February 01, 2023
The European Commission has selected ten pilot projects for new train connections between European cities. One of those pilot projects is a new night train, connecting Amsterdam, Brussels, and Barcelona, similar to European Sleeper’s earlier announced Brussels-Amsterdam-Berlin line. The Commission will also support several other pilot projects to stimulate the expansion of international rail traffic […]
January 31, 2023
Flemish drivers are thick-headed. Despite earlier campaigns and an official ban, three out of ten Flemish motorists still use their cell phone, holding it in their hands or having it lying next to them while driving. A rather large group, one in three, uses it when the device sits in a fixed holder on the […]
January 31, 2023
In Flanders, anyone who has an electric car but no place to charge it (at home or nearby), can request a public charging station at a maximum of 250 meters from their home. Since September 1st, when the Flemish government introduced the proposal, almost a thousand applications have already been received to install a public […]
January 30, 2023
Last Saturday, public transport company De Lijn inaugurated its first new trams in Deurne (Antwerp, Belgium). From Monday, January 30th, the so-called ‘city liner’ (‘stadslijner’, in Dutch) will be used for the first time on line 10, connecting Wijnegem and Schoonselhof. The new trams are 30 meters long and can transport up to 187 passengers. […]
January 26, 2023
After 4,5 years of work, Amsterdam has inaugurated a new, underground bicycle shelter in front of the central station of Amsterdam. The secured bike racks, built under the water of the station square, offer parking space for almost 7 000 vehicles. Cyclists can park their bikes 24/7, the first 24 hours are free. Cyclists enter […]
January 25, 2023
The high-speed train operators Eurostar and Thalys merger has entered a new phase. The former exploits high-speed train connections between Belgium and the Netherlands, France, and Germany; the latter between the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and the UK. By 2030, the group intends to transport 30 million passengers annually, or twice as many as in 2022. […]
January 24, 2023
Public transport company De Lijn has ordered the first 17 electric tram buses for the Spartacus project in Limburg. The decision was made in May last year to shelve the almost 18-year-old plans for a tram connection between Hasselt and Maastricht and replace it by electric buses to be delivered now by Dutch-Belgian bus builder […]
January 20, 2023
In 2022, car recycling organization Febelauto recuperated 120 tons of hybrid and electric vehicle batteries to be recycled. Three times more than the 37 tons of the previous year. “This year, we should arrive at about 400 tons because the volume is expected to triple each year,” explains Catherine Lenaerts, director of Febelauto. About 48% […]
January 19, 2023
Educam, the Belgian knowledge and training center for the automotive sector, wants to prepare the automotive industry for the advent of hydrogen vehicles. The organization, therefore, launched a brand new certification and training program focused on hydrogen-powered vehicles. The training will be given in Flanders and Wallonia. In addition, the organization has invested in hydrogen-ready […]
January 18, 2023
Belgian SMEs, companies of up to 250 employees, invest more rapidly in ‘green’ car fleets. In 2022, one in eight new commercial vehicles was fully electric. Most company cars (80%) are younger than five years, and since 2021, there are more new hybrid gasoline cars than diesel cars. The largest part of newly registered company […]
January 17, 2023
Consumer credits for new cars in 2022, amounting to around two billion euros, support the transition to environmentally friendly vehicles. That is the conclusion of BVK, the professional association for credit (Beroepsvereniging van het Krediet, BVK), and published by the federation of the financial sector Febelfin. Following the opening of the actual Brussels Motor Show, […]
January 17, 2023
Minister Petra De Sutter (Groen) wants more parcels delivered by bicycle, she said during a company visit to Cargo Velo, the all-round urban courier service operational in Ghent, Antwerp, and Brussels. E-commerce is still booming, partly due to the corona crisis, but, unfortunately, most deliveries are still made by vans. However, according to experts, at […]
January 16, 2023
According to a recent survey by mobility federation Traxio, Belgians still associate the month of January with the Brussels Motor Show. Despite corona, the long delivery times, and the financial and energy crisis, Belgian drivers are still willing to invest in new or second-hand cars. Their purchase intention is high, especially in Brussels and Wallonia. […]
January 13, 2023
On Thursday, New Holland Agriculture, a global player in agricultural machinery, showed in Belgium its first tractor that runs on methane, a gas emitted from various anthropogenic (human-influenced) and natural sources, like cows, goats, and sheep. The vehicle was presented at Agriflanders, an agricultural fair in Flanders Expo (in Ghent, Belgium). Earlier, two new prototypes […]
January 12, 2023
According to mobility federation Traxio, the market for second-hand motorbikes experienced an exceptional end of the year. In November 2022, the number of registrations went up by 29,7%. In December, figures even increased to 117,7% (+7 235 units), bringing the annual total to 81 436 registrations (+0,9%). Why this peculiar final sprint? “This unusual year-end […]
January 11, 2023
New data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service of the European Union reveal that 2022 was a year of climate extremes, with record-high temperatures and increasing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. The year 2022 was the second warmest in recent history for Europe. Only 2020 was even warmer. The temperature did not reach absolute […]
January 10, 2023
According to the mobility organization Touring, Belgian drivers still don’t understand the principle of the emergency lane. Despite the information campaigns the authorities conducted, many road users still are unaware of the regulation introduced in Belgium two years ago. Forming an ’emergency lane’ to give priority vehicles a clear path through traffic jams became mandatory […]
January 10, 2023
Flanders launches a two-year pilot project allowing large bicycle trailers on public roads. Flemish Mobility Minister Lydia Peeters (Open Vld) hopes the experiment will contribute to the emission-free delivery of goods in city centers. Today, bicycle trailers may not be wider than one meter. However, during the pilot project, companies will be able to apply […]
January 09, 2023
Greenland and Norway want to produce green ammonia with Greenlandic wind. The Greenland-based company Anori and the Norwegian company H2Carrier have signed a letter of intent to build Greenland’s first commercial wind farm. The park will supply power for the production and export of CO2-free ammonia. The wind farm is projected to comprise 1,5 GW […]
January 06, 2023
Speed pedelecs keep selling like hot cakes and sales figures last year reached record levels. In December, right at the end of the year, mobility federation Traxio recorded 1 264 new registrations, an increase of 72,9% (533 units) compared to December 2021. In 2022, no less than 17 592 new speed pedelecs appeared on Belgian […]
January 05, 2023
In 2022, 642 669 second-hand cars were registered in Belgium, a decrease of 9,4% (66 936 units) compared to the year before (709 605 registrations). Even compared to ‘corona year’ 2020, mobility federation Traxio registered a decline of 2,6%. In December 2022, a regression of 5% was listed, with 50 950 registrations compared to 53 […]
January 04, 2023
Drivers getting caught speeding in traffic in Flanders can request a language change when they have to appear before a judge. As a result, their file moves to a French-speaking court, resulting in a lengthy legal backlog and avoiding losing their driver’s license. In the first six months of 2022, police registered more than three […]
January 04, 2023
On Tuesday, January 3rd, the Brussels museum ‘Train World’ in Schaarbeek (Brussels) welcomed its one-millionth visitor. Train World is the museum of NMBS/SNCB, the National Company of the Belgian Railways. It is Belgium’s first real railway museum, and it opened its doors to the general public in September 2015. Visitors can get a unique view […]
January 03, 2023
The ferry connection on the Belgian river Scheldt, the so-called Antwerp ‘water bus’, is a huge success. The number of annually transported passengers increased year after year, growing from 105 000 to 775 000 in five years. That is why Aqualiner decided to deploy larger ships this year. The water bus has been operational since […]
December 30, 2022
Belgian citizens can be extremely annoyed by unsocial behavior in traffic and illegal dumping in their surroundings. Inappropriate speed, aggressive driving, inappropriate parking and illegal dumping in the neighborhood are considered among the most irritating inconveniences. That is what the latest Security Monitor 2021 – a large-scale population screening among almost 100 000 citizens by […]
December 29, 2022
Last Wednesday, wind energy production in Belgium reached record levels. That morning, at 7:15 a.m., the combined wind farms produced as much as four nuclear power plants: 4 505 MW of electricity. The new record is partly due to the expansion of wind farms on land, and at sea, the national grid manager Elia confirmed. […]
December 28, 2022
European Sleeper, the Dutch-Belgian night train service announced in February 2021, will be operational in May 2023. The train will connect Brussels, Amsterdam, and Berlin and be available three times a week in both directions. The maiden trip is planned for May 25th, departing in the German capital at 10:56 p.m. and arriving the following […]
December 27, 2022
Swedish engineer and researcher in motor vehicle safety, Astrid Linder, has developed the world’s first female crash test dummy. Linder and her team are convinced that this research can help shape the way cars will be built in the future by highlighting key differences between men and women. Some of them include females being shorter […]
December 23, 2022
In the two coming years, Flanders will install at least 10 789 additional charging points for electric vehicles. Compared to the beginning of the year, the total number will almost triple. According to Mobility Minister Lydia Peeters (Open Vld), answering a question posed by MP Stijn Bex (Groen), Flanders is on track to achieve the […]
December 23, 2022
Today, traffic will be able to cross the steel arch bridge over the Albert Channel in Viversel (Heusden-Zolder, Limburg, Belgium) again. That is what the Flemish Waterway (Vlaamse Waterweg) announced on Thursday. All bridges on the Channel had to be raised to allow inland shipping barges with four containers stacked on deck to pass under […]
December 22, 2022
According to the European Investment Bank (EIB), Africa can earn a trillion euros annually from the production of green hydrogen from 2035. This hydrogen can be produced without CO2 emissions using solar energy and transported abroad. The ‘Africa’s Extraordinary Green Hydrogen Potential’ report, analyzing Africa’s green hydrogen potential, was commissioned by the European Investment Bank, […]
December 22, 2022
This year, Flanders installed 55 additional windmills – twelve of them to replace old units – increasing the energy production by 204 megawatts (MW) to a total of 1 748,6 MW. The new units have a capacity of 3,6 MW, compared to 2,0 mW for the older ones. They’re situated higher in the atmosphere, where […]
December 21, 2022
In recent months, the Flemish public transport company De Lijn had to cancel many planned trips. The reason for it was a shortage of staff. After an intensive recruitment campaign focusing on the largest ‘problem areas’ (Antwerp, Louvain, and the Flemish part of Brussels), De Lijn recently recruited 657 drivers. However, next year, the company […]
December 20, 2022
Trucks hauling Christmas presents to Europeans will emit an extra 10 300 tons of nitrogen oxides in December. According to a new study by the environmental organization Transport & Environment (T&E), heavy-duty vehicles transporting gifts all over Europe will produce 133% more nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions in December than in other months. Carbon emissions will […]
December 19, 2022
From 2027 onward, citizens of the European Union will have to pay for the greenhouse gases they emit through their transport and the heating of their homes. On Saturday, negotiators from the European Parliament and the European Council, which represents the Member States, agreed on this. Climate goals This means that everyone within the European […]
December 16, 2022
Two family businesses from Limburg (Belgium) – Orbix in Genk and Betonagglomeraten Gubbels Masterbloc in Maasmechelen (both Limburg) – have launched a world-first: they produce CO2 ‘absorbing’ construction blocks based on slag from the steel industry. The finished products are bricks in which cement has been replaced by CO2 as a binding agent. The bricks […]
December 15, 2022
The Agency for Roads and Traffic (Agentschap Wegen en Verkeer, AWV) has launched several studies to analyze how traffic at the main junctions in Mechelen North and South on the E19 highway can be improved. A study team is considering reorganizing the successive entrances and exits. To this end, they would like to build parallel […]
December 15, 2022
The Federal Government and energy provider Elia have signed an agreement relating to the financial support offered up as part of the Recovery & Resilience Facility (RRF). The fund was established by the European Commission during the corona pandemic to support future-oriented investments being undertaken by Member States. The signing of the protocol, which governs […]
December 14, 2022
The EU members and the European Parliament have agreed on introducing a CO2 tax for non-European companies. The new climate measure applies to the aluminum, steel, and fertilizer sectors and the hydrogen industry. The so-called Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) makes companies outside the EU pay for their CO2 emissions, just as European companies already […]
December 14, 2022
A recent Green Impact study, ordered by Mobility Minister George Gilkinet (Ecolo), confirms the potential of recycling and reusing batteries. The study results were presented on Tuesday at Umicore’s site in Hoboken (Antwerp). Batteries contain rare materials like lithium, nickel, and black lead, so they are a source of valuable resources. Besides, only a few […]
December 13, 2022
The European Commission will allocate more than 150 million euros for two Belgian projects intended to capture CO2 in the ports of Antwerp and Ghent. That is what the companies involved in the project communicated on Monday in a common press release. Antwerp@C Export Hub is a joint project of Air Liquide, BASF, Borealis, ExxonMobil, […]
December 12, 2022
The impact of batteries on the environment and communities is set to significantly improve under a new law agreed by EU lawmakers on Friday. The European Union will impose battery producers tougher environmental standards. Batteries should become more environmentally friendly, easier to replace, and recyclable. The new law will apply to all types of batteries […]
December 09, 2022
Delhaize has ambitious plans: next year, the supermarket chain is to install 1 800 public fast-charging stations up to 150 kW for electric vehicles on the parking grounds of its stores. By providing such a large number of charging points – the largest in the retail sector – and making them accessible to everyone 24/7, […]
December 09, 2022
The registrations of new motorbikes and second-hand ones scored surprisingly well in November. Last month, 1 093 new motorbikes were registered, an increase of 25,3% compared to last year. However, not enough for a positive annual figure. Speed pedelecs, on the other hand, continue to peak. The annual total over the first eleven months is […]
December 08, 2022
The Flemish Minister for Mobility, Lydia Peeters (Open Vld), is planning to distribute 10 000 additional saliva tests for police control. She wants to step up the fight against drug abuse in traffic. On the federal level, Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne (Open Vld) earlier announced to make 100 000 of such tests available – […]
December 08, 2022
The city of Antwerp welcomes two new hydrogen-powered municipal waste collection vehicles. A first for Flanders. The vehicles were introduced on Wednesday, December 7th, at the DATS 24 hydrogen filling station in Wilrijk (Antwerp, Belgium). Hydrogen-powered vehicles are very quiet and clean. They’re equipped with an electric motor and a fuel cell and only emit […]
December 08, 2022
Flanders’ proactive approach to tackling unsafe traffic situations appears to be successful, and the first results are visible. Flemish Minister for Mobility Lydia Peeters (Open Vld) intends to use new technology to preventively improve traffic safety. Last year, Minister Peeters introduced the MIA approach, a new and inventive way to tackle unsafe traffic situations. MIA […]
December 07, 2022
Mercedes-Benz continues to realign its global production network toward electric vehicles. That is why the company and employee representatives have agreed on the significant expansion of the production capacities for electric drive units. According to the agreement, the previously planned capacities will be doubled. In the target scenario, one million electric drive units can be […]
December 06, 2022
For the first time since January, sales figures for the second-hand car market were positive in November, Traxio announced. Last month, 53 996 used cars were registered, 1,9% more than in 2021. Still, the second-hand market remains down -9,8%, with a cumulative loss of -64 261 vehicles compared to last year. Volkswagen is still the […]
December 06, 2022
The global energy crisis has triggered an unprecedented acceleration in installations of renewable power, reports the International Energy Agency (IEA). Energy security concerns caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have motivated countries to increasingly turn to renewables such as solar and wind to reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels. Prices of the latter have spiked […]
December 05, 2022
France will ban short-haul domestic flights in favor of the train. The country was given the green light by the European Commission to abolish flights between cities if the link by a train offers an alternative solution with trips of fewer than 2,5 hours. When the measure was first announced, it was contested by the […]
December 02, 2022
Next year, Flemish Minister for Mobility and Public Works (Open Vld) will invest 2,3 billion euros in 815 projects. In all those projects, three keywords are involved: bicycle, safety, and sustainability. The largest part of the budget is destined for the Agency for Roads and Traffic (Agentschap Wegen en Verkeer, AWV) (€738 million) and the […]
December 01, 2022
The BMW Group has decided to share its technological expertise with the world. BMW opts for an open-access approach and hopes to start a dialogue with potential partners. The initiative shows an approach that has never been implemented in the automotive industry before. Global trend research allows the company to draw conclusions about future technological […]
November 30, 2022
Weather forecasters agree: we’re experiencing a ‘Dunkelflaute’. A period of cold and windless weather with a gray sky. As a result, solar panels and wind farms hardly produce any energy; consequently, in the last few days, energy prices have more than doubled. ‘Dunkelflaute’ (dark wind lull) events are characterized by a very dense cloud cover, […]
November 30, 2022
Applicants and young employees are still interested in a company car. That is what 68% of fleet and mobility managers confirmed in the new Company Car Report organized by Mobia, the mobility federation of Febiac, Traxio, and Renta. According to the questioned managers, 21% of youngsters have a neutral attitude toward the company car, and […]
November 29, 2022
Owners of an electric car who cannot install a charging point at home and don’t have one nearby can ask for a public charging station in the immediate surroundings of their home. Since September, citizens with an electric vehicle can file such a request via an e-counter. In the meantime, 437 citizens or companies applied. […]
November 28, 2022
In 2021, the quality of bikeways along the Flemish regional roads was better than in 2019. As a result, not only has the infrastructure improved, but the comfort for cyclists increased. That is the conclusion of the Agency for Roads and Traffic’s latest bicycle report. The ART (Agentschap Wegen en Verkeer, AWV) publishes a similar […]
November 25, 2022
Truck transport is massively polluting, and the emissions from transporting retail goods spike 94% during Black Friday week. However, there is a ready-made solution in the form of zero-emission trucks, the European environmental lobbying group Transport and Environment (T&E) says. Black Friday is notorious for peak consumerism and waste. Trucking retail goods is a dirty […]
November 24, 2022
The European Environment Agency (EEA) has published its recent ‘Air Quality in Europe 2022’ assessment, and the conclusion is not really reassuring. Although Europe’s air quality keeps on improving, air pollution still remains the largest environmental health risk in Europe, causing chronic diseases and premature deaths. According to the EEA, at least 238 000 people […]
November 23, 2022
Despite the popularity of teleworking and the reduced number of cars on Flemish roads compared to pre-corona times, traffic congestion is worse than ever. That flared up the debate on the introduction of a kilometer tax for passenger cars and vans in the Flemish Parliament. October 2022 was the second worst month regarding traffic jams […]
