February 16, 2023
The Italian Transport Minister Matteo Salvini (Lega Nord) is vehemently opposed to the decision of the European Parliament to ban the sales of new cars with an internal combustion engine in 2035. Salvini calls it a ‘folly’ and a ‘bad intended choice’ to which Rome will oppose itself. The member states already agreed with the […]
February 15, 2023
The city of Antwerp is planning to install at least two ‘fast charging squares’ for electric vehicles on its territory. Each of them will have eight fast charging points where electric vehicles can recharge a considerable amount of kWh in 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the type of vehicle. A high-voltage cabin will guarantee […]
February 15, 2023
Following the positive feedback on the unique specimen presented in the summer of 2022, Mini is now going ahead with a small series of the all-electric Cooper SE Convertible. From April 2023, the car will be available to open-air lovers in Europe in a limited number of 999 vehicles. “Three years ago, we launched the […]
February 15, 2023
It is now officially confirmed that Ford Motor Company is again planning to cut thousands of jobs. Some 3 800 across Europe before 2025, but the biggest part of it will be in Germany (2 300) and the UK (1 300). The proving grounds in Belgian Lommel also seem to be threatened. The American number […]
February 14, 2023
Belgian battery materials specialist Umicore announces it will start industrial production of cheaper manganese-rich HLM battery materials to be used in electric vehicles from 2026, next to its ‘premium’ NMC battery materials. It believes “HLM is gaining traction with car and battery cell manufacturers as a differentiating lower-cost, high energy-density, and sustainable battery technology”. Umicore […]
February 14, 2023
The future Toyota CEO (as of April 1st), Koji Sato, declared on Monday that he wanted to accelerate the group’s development of electrification. However, he also pointed out that the number one car manufacturer in the world had a “communication problem” over its electrification strategy until now. At the end of January, Toyota’s heir and […]
February 13, 2023
Mercedes-Maybach is introducing its first model with a plug-in hybrid drive. This is essentially the Maybach variant of the plug-in hybrid of the Mercedes S-Class. The first fully electric model from Maybach will also be presented before the end of 2023. The plug-in hybrid Mercedes-Maybach S 580 e, now presented, offers a purely electric WLTP […]
February 13, 2023
Dutch Fastned has opened last week its 19th fast-charging station in Belgium, located just outside the Antwerp Metropole on the E19 toward Brussels, at the park & ride at Exit 7 in Kontich. The station features eight 300 kW chargers for charging up to 300 km range in fifteen minutes if circumstances are favorable. The […]
February 13, 2023
The German Volkswagen Group plans to expand its software investments, digital services, and electromobility investments. That’s the result of a supervisory board meeting when it weighed investments for the next five years. Related discussions were delayed as the IT development (grouped under the Cariad daughter) ran into development problems, and the first EV products encountered […]
February 10, 2023
John Deere, the American manufacturer of agriculture machinery and lawn care equipment, has just announced that it’s joining the electric revolution and launching a line of battery-powered residential ride-on lawnmowers. Up first is the Z370R Electric Ztrak Residential Zero Turn mower, launched on Tuesday. The new fully electric ride-on mower – an industry-first, according to […]
February 10, 2023
Porsche’s new electric flagship should be launched in 2027 and will be a seven-seater, off-road-capable luxury crossover. Porsche previously announced that it is working on an electric SUV positioned above the familiar models. Now, the first technical data have surfaced. According to information from the British magazine Autocar, the SUV will be more than five […]
February 10, 2023
BMW Group is reportedly negotiating with the British Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to receive a £75 million (± €84,5 million) grant to continue production of the electric Mini at its plant in Cowley on the outskirts of Oxford. This comes after British media reported in October that the German carmaker could […]
February 09, 2023
In the future, the supply and demand of electricity will increasingly depend on the weather circumstances. That is the conclusion of the International Energy Agency’s latest report presented in Paris on Wednesday. The report highlights the need for faster decarbonization and accelerated deployment of clean energy technologies. Drought and heat waves in Europe, India, and […]
February 09, 2023
Citroën CEO Vincent Cobée is clear: the energy transition will lead to another smaller, lighter type of car. It could prelude the end of the current hype: the big, boxy SUV. BEVs need more aerodynamic shapes and as less weight as possible. Unfortunately, that’s hardly the case for SUVs. The Citroën boss is fairly outspoken […]
February 06, 2023
The BMW Group is accelerating its ramp-up of e-mobility, and is poised to gain even more momentum with its next vehicle generation, the ‘Neue Klasse’. The BMW plant in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, will produce fully-electric models for the New Class in the future and is setting up its own high-voltage battery assembly for this […]
February 03, 2023
More than a hundred TotalEnergies hydrogen stations for trucks will appear along major highways in France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg in the next few years. French companies TotalEnergies and Air Liquide are creating a joint venture for this purpose. According to specialists, there are currently 250 hydrogen stations in Europe. By 2030, the […]
February 03, 2023
Volvo Cars plan to turn its S60 and S90 sedan models into fully electric cars. The two sedans are part of a plan to launch at least six new electric models by 2026, according to people familiar with the plans. According to the Reuters news agency, insiders revealed that the six new models include the […]
February 02, 2023
Ford lowers its prices for the Mustang Mach-E in the U.S. as a reaction to Tesla. The starting price for a Mustang Mach-E is now $ 45 995 ($ 900 lower than before, (-2%), and a GT Extended Range now costs $ 63 995, a whopping $ 5 900 less than before (-8,5%). Tesla decided […]
February 01, 2023
The specialized sports car manufacturer Lotus, now a part of the Chinese Geely automotive group, will have an Initial Public Offering (IPO) this year, 75 years after it was founded. The IPO will occur on the Nasdaq stock market via a Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC). Lotus will be housed under the umbrella of L […]
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 27, 2023
Citroën has unveiled its first electric car to go on sale in the Indian market. The new ë-C3 is based on the ICE version, which the French brand launched in India last year, and will hit showrooms in February. The Citroën ë-C3 is powered by a 29,2 kWh battery pack, offering a claimed range of […]
January 27, 2023
French carmaker Peugeot is accelerating its electrification strategy. At the e-Lion event on Thursday, it announced that every Peugeot in the range will offer a battery-powered version as of 2025. The company also said it was looking into making cars last a lifetime by updating and refurbishing the car along the way. It predicts that […]
January 26, 2023
According to figures from the sector federation SMMT (Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders), vehicle production in the UK dropped to its lowest point in almost 70 years. However, a revival is due for the year 2023. “The automobile industry in the UK has been going through three horrible years,” resumes Mike Hawes, general director […]
January 25, 2023
German multinational energy company RWE is building two new plants in the Maastricht-Roermond region in the Netherlands, to produce 54 000 tons of green hydrogen yearly out of 700 000 tons of municipal solid waste that otherwise would have to be incinerated. Hydrogen from non-recyclable solid waste streams saves around 3,6 million tons of CO2 […]
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 23, 2023
At the Brussels Motor Show, the Japanese manufacturer Mazda had a world premiere, the MX-30 e-Skyactiv R-EV, a range extender version of their MX-30 BEV. On the sidelines, we talked to Martijn ten Brink, President and CEO of Mazda Europe. This relatively small car manufacturer has its own way of doing things. For Mazda, its […]
January 20, 2023
Vanwall, a former English Formula 1 racing team, is revived and has presented an electric compact production model to be built in Germany. The Vandervell stands out with its sporty look and performance and will be delivered in the third quarter of 2023 at a (hefty) price tag of around €150 000. Vanwall was a […]
January 18, 2023
Britishvolt, the UK’s hope of constructing a 30 GWh Gigafactory in Blyth, in the northeast of England, is going belly-up as attempts to find last-minute investors failed. The startup collapsed into administration on Tuesday, and most of the 232 employees were made redundant immediately. Britishvolt had asked the government last year for an advance payment […]
January 17, 2023
As part of a new package of product updates, Volvo has improved both the range (WLTP) and charging for the XC40 Recharge and C40 Recharge, increasing range by as much as 60 kilometers on some variants. Furthermore, three new powertrains are offered on the C40 Recharge and XC40 Recharge. These include two rear-wheel-drive variants – […]
January 17, 2023
Last week, BMW Group CEO Oliver Zipse previewed some of the technology on its ‘Neue Klasse’ EV platform at the CES in Las Vegas. He was also very outspoken regarding the group’s future in the EV market. Zipse boldly said that BMW’s next wave of EVs will be the industry benchmark in range, charging speeds, […]
January 16, 2023
As we were already hinting at a few weeks ago, Mazda revealed a new car at the Brussels Motor Show. The independent Japanese manufacturer is adding a plug-in hybrid version to its battery-electric MX-30. The MX-30 e-Skyactiv R-EV is the announced new variant with a rotary engine acting as a range extender. It’s sold at […]
January 16, 2023
For the first time, the award-winning Car of the Year (COTY) ceremony was at the Brussels Motor Show. Fifty-seven car journalists from 23 countries have finally voted for the fully electric Jeep Avenger as COTY 2023. Before the voting, there was no great rival this year, although the VW ID. Buzz was the most noticed […]
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 13, 2023
The Brussels-Capital Region is releasing 500 000 euros to support eleven private projects to roll out fast and ultra-fast charging stations for EVs. This was announced by Brussels Minister for Energy and Climate Transition Alain Maron (Ecolo). Brussels wants to make 22 000 charging points accessible to the public by 2035, both on and off […]
January 12, 2023
During the last quarter of 2022, the Dutch fast-charging operator witnessed a growth of almost factor three compared to the year before. Apart from a significant expansion of its network, this is attributed to the rise in BEVs on the roads. As well as price hikes due to the energy crisis. In the last quarter […]
January 11, 2023
The intended merger between the Norwegian oil tanker shipping company under Cypriot flag, Frontline, and the Belgian sector peer Euronav is definitely off. Frontline pulls the plug, and the company does not give an official reason for abandoning. In reaction to the news that came like a bolt from the blue, Euronav management says that […]
January 11, 2023
For the second consecutive year, the BMW Group has beaten Mercedes-Benz in total sales for 2022. The number three, Audi, follows at arm’s length. Also noticeable: all three have sold consistently more electric and electrified cars than in 2021. With 2,4 million vehicles sold by the BMW Group (BMW, Mini, and Rolls-Royce) and 2,1 million […]
January 10, 2023
An electric vehicle replacing one with a classic combustion engine (ICE) can spare a European company today on average €3 599 and 5 560 liters of fuel per year per vehicle. That represents a reduction of 15 tons of CO2 per vehicle, a new report based on telematics data from Webfleet shows. Webfleet is the […]
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 09, 2023
VinFast, Vietnam’s electric car manufacturer, is lining up its following two models after the VF 8 and VF 9 that were previously presented. At CES, VinFast specified the VF 6 and VF 7, their new B and C segment electric cars. Vinfast expects to open reservations this coming March. Meanwhile, the brand’s launch in Europe […]
January 09, 2023
Last year, renewable energy production continued to increase in Belgium, with several broken records. According to figures published by high-voltage grid operator Elia, in 2022, there was a gradual increase in the installed capacity of onshore wind power (+14%) and solar energy (+35ia. As a result, wind and solar power accounted for 19,8% of the […]
January 09, 2023
In an interview with the German specialized magazine Automobilwoche at the Computer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Stellantis boss Carlos Tavares warns the industry that many European middle-class customers will buy Chinese in the future. “The price difference between European and Chinese cars is considerable,” he says. “If we do nothing about this, consumers […]
January 06, 2023
Norwegian energy company Equinor and its German sector partner RWE are planning to build an undersea hydrogen pipeline between the two countries. A protocol agreement has been concluded but a feasibility study will follow first. The agreement was signed in the presence of German Economy and Climate Action Minister Robert Habeck, who is in Oslo […]
January 06, 2023
The German automotive supplier ZF is looking to save range as much as possible for EVs. The latest attempt is a heated seat belt that claims somewhat surprising range improvements. At the same time, ZF is showing its next self-driving shuttle at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The ZF ‘Heat Belt’ for […]
January 06, 2023
The electric Ram 1500 pickup Stellantis showed at the CES today is still a concept vehicle. Unlike what was rumored a few weeks ago, the production vehicle will not appear before 2024. Instead, the Ram 1500 Revolution BEV wants to give an idea of what Ram will be doing a year from now, “redefining the […]
January 05, 2023
The Belgian, Seraing-based company, John Cockerill, a well-known hydrogen electrolysis specialist, will invest in Morocco’s green hydrogen production sector. This reports the newspaper L’Echo and is confirmed by a press release from the company. The main point of the investment is the creation of a gigafactory dedicated to manufacturing electrolyzers, the first of its kind […]
January 04, 2023
The Renault Zoe, first released in 2012, will not be replaced. Renault’s second-in-command, Fabrice Cambolive, has confirmed this to the English car magazine Autocar. Instead, Zoe will end its life as one of the best-selling electric cars in its home country and one of the EV best-sellers in Europe. A final date for the end […]
January 04, 2023
Volkswagen will showcase its first fully electric sedan based on the modular electric drive matrix (MEB) at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas (from 5 to 8 January). Following on from ID.4, the new sedan is Volkswagen’s next global electric vehicle and will be offered on three continents in the future. The world […]
January 03, 2023
In 2022, almost 80% of all newly registered cars in Norway were electric, a world record. Tesla is the overall market leader, with a 12,2% market share. As the government wants to build down incentives and the Norwegian consumer is having trouble recharging, it could be that this was the highest sales figure in a […]
January 03, 2023
Talking about EV incentives, this one from the African country Uganda fires one’s imagination: President Museveni announced in his end-of-the-year address he made a deal with investors to swap all motorcycles with internal combustion engines (ICE) in the country for locally-produced electric ones for free. The investors will be able to make their money by […]
January 03, 2023
Greece’s Ministry of Environment and Energy has announced the ‘Green Taxi’ plan. With the plan, Greece aims to replace 2 000 old and polluting taxis with purely new electric ones. The Greek government provides a budget of 40 million euros for this purpose. The new program will allow cab owners to apply for a subsidy […]
January 03, 2023
Despite an excellent December month (+20,6% compared to last year), the Belgian car market regressed by 4,4% compared to 2021. This was due to significant deficits in sales in the first seven months, which couldn’t be compensated by the progress in the last five months. As the Belgian market stays dominated by company cars, BMW […]
January 03, 2023
Ram’s electric pickup is set to debut in less than a week, and up until recently, it wasn’t exactly clear what it would be called. However, a new trademark filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office indicates it could go by the name of Ram 1500 REV. On January 5, Ram will reveal […]
December 30, 2022
From now on, Hyundai Motors has decided to sell only pure electric vehicles in Norway. The Hyundai Group has invested a lot lately in developing electric cars. It is already benefitting from it as it has become the third biggest car manufacturer in the world. Hyundai imported the first electric Ioniq in Norway in 2016, […]
December 29, 2022
The era of the original Smart two-seater has gone. In came the new Smart, a completely different approach and the fruit of a collaboration between Mercedes and Geely. The new #1 is also a completely electric car, like the latest ‘old’ Smarts, but every other similarity halts here. The newcomer is a crossover that tries […]
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 29, 2022
The Hyundai Group is officially the third-largest automaker globally, behind only Volkswagen and Toyota. However, the South Korean automaker may have an advantage as the auto industry transitions to electric vehicles. Especially as the number one, Toyota, seems to hesitate to go for EVs at full speed. According to Bloomberg, the Hyundai Motor Company, including […]
December 28, 2022
The world’s largest EV battery supplier with a market share of 33% in 2022, Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL), has kicked off serial production at its new lithium-ion battery cell plant in Thuringia, Germany. It’s the first battery factory of CATL operational outside of China, with an initial manufacturing capacity estimated at 8 Gigawatt […]
December 28, 2022
Since the end of last month, the first units of the new electric SUV Fisker Ocean have been coming of the line in the Magna-Steyr factory in Austria. This is a perfect moment to ask CEO and owner Henrik Fisker about his views on the car business and its recent evolutions. Henrik Fisker is Danish […]
December 28, 2022
Retrofit, the transformation of an existing, sometimes old car into an electrically driven one, is becoming increasingly popular. But many countries have legal obstacles to such a conversion. Federal Mobility Minister Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo) wants to solve these problems by creating a legal canvas for the proceedings. In France, Retrofit is already popular. One of […]
