October 27, 2023
At the Japan Mobility Show, alongside the premiere of the updated 2024 MX-5, Mazda unveiled the Iconic SP. This concept car marries a dual rotary powertrain with an EV platform, a powertrain approach Mazda recently debuted in the Mazda MX-30 R-EV, an EV with a range extender. “The Mazda Iconic SP is a compact sports […]
October 27, 2023
The Roads and Traffic Agency (Agentschap Wegen en Verkeer, AWV) will renew approximately 250 traffic signs along the Flemish highways in the coming weeks. The signs are intended to announce where owners of electric cars can charge their vehicles. The signs will be updated, and a loading icon will be added. The first new traffic […]
October 27, 2023
BMW is now producing the first battery cell samples, which it will use in the New Class models from 2025. Production occurs at the manufacturer’s new Cell Manufacturing Competence Center (CMCC) in Parsdorf, Germany. Operations at BMW’s competence center for battery cell manufacturing east of Munich have been underway since May. The facility spans an […]
October 26, 2023
Responding to strong demand for the car, Volvo Cars has decided to start building the new fully electric Volvo EX30 in its Ghent plant in Belgium in 2025, expanding production capacity for its small SUV. The EX30 was revealed to almost universal acclaim earlier this year and has already won several major awards. Production of […]
October 25, 2023
Last Tuesday, British multinational oil and gas company Shell opened its largest solar farm in Europe in Terneuzen (Zeeland, the Netherlands). The park has more than 128 000 solar panels and can produce 71,1 megawatts of power. “The new solar park will contribute significantly to achieving the climate goals in Zeeland,” Shell says. However, it […]
October 25, 2023
According to reports in the media, the next generation of the Audi A4 will also be launched purely electrically from the end of 2025. The A4 e-tron should be available as a saloon and estate – with a similar orientation to the current combustion engine model, which will remain in the range for the time […]
October 25, 2023
On Tuesday, the European Commission presented new measures to boost the European wind power industry to achieve the European Union’s targets for renewable energy generation by 2030. The European Union aims to reach its climate goal of generating 42,5% of the EU’s total energy consumption from renewable sources by 2030. Wind energy, which accounted for […]
October 25, 2023
In Kasterlee, Delhaize and French fast-charging provider Electra have plugged in the first six of 1 200 fast charging points to be installed at the group’s supermarkets throughout Belgium. The chargers are open to Delhaize clients during shopping hours but also 24/7 to the general EV driver at €0,65 per kWh. That’s 20% lower than […]
October 25, 2023
After Nissan, the other Japanese Alliance partner, Mitsubishi Motors, also announced its participation in Renault’s electric car division Ampere. The Japanese will invest a maximum of €200 million. Mitsubishi Motors calls it “an ambitious step forward” in its EV strategy. Nissan previously announced that it would invest up to 600 million euros in Ampere. As […]
October 25, 2023
At the Japan Mobility Show 2023, the successor of the Tokyo Motor Show after four years of absence, Lexus introduced concept models under the theme ‘Pushing the Boundaries of the Electrified Experience’, envisioning new possibilities for mobility through electric cars. The Lexus booth hosted the global debut of the next-generation Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) concept […]
October 24, 2023
In its latest edition of the ‘World Energy Outlook 2023’, released on Tuesday, the International Energy Agency (IEA) says that “as things stand, demand for fossil fuels is likely to remain far too high” to maintain the most ambitious climate goal of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement: to limit the rise in average global temperatures […]
October 24, 2023
On Monday, energy infrastructure group Fluxys Belgium launched its pilot project ‘BE-HyStore’ in Loenhout (Belgium). The project is intended to investigate the feasibility of hydrogen storage in the Loenhout subsurface. With 40 years of underground natural gas storage expertise, Fluxys will explore the possibilities of storing hydrogen in an underground aquifer. Federal Minister of Economy […]
October 23, 2023
As of 2025, Toyota will equip its battery-powered electric cars with the NACS charging port in the US. The news follows in the slipstream of BMW’s announced switch, putting increasingly more pressure on the remaining automakers sticking to CCS. The list of carmakers joining the standard introduced and used by Tesla keeps growing. After Rivian, […]
October 23, 2023
Electra has concluded a contract with services company Spie to expand its fast-charging network in Belgium. The collaboration will install fast chargers at 21 locations across Belgium, and preparatory works have started since September. Electra is turning to the energy transition know-how of Spie to grow its activities in the fast-charger market. It aims to […]
October 23, 2023
Volkswagen, the second most important car company in Norway, will stop selling new cars with an internal combustion engine (ICE) at the end of the year. “As a farewell to cars burning fossil fuel, the last Golf will be ordered at the end of the year,” declared Ulf Tore Hekneby, CEO of the group Møller, […]
October 20, 2023
New figures from the European Car Manufacturers Association ACEA indicate that the European car market has seen a 14th consecutive month of growth and that electrification continues. In September 2023, new car registrations increased by 9,2%, reaching 861 062 units. Two of the EU’s most significant markets saw substantial gains: Italy (+22,7%) and France (+10,7%). […]
October 18, 2023
Citroën has presented “the first affordable European electric car.” With its technical specifications, a range of 320 kilometers, and a price of € 23 300, the ë-C3 will indeed set standards. In Flanders, considering the premium of € 5 000 for individual buyers, the car will cost € 18 300 in 2024. The model could […]
October 18, 2023
Belgian consumers pay the world’s highest transmission and distribution network rates on electricity bills. This conclusion comes from the latest International Energy Agency (IEA) report, ‘Electricity Grids and Secure Energy Transitions’, cited by Het Laatste Nieuws. According to the IEA, in 2021, an average family in Belgium paid more than 280 euros per megawatt hour […]
October 18, 2023
For the Belgian car market, 2023 will probably be the year that electrified cars took over. A positive side-effect is that the average CO2 emission of these new cars landed under 90 g/km for the first time. Meanwhile, the split between individual buyers and company cars gets bigger and bigger. The same is true for […]
October 17, 2023
The European Union will defend eliminating fossil fuels well before 2050 at the November COP28 climate summit in Dubai. This is rated in the joint position adopted unanimously by the 27 member states. “The transition to a climate-neutral economy requires the elimination of ‘unabated’ fossil fuels at the global level,” meaning no CO2 is captured […]
October 17, 2023
Through its battery cell supplier AESC, BMW has signed a ten-year agreement with Umicore to source high-nickel materials locally for the company’s US production. The supply chain will serve BMW’s round cell technology, featured in the company’s next generation of BEVs. It is also a necessary move to keep benefitting from Joe Biden’s IRA incentives. […]
October 17, 2023
Sweden´s largest energy storage system, made with reuse batteries with an output of 2.8 megawatts, was commissioned on Monday in Gothenburg. BatteryLoop, the subsidiary of Swedish Stena Recycling, specializing in connecting used EV batteries, used batteries from Mercedes-Benz EVs for its stationary energy storage system. The storage system is to power a new sustainable district […]
October 17, 2023
Digital Charging Solutions (DCS) has started a cooperation with Volvo Cars. Through this partnership, Volvo Cars customers will access over 590 000 charging points in Europe. The joint offer is scheduled to be launched in November. Through the cooperation, users of an all-electric Volvo model will have access to the charging points that DCS manages […]
October 16, 2023
Japan’s number one car manufacturer will exhibit the two new Toyota concepts at the Japan Mobility Show 2023 (October 28th to November 5th) with a booth themed “Let’s Change the Future of Cars – Find Your Future.” In this first announcement of models to be exhibited at the booth, Toyota reveals some design details for […]
October 16, 2023
The Volkswagen Group disclosed its electric car statistics for the third quarter. They show that sales of battery-electric vehicles are increasing by 45% for the first nine months of 2023 but also that the manufacturer’s increase is slower than expected. Furthermore, there’s a noticeable difference between the performances of the distinctive brands inside the group. […]
October 13, 2023
The world’s number one car manufacturer, Toyota, and the Japanese energy company, Idemitsu Kosan, are teaming up on solid-state battery development. The two Japanese companies aim to reach commercialization by 2028. Toyota is joining forces with Idemitsu Kosan to advance the development and production of solid-state batteries for its future electric cars. The collaboration focuses […]
October 12, 2023
After a concept version, two prototypes, and a camouflaged test model, Mercedes-Benz Truck has finally lifted the cover off its production-ready long-haul battery-electric truck. Somewhat surprisingly, Mercedes has opted for a futuristic look that references the GenH2 truck concept. We’ve known about the Mercedes eActros 600 for a while. Daimler Truck first showed a concept […]
October 12, 2023
The Dutch contract car manufacturer VDL Nedcar has finally disclosed who is the first new client after the BMW Group will have left Born (south of the Netherlands), where Mini’s were assembled, in 2024. And the first ‘new’ client is… BMW. VDL Nedcar struck a deal with BMW to assemble 125 000 battery packs between […]
October 11, 2023
There have been different signs lately about the EV market. Of course, sales are usually still rising, and the growth percentages can be impressive, but the real booming seems already over, and in absolute figures, there’s still a long way to go. One has to be careful when the emphasis is on percentages and the […]
October 11, 2023
Hydrogen gas (H2) can be used as fuel for cabs and other cars in Brussels without any problems. That is the conclusion reached by D’Ieteren’s Taxis Verts and Colruyt’s Virya Energy after a one-year pilot project involving more than 55 000 km of driving. According to the two initiators, the zero-emission technology could, in the […]
October 10, 2023
In a works council on Monday morning, the direction of the Audi Brussels plant communicated that the Audi Q4 e-tron production, planned to start soon, has been postponed. For the moment, there is no additional production capacity needed. The smallest electric Audi was already in production in VW’s biggest EV factory in Zwickau (Germany), with […]
October 10, 2023
Antwerp-based tanker shipping company Euronav remains in Belgian hands. Compagnie Maritime Belge (CMB) and the Norwegian Frontline, Euronav’s two major shareholders, have reached an agreement on the matter. The agreement is described as one of the largest deals in the shipping industry in recent decades. “A huge milestone”, says CMB CEO Alexander Saverys, who is […]
October 10, 2023
Giant Chinese battery cell producer CALB has unveiled a new battery with an impressive estimated lifecycle at RE+ 2023, the energy solution exhibition in Las Vegas. Named 314Ah, referencing its capacity, the new cell can withstand 15 000 full charge cycles. According to CALB, it’s the equivalent of 25 years. Moreover, the Chinese battery expert […]
October 10, 2023
The Volkswagen Group’s new battery subsidiary PowerCo and the Belgian materials technology group Umicore have established a joint venture for cathode and pre-material production in Europe. The JV is called Ionway. From 2025, it will supply PowerCo’s European battery cell factories with key materials from the Ionway factory in Poland. By the decade’s end, the […]
October 09, 2023
In the Antwerp port area, logistics company Wijngaard Natie is now driving around with four fully electric trucks, produced by Volvo Trucks. This would be the first all-electric port transport in Antwerp, although Katoen Natie is also using the Volvo FH Electric. The four trucks should mark a turning point in the transition to sustainable […]
October 06, 2023
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has announced today that its CEO, Torsten Müller-Ötvös, will retire on 30 November 2023. He will be succeeded by Chris Brownridge, currently CEO of BMW UK. With 14 years as CEO, the German leaves BMW Group’s British high luxury brand as its longest-serving CEO since Claude Johnson brought Charles Rolls and Henry […]
October 06, 2023
Skoda has updated its electric Enyaq iV, specifically the sporty RS version. The SUV now gets a boost in power from 299 to 340 hp, thanks to a revised and higher-output electric motor on the rear axle. The Czechs have also upgraded the energy management software, meaning that despite the power increase and the same […]
October 06, 2023
A loaded near-production prototype of the Mercedes-Benz eActros 600, Daimler Truck’s long-haul battery-electric truck, has completed a round trip from Stuttgart to South Tyrol and back on one charge. The distance of 530 km each way confirms Mercedes’ promised 500 km range for the model. The Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 is launching soon, with the world […]
October 05, 2023
The Brussels Region is planning 1 200 new charging points for EVs next year. Brussels Energy and Environment Minister Alain Maron (Ecolo) has announced a public contract. Sixty of these charging points will be exclusively for car sharing. By 2035, the Brussels Region aims to have 22 000 publicly accessible charging points for electric cars. […]
October 04, 2023
Flemish Minister of the North Sea, Vincent Van Quickenborne (Open Vld), has granted an environmental permit for Princess Elisabeth Island, which that will be built off the Belgian coast in the coming years. That is what high-voltage grid operator Elia announced on Tuesday. According to Elia, obtaining a permit is crucial for constructing the artificial […]
October 04, 2023
Volvo Cars has signed a multi-year agreement with the Israeli developer of fast-charging technology StoreDot. The car brand will work with the latter’s experts to develop and test XFC cells. The first fruit of the collaboration is scheduled for next year. Storedot has been continuously working on its XFC cells (the abbreviation for ‘extreme fast […]
October 04, 2023
In a striking opinion piece, William Todts, Executive Director of the NGO Transport & Environment (T&E), points at the mess the German car industry has made these recent decades and the efforts from the European Union to tackle the problem. “Earlier this month, Ursula von der Leyen sent shockwaves through the European and Chinese car […]
October 03, 2023
Omoda is the name of a new Chinese brand, part of the Chinese car manufacturer Chery Automobile. The brand will first be introduced in Belgium and Luxembourg at the beginning of 2024. The first car introduced is the Omoda 5, a fully electric SUV that will be sold at just under €40 000 for the […]
October 02, 2023
Jochen De Smet is the current president of EV Belgium, a known facilitator of the energy transition. Being one of the speakers at Mobia’s Mobility Stakeholders Day, he stressed that the technology of this transition is not the problem, but the organization of it, especially the price transparency for the customer. “Europe has been working […]
October 02, 2023
Belgian dredging and offshore energy giant Jan De Nul has ordered the world’s biggest cable-laying vessel to be built, with a carrying capacity of 28 000 tons and capable of embedding power cables in the ocean floor some 3 000 meters deep. The new ship, to be delivered in 2026, will carry the name of […]
October 02, 2023
A small roadster with fifties styling and an electric drive is proposed on the market for a few months. The origin is Dutch, and the design inspiration is British, but the Porsche 356 reminiscence is not far away. Meet the Carice TC2. “With the Carice TC2, we want to create art on wheels,” Niels van […]
October 02, 2023
Elia, the transmission system operator of Belgium’s high-voltage grid, has reached an agreement with Flemish Energy Minister Zuhal Demir (N-VA) on increased compensations for residents living near Ventilus. That is the future high-voltage line that will bring electricity from offshore wind farms to Belgium and beyond. West Flanders mayors of the villages involved are reacting […]
September 29, 2023
Belgian company CMB.TECH is building Africa’s first public filling station in Namibia with on-site green hydrogen production. The site in Walvis Bay uses solar energy to make the hydrogen. Its strategic location should provide direct access to major shipping routes. “Our facility will supply hydrogen to trucks, ships, and railway applications,” the company says. The […]
September 29, 2023
Swedish battery cell manufacturer Northvolt has chosen a site on the coast of Montreal to construct its first North American Gigafactory. The company will invest five billion euros in the region. The plans were unveiled in May of this year, but the company was yet to make a final choice between the US and Canada. […]
September 29, 2023
Belgian retail group Colruyt will roll out 10 000 new charging stations at its own network of supermarkets and other public venues like hospitals and shopping centers. It will combine ‘slow’ 10 to 20 kW AC chargers and ‘fast’ DC chargers up to 150 kW. Those fast-chargers installed by energy daughter DATS 24 will allow […]
September 28, 2023
The German €300 million subsidy pot of the government, providing up to €10 200 for installing an EV wallbox in combination with solar panels and a backup battery, was exhausted in less than one day, the KfW Development Bank reported. The proposed subsidy was offered for private owners of an existing electric vehicle or those […]
September 28, 2023
Nissan’s plan to launch only electric cars and hybrids in Europe from 2023 lasted only a short time. From now on, the Japanese want to introduce only pure electric vehicles so that the last hybrid will be sold by 2030. According to the new plan, Nissan wants to sell only fully electric cars in Europe […]
September 27, 2023
Belgium will launch a call for projects worth 10 million euros next month to support the import of green hydrogen into ports. Energy Minister Tinne Van der Straeten (Groen) reports this. Belgium has ambitious plans for hydrogen. Besides making the country a leader in hydrogen technologies, Belgium also wants to be an import and transit […]
September 27, 2023
The Flemish government has (re-)installed a premium of €5 000 to purchase a new battery electric vehicle (BEV). For a second-hand one, there’s a subsidy of €3 000. There’s a significant restriction, however: the purchasing price of the BEV has to be less than €40 000, severely reducing the choice of electric cars on offer. […]
September 26, 2023
Almost 2 800 residents of the Lower Bavarian municipality of Straßkirchen were called upon in a referendum to vote on BMW’s planned battery assembly in the village. The result was a clearer ‘yes’ than previously thought. A clear majority of Straßkirchen residents voted in favor of building the new BMW Group facility. With over 75% […]
September 26, 2023
Despite climate ambitions to phase out carbon emissions by 2050, fossil companies continue to invest in new oil pipelines and platforms, shale gas projects, and even coal mines. To finance these activities, they increasingly rely on the cooperation of the banks. That is what the newspaper De Tijd revealed on Tuesday, based on research from […]
September 25, 2023
The French mining company Eramet and waste management specialist Suez have decided on Dunkirk, near the Belgian border, for the location of their EV battery recycling plant. The first part of the plant is scheduled to be operational by 2025, with a capacity of up to 50 000 tons of battery packs per year. Eramet […]
September 25, 2023
Dutch energy supplier Eneco is to withdraw from the Brussels residential market. No more new customers will be accepted, and existing contracts will not be renewed after expiry. According to Eneco, the decision results from overly complex regulations and overprotection of customers. As a result, conditions are no longer profitable and unsustainable in the short […]
September 25, 2023
The Vietnamese electric car manufacturer VinFast has now set the fourth quarter of 2023 as the target for the start of deliveries in Europe. The introduction has been postponed several times. At the same time, VinFast presented its first official business figures after it went IPO in August. In the fourth quarter of 2023, the […]
September 25, 2023
Kawasaki has unveiled its first two production electric motorcycles: the Ninja e-1 and the Z e-1. Both models are meant for city use with a 9 kW motor, which makes them equivalent to the 125 cc class and around 72 km of range. Electric motorcycles are slowly gaining traction, with models like the Harley-Davidson LiveWire […]
