March 21, 2024
Since its peak in 2007, the transport sector has decarbonized three times slower than the rest of the economy, and emissions continue to grow. European transport emissions have increased by over a quarter since 1990, while emissions across the wider economy are declining. A new study by Transport & Environment (T&E) shows that transport alone […]
March 21, 2024
President Joe Biden is pushing the American car industry toward reducing CO2 emissions by 50% in 2032 compared to 2026, as first announced last year in April. However, under pressure from carmakers and unions, he has allowed a more ‘lenient’ path to achieving that in the 2027-2030 period, with no longer stringent quotas for the […]
March 20, 2024
Renault Group CEO (and current ACEA President) Luca de Meo has addressed a ‘Letter to Europe‘ to “all key decision-makers and stakeholders across Europe”. It’s an “Advocacy for a sustainable, inclusive, and competitive automotive industry.” With just a few months to go before the European elections, this twenty-page document calls for European mobilization “to succeed […]
March 20, 2024
BMW will also produce its ‘Neue Klasse’ (New Class) electric cars at its Regensburg plant. The car manufacturer confirmed this but has not yet provided further details about possible models. As BMW states in a current press release, the initial preparatory work for producing the new platform at the Regensburg plant has already been completed. […]
March 19, 2024
Belgian telecom and cable TV provider Telenet is diversifying: the company plans to provide smart home charging stations for electric cars. From April 1st, the telecom company will install charging stations under the brand name Blossom. Blossom will become a separate company within the group and will initially focus on installing and activating smart charging […]
March 18, 2024
In a few days, BMW will show the concept of its first SUV variant of the ‘Neue Klasse’, called Vision Neue Klasse X. Rumors have it that this iX3 successor will be the first car of BMW’s new EV class range to appear on the market by the end of next year, before the sedan […]
March 18, 2024
Japanese car manufacturers Nissan and Honda have officially confirmed plans for a strategic partnership in electric cars and other areas. The manufacturers’ intention to work together was already leaked last week. Honda announces that both companies have signed a letter of intent “to strengthen environmental and electrification technologies as well as software development.” The competitors […]
March 14, 2024
Nissan and Honda are preparing to reduce their production capacities in China significantly. The two Japanese car manufacturers are finding it difficult to keep up with Chinese competitors in the race for electric cars. A solution could be to join forces and slash EV prices consequently. As Nikkei Asia reported, both manufacturers plan to reduce […]
March 14, 2024
Volkswagen Group is launching a major product push this year to help offset a gloomy economic outlook and growing competition. At the same time, a major efficiency improvement has to cut costs impressively. On Wednesday, finance chief Arno Antlitz presented the automaker’s 2023 results, saying the “general economic situation remains challenging”. VW Group expects a […]
March 13, 2024
Up to 35,000 public charging points for EVs will be added in the Dutch provinces of Flevoland, North Holland, and Utrecht by 2027. The first charging points could already be on the streets from the middle of this year, according to project agency MRA-Elektrisch, which tendered for 74 municipalities for this purpose. The Netherlands passed […]
March 12, 2024
Volvo has announced a significant charging improvement for cars built on its next-gen EV platform. Their batteries will charge up to 30% faster than the current line-up, and it has nothing to do with revolutionary chemistries or a different manufacturing approach. The secret weapon is an algorithm. Volvo Cars is investing in Breathe Battery Technologies, […]
March 12, 2024
In an interview with the American car magazine Car and Driver, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares says his group has to produce its own batteries. Meanwhile, he also stresses that EVs have to become lighter and batteries more efficient to maintain the expected range of an EV. The most expensive part of an EV is the […]
March 11, 2024
Audi will produce its new entry-level electric model, announced around a year ago, at its headquarters in Ingolstadt. Gernot Döllner, Audi’s CEO, said as much at a staff meeting at the main plant. The new EV sits below the Q4 e-tron. Its much bigger brother, the Q6 e-tron, is already rolling off the production line […]
March 08, 2024
US electric car manufacturer Rivian has unveiled a new mid-size platform for the new R2, its first next-generation model after the R1S and R1T. On the platform, an even smaller model will be available, the R3. Both models are thus based on a new platform and come with a choice of one, two, or three […]
March 08, 2024
German premium car manufacturers BMW and Mercedes-Benz have formed a joint venture to construct EV fast chargers in China. The joint venture, Beijing Ion Qi New Energy Technology Co., Ltd., is based in Beijing’s Chaoyang district. The joint venture, in which Mercedes-Benz Group China and BMW Brilliance Automotive each hold a 50% stake, aims to […]
March 08, 2024
Hydrogen, regarded as one of the critical energies for decarbonizing heavy road transport and the steel industry, faces a new hurdle. The cost of its quintessential production tool, the electrolyzer, is rising steeply instead of reaching affordability. That’s not according to plan. A recent report by Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF), the 2024 Electrolyser Price […]
March 06, 2024
Colruyt Group has started using a 44-ton electric truck to supply city stores as sustainably as possible. The truck is quieter and generates fewer emissions, making deliveries less inconvenient for residents. Flemish Mobility Minister Lydia Peeters (Open Vld) officially inaugurated the refrigerated e-truck. “Using electric trucks for city deliveries is no longer a thing of […]
March 05, 2024
According to Toyota’s projections for the U.S. market, American consumers are expected to purchase significantly fewer EVs by 2030 than the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) anticipates. Consequently, the automaker plans to procure emissions credits to meet U.S. regulations instead of allocating additional resources toward electric vehicle development, citing doubts about their marketability. The EPA announced […]
March 05, 2024
The Dutch electricity grid is becoming increasingly saturated. Top executive Maarten Otto of energy network company Alliander confirmed this when presenting the annual results. He added that demand is growing much faster than the pace at which the grids can be expanded for years, and expansion of the net is not expected to provide additional […]
March 05, 2024
In February, Volvo Cars achieved its highest-ever share of electrified models in fully electric and plug-in hybrids and fully electric combined. This was mainly driven by the ramp-up of the company’s new fully electric small SUV, the EX30. Fully electric cars constituted 22% of all cars sold globally last month, while the combined sales of […]
March 05, 2024
Three years after its launch, Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 EV gets an extensive update, which adds a bigger battery, improved aerodynamics, ergonomic changes to the interior, better safety tech, and a new N Line model, adding some sportiness to the ‘regular’ model range. Strictly speaking, this is the Ioniq 5’s mid-life facelift, but not much has […]
March 05, 2024
The French car manufacturer Renault is hoping it has a winner on its hands with the upcoming Renault 5 BEV. The company says it already has 50,000 orders on the waiting list just a few days after its official debut at the Geneva Motor Show. “We have a waiting list of 50,000 people,” Renault brand […]
March 05, 2024
BMW has started building its own production facility for fifth-generation high-voltage batteries in Thailand. The high-voltage battery assembly facility on the site in Rayong will prepare the plant there for the production of purely electric cars. According to the Munich-based company, local BEV production is set to begin in the second half of 2025. The […]
March 01, 2024
This year, the hydrogen car builders at the technical university TU Delft want to set a new world record on public roads. They earlier set records, but in a different category. This time, they intend to build a car that must meet all requirements to be allowed on public roads. The Eco-Runner Team, as the […]
February 29, 2024
Aston Martin is postponing the market launch of its first electric car by one year, citing low customer demand. Instead of 2025, as previously planned, the first BEV from Aston Martin will not be launched until 2026. Aston Martin signed a supply agreement for electric drives with Lucid Motors last year in order to facilitate […]
February 29, 2024
The Italian government has approached the booming Chinese car manufacturer BYD to build a car plant in the country and confirmed having contact with Tesla and other carmakers. The Meloni government wants to halt the monopoly of Stellantis in that field and has contacted several other manufacturers to come and produce in Italy. “Several carmakers […]
February 28, 2024
European automakers could collaborate to share development and production costs, suggests Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo. At the considerably smaller Geneva International Motor Show, the Renault Group was one of the highlights, besides the Chinese manufacturers BYD and SAIC), presenting its all-important new electric R5. Europe’s automakers, facing a stiff challenge from Chinese automakers […]
February 28, 2024
The Dutch grid operator Stedin calls charging station operators to switch off charging stations for electric cars between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m., especially in urban areas. The Netherlands has more than half a million charging stations, two-thirds of which are on the street. If they are all switched on simultaneously at full power, the […]
February 27, 2024
After Swiss and Swedish customers had already the opportunity to order a Cadillac Lyriq electric SUV online in October, GM’s luxury brand will launch the car in France on the 23rd of March. Deliveries will begin in the first half of 2024. Germany and the UK are following a little bit later. After years of losses, […]
February 27, 2024
Ayvens, the result of the merger between ALD Automotive and Leaseplan, has concluded a framework agreement with Stellantis to purchase up to half a million vehicles by 2026. The deal with Ayvens includes several Stellantis brands and cars with different drives, including electric. First significant delivery volumes are expected to begin in the first half […]
February 26, 2024
Pictures of the production-ready Renault R5 had already leaked on Instagram, but Renault subsequently launched the model officially on the press day of the Geneva Motor Show. The final design stays remarkably close to the concept version, which debuted three years ago. The 5 replaces the Zoe and will accompany the 4 later this year. […]
February 26, 2024
The new Renault Scenic E-Tech Electric has been proclaimed the Car of the Year 2024 in a ceremony that took place at the Geneva International Motor Show (GIMS). The Renault Scenic E-Tech has achieved first place thanks to 329 points from 58 journalists and COTY members. For 22 jurors, this SUV was the best of […]
February 23, 2024
Mercedes-Benz is lagging behind its target for EV sales and seems to have axed its electric target for 2030. Instead of the 20% or more envisaged, battery-electric cars only accounted for 12% of total sales last year. Mercedes sold 240,668 BEVs in 2023. That’s a 73% growth and can be seen as very positive. Still, […]
February 22, 2024
On Wednesday, Flemish Minister for Mobility Lydia Peeters (Open Vld) officially inaugurated Flanders’ largest plaza with fast-charging stations in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw (Flemish Brabant). The 18 fast-charging stations are located in Shopping Pajot’s parking lot in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, a popular shopping location with 24 stores. So, 18 electric cars can simultaneously recharge their batteries in half an hour […]
February 22, 2024
According to the data of the European Car Manufacturers Association ACEA, the EU new car market in January 2024 rebounded from the slowdown experienced in December 2023, with year-on-year car registrations increasing by 12.1% to 851,690 units. Notably, the bloc’s major markets all saw significant growth, with Germany (+19.1%), Italy (+10.6%), France (+9.2%) and Spain […]
February 22, 2024
Dutch Fastned has opened a new fast-charging station in Belgium along the E40 highway in Walshoutem (Landen), and this one is the first to feature 400 kW charging on eight charging points. Fastned now has 26 stations in Belgium, all in Flanders except for one (in Vielsalm), since opening the first in 2020 in Ostend. […]
February 21, 2024
As already mentioned in our article on Renault’s growth, Dacia now launches a new edition of its Spring electric model. The compact electric car, which looks like a small city SUV, is facelifted inside and out. Along with its 2023 sales figures, the Renault Group announced that there will be a new edition of the […]
February 21, 2024
The sporty brother of the upcoming fully electric Renault 5 is undergoing its last test stages in arctic conditions. The launch of the first Alpine EV is foreseen for June 2024. “Our A290, the future compact B-segment electric sports car, is currently being tested in the extreme and demanding conditions of Sweden’s Lapland,” says Philippe […]
February 19, 2024
The CEOs of U.S. automakers Ford and General Motors said last week they would consider partnerships to cut electric vehicle technology costs as Chinese rivals move into the U.S. and European markets. “If there are ways that we can partner with others, especially on technologies that are not consumer-facing, and be more efficient with R&D […]
February 19, 2024
Just 17% of electric cars sold in Europe are compact vehicles in the cheaper B segment, compared to 37% of new combustion engines, a new analysis finds. Carmakers are slowing EV adoption by prioritizing sales of larger, more expensive electric cars, according to Transport & Environment (T&E), which conducted the research. According to the report, […]
February 19, 2024
For the fiscal year 2023, car manufacturer Stellantis Group recorded a net profit of € 18.63 billion (+11%) compared to last year’s € 16.78 billion. Net revenues were € 189.54 billion, up from last year’s € 179.59 billion, with consolidated shipment volumes increasing 7%. The adjusted operating income increased 1% to € 24.34 billion from […]
February 16, 2024
Automotive Cells Company (ACC), the joint venture by Stellantis, TotalEnergies’ Saft, and Mercedes-Benz, has announced that its shareholders secured a €4.4 billion debt raising, increasing the funding for the construction of four new production facilities at three gigafactories for lithium-ion battery cell production in France, Germany, and Italy. Future production sites include one factory in […]
February 16, 2024
More than ten years ago, BMW shook the car world with its first i-cars, the i3 and the i8. In 2019, it showed a concept for a successor of the PHEV i8 sports car called Vision M Next. The canceled production version of this car, called I16, has now been revealed by BMW’s chief designer, […]
February 15, 2024
Renault is doing well again these days. Its turnover has grown by 17,9% to €52.5 billion, with a net benefit of €2.3 billion. Its free cash flow has turned around €3 billion now and has grown by €905 million last year. More interestingly, the operational margin has increased to 7,9%, a record figure for the […]
February 15, 2024
On Wednesday, the revived Lancia brand launched its first car of the new era, a successor to the current Ypsilon that will be available as a pure electric car or (somewhat later) as a hybrid. It starts with a limited series of 1,906 cars (the founding date of Lancia) designed in collaboration with the famous […]
February 14, 2024
Today, the resurrected Italian car brand Lancia launches the first car in its new product portfolio, the successor to the current Ypsilon. We presented the car in another article and talked to Lancia’s brand CEO, Luca Napolitano. Napolitano studied Business Administration in Rome and began his automotive career at Ford. In 2000, he started working […]
February 14, 2024
Stellantis will manufacture electric drives at its Hungarian plant in Szentgotthárd. The car manufacturing group will also use Tesla’s fast-charging system NACS in North America. The Stellantis Group will invest some 100 million euros in equipping its Hungarian factory accordingly. The first Electric Drive Modules made in Hungary will roll off the production line at […]
February 13, 2024
A few months ago, Volvo Cars announced that it would withdraw its interests in its sister company, Polestar. Today, Volvo confirms that it won’t be the major investor in Polestar anymore, but a total withdrawal seems out of the question. In an interview with the German newspaper Handelsblatt, Volvo CEO Jim Rowan (59) declared: “We […]
February 13, 2024
Audi has started preparations at its plant in Györ, Hungary, to produce the new generation of electric drives called MEBeco for the Volkswagen Group’s small electric cars announced in 2025. According to Audi Hungaria, the first systems for this have arrived, and the planning of the production lines is underway. Audi had already confirmed in […]
February 12, 2024
Autobahn GmbH, the German federal agency that plans, finances, builds, maintains, and manages the network of highways in the country, has finalized a tender for 1,000 new fast charging points at 200 so-called ‘unmanaged’ rest areas. These will have to be upgraded to the grid to support high-power charge points (HPC) first, as most today […]
February 12, 2024
Abarth unveils the first picture of the pure electric New Abarth 600e as it undergoes its final tests while making its public debut. The New Abarth 600e – in its Scorpionissima launch edition – appeared for the first time in public last Thursday at the shooting of a new commercial in Milan, Italy. The new […]
February 12, 2024
Regarding the roll-out of electric vehicles, JLR is stepping on the brakes or is at least recuperating energy. The carmaker also announced launching more plug-in hybrids, saying the demand for pure EVs has cooled down. The announcement is quite surprising as it comes when the company is seeing strong interest in the first electric Range […]
February 12, 2024
The Norwegian Public Roads Administration has used an electric heavy truck from Swiss boutique manufacturer Designwerk to clear snow for the first time. Thanks to the 1,000 kWh battery capacity, the truck was able to complete a full day’s plowing work with ease. Designwerk is a small, Swiss-based manufacturer of custom electric trucks. It’s partially […]
February 09, 2024
Volvo Cars is building a new center for mobility innovations in Torslanda near Gothenburg. With this facility, Volvo wants to take new technologies out of the laboratory environment and test them in a realistic way. Volvo describes the new center, ‘ Mobility Innovation Destination Torslanda’, as a tailor-made test field for automotive development near the […]
February 08, 2024
Fossil fuel energy production took a record dive in the EU last year. An energy think tank Ember report unveils that the continent’s energy mix was greener than ever. But a rolling thunder is perturbing these clear skies, as a disastrous 2023 for Europe’s offshore wind leader, Ørsted, sharply contrasts with the record profits from […]
February 08, 2024
In Hannuit, in the Belgian province of Liège, on the border with Flanders, there will be a park with more than 3,800 solar panels. That solar panel park managed by Infrabel will provide solar energy to the Leuven-Liège high-speed railroad line. The project has a price tag of about 2 million euros, 90% of which […]
February 07, 2024
After announcing the Touring version at the new 5 Series sedan presentation and sending teaser images, BMW has officially revealed its estate version. Meanwhile, spy pictures had already leaked from a studio shoot. Now, BMW comes with the full story of the car. A flexible drive architecture allows model variants with gasoline and diesel engines, […]
February 07, 2024
According to the plans presented on Tuesday, the European Commission wants to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union by 90% by 2040 compared to 1990 levels. “There’s no other way,” says Wopke Hoekstra, European Commissioner for Climate Action. “The longer the EU waits to take difficult measures, the harder and more expensive it […]
February 07, 2024
Toyota Motor Corp. said Tuesday it will invest $1.3 billion in its Kentucky factory in the United States. The investment is part of the preparation to begin producing its first electric vehicles in the country in 2025. Meanwhile, the world’s number-one car manufacturer expects record net profit even as quality scandals bite. The new investment […]
February 07, 2024
This week the first fully electric Volvo EM90 minivans are rolling of the production lines at Geely’s Hangzhou Bay plant in China. Volvo launched its EM90 in November last year, a close brother to the Zeekr 009. It gets a 200-kW electric motor on the rear axle powered by a 116-kWh battery for 738 km […]
