introduces the company’s first plug-in full hybrid technology to the European SUV market. Expanding Mazda’s SUV line-up, the all-new Mazda CX-60 is the first of two new models from the company’s Large Product group to be introduced throughout Europe during the next two years. Demonstrating Mazda’s commitment to a multi-solution approach […]
March 07, 2022
LeasePlan is going to support Vietnamese electric car manufacturer VinFast in its market entry in the Netherlands, Germany, and France. According to a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by both companies, LeasePlan will become VinFast’s preferred partner in leasing, fleet management, and remarketing. LeasePlan intends to include VinFast in its offering for corporate and private […]
March 07, 2022
Japanese companies Honda and Sony plan a ‘strategic alliance’ to develop and sell electric cars. The partners aim to launch a joint venture this year, with sales of the first electric model planned for 2025. The two Japanese companies have stated that the new company will develop and sell “battery electric vehicles with a high […]
March 07, 2022
There’s light in the tunnel for Tesla’s Gigafactory in Berlin, where the American carmaker wants to start and scale up production of the Model Y with a rate of 500 000 units annually. The German State Office for the Environment (LfU) has granted the plant its environmental approval. Still, there’s a hook. To flag off production, […]
March 04, 2022
Chinese electric car manufacturer Aiways has kicked off its European roadshow with the U6ion Concept on location at the Scheldt river borders in Antwerp on Thursday. The U6ion shows what the second model of the carmaker after the U5 – the first Chinese EV sold in Europe – will look like. The car will be […]
March 04, 2022
Brussels Airlines ended the year as expected with an operating loss of 189 million euros. That is less than in the first corona year 2020. This year it aims to break even, and the CEO of Brussels Airlines, Peter Gerber, is confident that during the pandemic a new Brussels Airlines has been built, ready for […]
March 04, 2022
The two most important members of the Hyundai Group, Hyundai and Kia, have (separately) presented their strategic roadmap for 2030. In total, they want to sell more than 3 million BEVs by that year. To achieve the higher sales targets, further development of the electric vehicle platform E-GMP, which relies on batteries with higher energy […]
March 03, 2022
On both sides of the frontline, the automotive industry has to take measures to cope with the consequences of the hostilities in Ukraine. While local production in Russia is mostly suspended until further notice, international car export to the country is grinding to a halt. Meanwhile, the sanctions lead to the temporary closure of assembly […]
March 03, 2022
The US car manufacturer Ford has announced that it will split its automotive business into two separate companies. Electric vehicles will in future be developed and built by ‘Ford Model e’, the combustion cars by ‘Ford Blue’. In addition, Ford’s European boss Stuart Rowley will get an extra job in the course of this restructuring. […]
March 02, 2022
The car carrier Felicity Ace, catching fire nearly two week ago passing by the Azores with some 4 000 vehicles aboard, has sunk on Tuesday to a depth of more than 3.000 meters on the ocean floor. Several EVs on board kept on burning for days, but apparently, the massive smoke was no longer seen. […]
March 02, 2022
With the symbolic presentation of the first fully electric Jeep to hit the markets next year, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares has paved the way for the group to sell only 100% electric passenger cars in Europe by 2030. We may expect a fleet of 75 different BEV models, and he hopes to sell five million […]
March 01, 2022
Together with its commercial vehicle subsidiary Hino and partner Isuzu, Toyota plans the development of a hydrogen bus model using the fuel cell stack from the Mirai. The three companies have agreed to begin studying and planning this zero-emission route bus, which, according to Toyota, has its part to play in the conversion of Japan […]
March 01, 2022
Next year, Volvo will take its first fundamental steps on the road map toward an all-electric brand in 2030. The company then launches its first dedicated electric car, a successor to the XC90. But there’s more around the corner. A lot more. At a dealer meeting in Miami, with some 800 attendees, the car company […]
March 01, 2022
For the first time in the Car of the Year (COTY) history, a Korean car has been chosen, and he’s purely electrically driven too. Also noticeable: from the 7 finalists, 6 were fully electric, and the seventh (Peugeot 308) is already available as a PHEV and will normally come as an EV too. After a […]
February 28, 2022
Renault Group, until recently recovering more quickly than first predicted, could now be seriously hit by the economic sanctions of large parts of the world against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Renault is the main shareholder (69%) of AvtoVAZ, the market leader in Russia via the Lada brand. AvtoVAZ produces the two bestsellers of […]
February 28, 2022
At the World Mobile Congress, opening today in Barcelona, CEO Henrik Fisker introduced its Fisker Ocean for the European market. The electric SUV is launched on the most important ‘electric’ European markets at a price tag of around € 42 000 (depending on the taxes) for the basic model. “Mobile World Congress in Barcelona is […]
February 28, 2022
The EU Commission has granted 10 million euros to the European Battery Alliance (EBA) Academy to come up to speed. The latter, part of the renewable energy agency EIT InnoEnergy, intends to supply support for the industry to train, upskill and reskill some 800 000 workers needed by 2025 to meet demand in the battery […]
February 25, 2022
In 2021, the German premium car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz (formerly Daimler) has registered a 123% increase in its operational benefit (€19,2 billion). One of the main reasons was the higher car prices, largely compensating for the loss in volume of -5%. The net profit rose by 480% to €23,4 billion. Still, in that comparison, one has […]
February 24, 2022
There’s a lot of Spring in the air for Dacia. CEO of Renault, Luca de Meo, announced that a new version of the car will be released on European markets as of 2024. A somewhat surprising statement because the current version was only launched last year. But the Spring is a big hit for Dacia. […]
February 24, 2022
The Hyoffwind consortium with Colruyt’s Virya Energy and grid manager Fluxys expects its green hydrogen project in Zeebrugge, Belgium’s first 25 MW hydrogen electrolyzer plant, to get its building permit by the middle of 2022. It should be operational by the end of 2023. The consortium has granted the building contract of the factory to […]
February 23, 2022
As a new company formed on January 17, 2021, Stellantis N.V. posted record results for 2021, accelerating the realization of merger synergies and building solid commercial performance. Stellantis is the fusion company between Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCA) and Peugeot S.A. (PSA). Stellantis also unveiled ambitious electrification and software plans last year, with planned investments […]
February 23, 2022
The Belgian energy provider Elia has given the green light for the exploitation of new activities at sea. The company will create a subsidiary, called WindGrid, to connect wind farms at sea and build out a European electricity network. WindGrid gets Markus Laukamp at the helm as CEO, coming over from German STEAG New Energies, […]
February 23, 2022
A decision has not yet been taken, but Volkswagen has admitted that it is preparing a framework to get the Porsche brand publicly listed. The German group has to reach an agreement with its largest shareholder, Porsche SE, a separate legal entity that despite its name has nothing to do with the sports car business […]
February 23, 2022
Germany has joined France in opposition to banning all ICE cars (with an internal combustion engine) in Europe by 2035. On Monday, the German Transport Minister, Volker Wissing (FDP), has pleaded to study synthetic fuels as an alternative to use in ICE cars. The European Transport and Infrastructure Ministers and other representatives were united at […]
February 22, 2022
It is one of the most eagerly anticipated EVs of this year. In the wake of its full unveiling next month, Volkswagen has released some specific details on the ID.Buzz, the 100% electric resurrection of its iconic hippie bus or Bulli. The final prototypes are touring in camouflage print across Europe at this moment. However, […]
February 22, 2022
The Brussels City Council has given the go-ahead to the new circulation plan for the capital’s Pentagon by a large majority. The new circulation plan aims to reduce transit traffic in the busy downtown districts and give pedestrians, cyclists, and public transport space. The intention of the alderman for Mobility Bart Dhondt’s plan is to […]
February 21, 2022
One of America’s most iconic cars, the gull-winged Delorean DMC-12, whose career was short-lived, but gained immortality with Micheal J. Fox in Back to the Future, is coming back as a fully electric car. A group of Texas entrepreneurs around Stephen Wynne who acquired the rights to the brand in the nineties is ready to […]
February 21, 2022
According to figures from HR services company Acerta, the possibility of exchanging a company car for a mobility budget is still only used to a limited extent. Only one in two hundred employees (0,48%) eligible for the scheme opted for the mobility budget in the past year. However, this already represents a threefold increase compared […]
February 21, 2022
There were already rumors for weeks; now it’s official: Volkswagen is once again taking orders for the electric small car e-Up. The Style ‘Plus’ variant is available at prices starting at € 26 895 in Germany. Other countries will follow. A VW spokesperson has confirmed the information that the small car would be available for […]
February 18, 2022
At a ‘media day’ in Renault’s Technocenter, CEO Luca de Meo declared that he has decided to accelerate the turning point of going fully electric for Renault. “We are preparing the conditions to come to a 100% electric production in Europe already in 2030,” de Meo announced. Meanwhile, Renault wants to produce fewer cars but […]
