October 23, 2023
Low-emission zones (LEZ), which prohibit access to certain major cities for heavily polluting vehicles, have been successfully introduced in six European countries, including Belgium. This is according to a French report. In Belgium, the cities Brussels, Ghent, and Antwerp, among others, introduced such an LEZ. The report aims to draw lessons for France from the […]
October 19, 2023
Porthos, the Rotterdam carbon-dioxide-capturing project given the green light in August, has entered a new phase. The final investment decision has been made, and in 2024, the construction of the first large CO2 transport and storage system in the Netherlands will start. The project will cost 1,3 billion euros and is expected to be ready […]
October 18, 2023
Guerrilla climate activists Tyre Extinguishers deflated tires of 55 SUVs in Ghent during the night from Monday to Tuesday. This was a coordinated action, as that same night activists also struck in cities in Germany, the Czech Republic, and Latvia – a first. In total, the tires of more than 200 SUVs were deflated. The […]
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 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 12, 2023
It all started with one street three years ago. But by 2025, the low-emission zone in Stockholm that will ban all vehicles on gasoline and diesel will expand to twenty living zones and cover 180 000 square meters in the heart of the Swedish capital. The ruling parties call it one of the most ambitious […]
October 10, 2023
Nearly 10 major European cities, including Paris, Brussels, and Rome, have petitioned the European Parliament, demanding stricter standards for air quality and exhaust emissions. The 27 EU member states approved in September a watered-down regulation. This has yet to be negotiated with the European Parliament, which has not yet determined its position. The 27 do […]
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 09, 2023
The Federal Minister of Mobility, Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo), has a preliminary draft ready for a framework law to provide a legal basis for all decisions regarding the operation of Brussels Airport. According to the minister, the text is essential to avoid new legal proceedings over noise pollution, in which the State sometimes has to pay […]
October 06, 2023
If it were up to Brussels Mobility Minister Elke Van den Brandt (Groen), too-loud cars and motorbikes in the Brussels Region could be sent directly to a testing station for a technical inspection. According to her party colleague and MP Lotte Stoops, the effect of noise on our health is still too often underestimated. “Noise […]
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 03, 2023
Last week, under Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the UK government announced a pushback to 2035 from its earlier defined net-zero policies from 2024 to 2030, in line with most EU countries like France, Germany, or Sweden. This mandate regulates the number of ICE cars and vans that can still be sold yearly until the sales […]
October 03, 2023
Thanks to ‘Smartdrop’, an intelligent last-mile calculation tool to determine the impact of online parcel deliveries, consumers can choose the most sustainable delivery option. It was developed by the Belgian trade federation Comeos and the Brussels University’s research group VUB Mobilise. The tool considers several factors associated with online purchases: CO2 emissions, traffic congestion, air […]
September 28, 2023
Last Monday, the 27 EU member states substantially softened the Commission’s proposition for new Euro 7 emissions regulations by 2025. Led by France and Italy (amongst others), the member states feared that this would cost the EU car industry too much and even retard investments in electrification. The member states are hereby responding to the […]
September 27, 2023
Limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius will only be achievable with a rapid acceleration of climate protection efforts and international cooperation. The International Energy Agency (IEA) stated that in its new ‘Net Zero Roadmap’ edition. If climate protection measures are not accelerated and implemented as planned by 2030, massive reliance will have to be […]
September 26, 2023
Austrian Airlines, a subsidiary of Germany’s Lufthansa, can no longer advertise that flying can be “CO2 neutral”. An Austrian court has ruled that. In turn, Carsten Spohr, Lufthansa’s CEO, has hinted that his airline would have to consume half of Germany’s electricity production for its entire fleet to fly on e-fuels. According to the French […]
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 26, 2023
The Dutch railway company Arriva intends to offer travelers some additional train connections. The company wants to operate trains from The Hague and Amsterdam to Antwerp, Brussels, and Brussels Airport from 2027 onward. Arriva opposes the monopoly of NS, the national rail network in the Netherlands. Therefore, the company applied to operate 26 rail routes […]
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
Twenty-six Antwerp action groups have joined forces and launched an election memorandum on Friday about mobility in the province of Antwerp. The memorandum calls for a “catch-up” effort, including “substantial investments” in public transport and pedestrian and cycling facilities. According to the activists, the promised “modal shift” to at least 50% of journeys that must […]
September 25, 2023
By 2026, Wallonia will get 11 additional Carpool car parks for 1 118 spaces. Wallonia will thus have a total of almost 5 000 Carpool spaces. The news has been reported by the newspaper La Capital, based on information from Walloon Mobility and Infrastructure Minister Philippe Henry (Ecolo). 30% more Today, Wallonia has almost 3 […]
September 22, 2023
Limburg-based Giga Storage Belgium will construct a large-scale battery farm in Ophoven (Kinrooi). With a 300 megawatt capacity, it will be the largest battery farm in Europe, capable of providing 165 000 families with electricity for four hours. Large storage capacity with batteries is essential to absorb fluctuations in supply and demand in the electricity […]
September 22, 2023
BMW Motorrad has issued a (temporary) sales ban on all its motorbikes with combustion engines throughout North America. This applies not only to new bikes but also to used ones at dealers. Only the electric model CE 04 is currently released for sale in the US and Canada. BMW emphasized that the sales stop is […]
September 21, 2023
Gas network operator Fluxys Belgium, Pipelink, Socofe, and the Federal Participation and Investment Company (SFPIM) join forces to create ‘Fluxys c-grid’, a CO2 network operator that must support the industry “in its transition efforts toward a low CO2 emission future”. Pipelink is a subsidiary of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, and Socofe is the investment vehicle […]
September 21, 2023
Brussels Finance and Budget Minister Sven Gatz (Open Vld) wants part of the funding for the construction of Metro 3 to come from SmartMove, the Brussels road pricing scheme. This is stated in a note on budgetary projections until 2030 that he has put on the government table. Both the new metro line and the […]
September 20, 2023
A 3,5-year EU project, GIANTS (Green Intelligent Affordable New Transport Solutions), aims to develop technology solutions that will enable the production of affordable LEVs or light electric vehicles (categorized L5, L6, and L7) for urban transport worldwide. Two major car manufacturers are also involved. How can the millions of tuk-tuks in the world’s cities be […]
September 20, 2023
Rixensart-based start-up Risorce has raised 12,5 million euros to build a new factory in Baelen, Liège, which will eventually be able to recycle 2,4 million used car tires a year. This will be done through pyrolysis. In the process, the tires will be processed into mainly oil. By 2025, the plant should be fully operational […]
September 20, 2023
The Car-Free Sunday in Brussels again positively impacted air quality and reduced noise pollution. So says the Brussels public service Brussels Environment. On the 23rd Car-Free Sunday, concentrations of nitrogen monoxide and dioxide dropped by 95 and 77%, respectively, compared to a normal Sunday. Readings were taken on Regent Avenue, a spot near Arts-Loi/Kunst-Wet where […]
September 19, 2023
Amsterdam Schiphol Airport has started the construction of a brand-new Car Rental Service Center. It will be the Netherlands’ largest car rental company facility, accommodating about 2 500 vehicles and able to charge some 300 EVs simultaneously. The building is expected to be finished by the end of 2024. Schiphol is transforming the former P4 […]
September 19, 2023
In 2022, traffic congestion cost the Belgian economy 4,8 billion euros due to lost time, extra fuel consumption, and higher emissions of CO2 and harmful gases. The Federation of Belgian Enterprises (VBO- FEB) reports this based on Stabel and the Federal Planning Bureau data. Mobility has changed in recent years. Teleworking has taken hold, especially […]
September 15, 2023
A volcanic crater on the border between Nevada and Oregon is believed to contain an estimated 20 to 40 million tons of lithium, a critical raw material for producing batteries for electric cars. So, report several US media outlets. With an estimated value of 1,5 trillion dollars of precious metal, the amount is almost double […]
September 13, 2023
On 17 September, the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, like 40 Flemish cities and municipalities, will organize another Car Free Sunday. The entire region will be closed to car traffic on that day from 9.30 a.m. to 7 p.m., making it the largest car-free zone in Europe. The service of the Brussels public transport […]
September 11, 2023
The Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) has approved the operations of a second lithium mine in the country. The Romano mine will be situated in Montalegre, in the northern region, near the Baroso mine, which was permitted back in May 2023. However, only part of it has been approved, so the owner still has homework. The […]
September 08, 2023
The Global Maritime Trends 2050 Report, commissioned by Lloyd’s Register, revealed that some of the world’s largest ports could become unusable due to rising sea levels. According to the study, efforts to decarbonize the maritime shipping sector and introduce new technologies will be crucial. Weather-related disruptions are already impacting ports across the globe. These include […]
September 08, 2023
A recently conducted test on 24 engine families within the Stellantis group has convinced the car giant of the longevity of combustion-engined cars. The company believes that the CO2 benefits from the fuel will keep these cars on the road until 2050. After the European Commission opened the backdoor for e-fuels after 2035, several car […]
September 07, 2023
On Wednesday, Avery Dennison, a leading global packaging and materials manufacturer, commissioned Europe’s largest Concentrated Solar Thermal (CST) platform and thermal storage unit at its production plant in Turnhout, Belgium. The project collaborates with Limburg-based Azteq, an organization that builds, develops, and maintains CST facilities. The renewable energy project contains a CST platform with 2 […]
September 06, 2023
German railway operator Deutsche Bahn and the Austrian Federal Railways ÖBB will launch a new night train connection from Berlin and Vienna to Paris and Brussels in December. Öbb’s ‘Nightjet’ already connects the Austrian capital Vienna with Brussels. The company intends to launch a nighttime connection between Brussels and the German capital Berlin in December. […]
September 04, 2023
This Monday, one of the biggest projects of this legislature is officially starting: the two-way layout of Avenue Van Praet, the northern gateway to the Belgian capital. The companies along the canal fear the worst. “Having a single entry lane to Brussels instead of three is impossible,” they say. The road works come on top […]
August 31, 2023
The so-called ‘ecozone’ introduced in Louvain in 2022 is a success and will be expanded. Since its introduction, parcels, newspapers, and letters have been delivered emission-free, reducing CO2 emissions by 88% per parcel compared to 2018. The ecozone in Louvain officially started in April 2022 as an initiative of the city and the Belgian Post […]
August 30, 2023
Next summer, Ghent wants to organize Velo-city, a significant cycling festival and congress. The city council has set aside 180 000 euros for it. The highlight should be a bike ride with 2 000 participants. From 18 to 21 June 2024, Ghent will briefly be the epicenter of international cycling. The major cycling conference Velo-city […]
August 30, 2023
More and more experts warn that European countries struggle to persuade people to switch from ICE cars to EVs. Europe sells ten times more electric cars today than it did six years ago (source: IEA), but its fleet is cleaning up too slowly to meet the agreed climate goals. “What we have learned is that […]
August 29, 2023
As earlier announced, London is expanding its environmental zone. Almost all of London will become an ultra-low-emission zone (ULEZ) as of today. The measure is intended to tackle pollution, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and improve the air quality for residents and visitors. But not everybody is happy with the new ultra-low-emission zone because it will […]
August 25, 2023
Swedish lithium-ion battery manufacturer Northvolt and world-leading metal recycler EMR have built a battery recycling facility in Hamburg (Germany). The brand-new site will recycle the vast number of EV batteries that will reach their end of life. The site was officially inaugurated on August 24 by the First Mayor of Hamburg, Peter Tschentscher. The 12 […]
August 24, 2023
On Wednesday, Norway opened the world’s first floating wind farm explicitly built to power offshore oil and gas installations and is now supplying electricity to oil and gas fields Snorre and Gullfaks in the Norwegian North Sea – 140 km off the Norwegian coast. Crown Prince Haakon of Norway gave the symbolic green light by […]
August 24, 2023
According to an analysis commissioned by Greenpeace, twelve of Europe’s leading fossil fuel companies are deceiving the public about their willingness to curb their climate-damaging impact by transitioning to renewable energy sources. Greenpeace calls for strict regulation of fossil fuel companies to prevent even more fossil-fuelled climate destruction. The report, titled “The Dirty Dozen: The […]
August 21, 2023
Since local authorities in London decided to expand the ultra-low-emission zone (ULEZ) to improve the air quality, 387 ULEZ cameras have been destroyed, obscured, or stolen between April and mid-August. The majority was vandalized in outer London, where the zone was expanded. A shadowy group called the ‘Blade Runners’ is believed to be responsible for […]
August 17, 2023
27% fewer cars in the Brussels Pentagon and also 36% more cyclists: these are the striking figures the City of Brussels can present after exactly one year of Good Move, the Regional Mobility and Circulation Plan for the Brussels Capital Region. “Brussels is thus becoming an even nicer place to be,” says a satisfied Bart […]
August 17, 2023
Porthos, a project for storing carbon dioxide from industry in the port of Rotterdam, has been given the green light. The Dutch Council of State has ruled that the nitrogen released while constructing the infrastructure for CO2 storage does not significantly impact the nearby nature, contrary to what environmentalists claim. So the permits issued by […]
August 16, 2023
After the fire on the car cargo ship ‘Fremantle Highway’ off the Dutch coast, many popular media hastily identified an electric car as the cause. Now it turns out that this is untrue. Many publications used the fire accident to highlight the (real) difficulties of extinguishing a fire on an EV. Still, they immediately concluded […]
August 15, 2023
The city of Amsterdam has had enough of noisy cars and motorbikes and is taking measures to fight the noise nuisance. The city will introduce an experiment and install noise displays in particular spots in the city center. Later this month, sound meters and noise speed cameras will be added, and finally, noisemakers will be […]
August 14, 2023
More than four out of ten Dutch citizens think their country has to eliminate the idea that everyone has to own a car. Energy provider Zonneplan did a panel survey of 2002 Dutch inhabitants about their views on car possession. The most popular argument against car possession is the high environmental impact of the car […]
August 09, 2023
Of all flight movements recorded at Deurne Airport, near Antwerp, in 2022, 72% were domestic flights. This is according to figures requested by Groen in the Flemish parliament. The airport itself points to the many pilot training sessions in Deurne as an explanation. Groen denounces the total of 30 000 domestic flight movements in Deurne. […]
August 08, 2023
Octopus Electric Vehicles, part of Octopus Energy Group, has launched a second-hand leasing offering for electric cars. “We’re making the switch to electric driving the cheapest it has ever been,” says the press release. Octopus’ ‘Nearly New’ salary sacrifice offer makes EVs more accessible to the mass market by reducing costs. Drivers can access popular […]
August 03, 2023
The German car manufacturer BMW Group sees in the evolution of the car market a confirmation of its credo: an open technology with ample room for BEVs but also attention to other solutions, even (at least for a certain period) internal combustion engines. Frank Weber, BMW’s Head of R&D, said in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: […]
August 03, 2023
Airbus, BMW Group, and Quantinuum, leaders in mobility and quantum technologies, have developed a hybrid quantum-classical workflow to speed up future research using Quantum Computers to simulate quantum systems, focusing on the chemical reactions of catalysts in fuel cells. In a new technical paper, ‘Applicability of Quantum Computing to Oxygen Reduction Reaction Simulations‘, the three […]
August 02, 2023
In May of this year, vehicle lease company ALD Automotive announced that it had successfully acquired 100% of LeasePlan, one of the world’s leading fleet management and mobility companies. More than enough reasons for us to talk with Johan Portier, the new Country Managing Director of ALD Automotive/LeasePlan in Belgium. This transformative acquisition represented a […]
August 02, 2023
Tel Aviv University scientists have succeeded in developing a groundbreaking method to produce green hydrogen. The method, developed by doctoral student Itzhak Grinberg and by Dr. Oren Ben-Zvi, claims to have over 90% efficiency by harnessing the power of green electricity and utilizing a highly efficient biocatalyst. The research is founded upon the rare instances […]
August 02, 2023
Last year, 85 844 tons of used tires were collected in Belgium. This is according to the non-profit organization Recytyre, the Belgian organization responsible for collecting and recycling tires. More than 99,8% of tire waste was recovered, mainly in the form of pellets. This percentage exceeds the minimum target of 85% for material recovery. Flanders […]
