September 17, 2024
German Aerospace Center DLR (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfarth) is keeping its ‘feet’ on the ground at IAA Transport in Hanover these days, showing the result of its research into autonomous last-mile delivery, the modular U-Shift concept. It’s basically a U-shaped platform or ‘drive board,’ and the capsules are designed for various purposes, such […]
September 17, 2024
At the IAA Transportation 2024 in Hannover, Hyundai launched the first vehicle from its global eLCV platform for European markets in partnership with the Italian multinational transport vehicle manufacturer, IVECO. The Iveco eMoovy combines Hyundai’s EV chassis-cab-based 800-volt platform with a cargo compartment from Iveco. The Italian manufacturer of LCVs and trucks, Iveco and Hyundai, […]
September 13, 2024
Heavy goods vehicles (HGV), increasingly seen on European roads, still represent only 3% of the vehicles but are involved in almost 15% of all EU road fatalities. That’s the main reason why Euro NCAP starts (crash-)testing heavy trucks this autumn to give them a bronze, silver, or gold safety rating. These ratings focus at the […]
September 13, 2024
You can’t have enough leverage in today’s daunting automotive landscape. General Motors, already in a close tie-up with Japanese brand Honda, is adding Hyundai to its list of partners. Both carmakers have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore a range of potential joint ventures. These include vehicle development, production, and the exploration of […]
September 12, 2024
The new Chinese EV brand Jiyue, created by internet services giant Baidu in a joint venture with Geely, has officially launched its second model, the 07 sedan. Its starting price is 209,900 yuan or roughly 26,700 euros. The first ‘owner’ to receive the keys at the launch was Robin Zeng, chairman and CEO of battery […]
September 12, 2024
Mercedes-Benz is betting on solid-state batteries, co-developed with US-based Factorial, for its future electric car range. The companies promise a high energy density of 450 Watt-hours per kilogram that can extend the EV range up to 80%, which, at the same time, is safer, more compact, and cost-efficient to produce. The new battery—Solstice—should be ready […]
September 10, 2024
After years of much excitement about the ‘hyperloop’, a science-fiction way of transporting people and goods at speeds above 1,000 km in vacuum tubes connecting cities envisioned by Elon Musk, it remained deafening quiet. However, Dutch Hardt Hyperloop, one of the pioneers, announced the first successful test of its hyperloop vehicle at the European Hyperloop […]
September 06, 2024
As rumored before, BMW and Toyota officially announced their deepened partnership in developing a broader range of hydrogen cars on Thursday 5th of September. The first offspring that the collaboration for the next generation of fuel cell technology will bear is a mass-produced BMW FCEV by 2028. “The result of this collaborative effort will be […]
September 06, 2024
MG is beating rivals to the punch in the race for solid-state batteries in electric cars. The company has announced that it will start equipping its electric vehicles with solid-state batteries within twelve months. Speaking at the Chengdu Motor Show in China, Yu Jingmin, executive vice president of Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC), MG’s parent […]
September 06, 2024
Lynk & Co, the Swedish-Chinese sister brand to Zeekr, Volvo, and Polestar, is going fully electric with the in July newly revealed Z10, a five-meter-long luxury sedan with a pure electric range of over 800 km. Presented first in Gothenburg, Sweden, it now debuts in China, with prices starting at 202,800 yuan (€25,733) to 288,800 […]
September 04, 2024
In Flamanville, France, electricity producer EDF has been able to start up a new nuclear power plant, Flamanville 3, after a 12-year delay. However, it will take another three months before the first electricity is pumped into the French grid. Flamanville 3 is France’s 57th nuclear reactor and, with 1,600 megawatts, will be the most […]
September 03, 2024
Researchers from the SLAC-Stanford Battery Center, linked to Californian Stanford University, have found that using high currents for the first charging after the battery’s production can improve its lifespan by 50 to 70%. At first glance, this might contradict the general belief that charging EV batteries frequently at ‘superchargers’ shortens their lifespan. However, it could […]
August 30, 2024
It’s been a long runner-up toward the official release of Smart’s largest and most advanced model. After the showstopper concept at the Beijing Autoshow and the leaked images from the Chinese regulator, Smart has now cleared the official pictures and specifications on the #5. The all-electric SUV hits the heart of the electric car market, […]
August 30, 2024
Several environmental organizations are suing the European Commission for not imposing sufficiently strict CO2 standards on member states under the 2015 Paris Agreement on global warming. First and foremost, they are calling for fossil-fuel-powered planes and ships to be removed from the EU’s list of sustainable investments, which they say is an example of greenwashing. […]
August 28, 2024
Sources familiar with the matter said on Tuesday that Toyota Motor Corp. and BMW AG will expand their tie-up in fuel cell vehicle (FCEV) operations in a bid to increase the competitiveness of their hydrogen-powered cars. Under the deeper partnership, which is due to be announced on September 5th, Toyota will provide key components, such […]
August 27, 2024
The Belgian public railroad company NMBS/SNCB will call for tenders this fall for the rollout of a large network of charging stations in its station car parks, reports the business newspaper De Tijd/L’Echo. The NMBS/SNCB charging station network is not extensive at the moment. The railroad company has 522 stations with parking facilities totaling 75,000 […]
August 27, 2024
After thirteen weeks of hard work, the Belgian Solar Team has arrived in South Africa to participate in the world’s most extreme Solar Challenge. In October 2023, they became world champions with their solar car, the Infinite, in the World Solar Challenge in Australia. Now, they’re ambitious to win the world’s most extreme challenge. The […]
August 26, 2024
Neta has officially launched the S Kombi, an all-electric estate made in China. It is offered in both range extender and full-electric versions. In the wake of the launch, the company announced that the 800-volt version would be built around the platform by battery manufacturer CATL. Despite its practical estate style, Neta has no plans […]
August 23, 2024
It seems that Opel’s UK department, Vauxhall, doesn’t agree with John Cleese’s opinion that wordplay is the lowest form of humor. Because by presenting the Mokka Cofe-e, the brand has taken the name of its car model very literally. Carmakers like to fool around once in a while. When some clever marketeer found out that […]
August 22, 2024
Zeekr, Geely’s luxury electric car spin-off, has announced it will introduce a hybrid flagship to its line-up starting next year. Zeekr CEO Andy An confirmed the shift to combustion engine technology. It’s a watershed decision as the brand’s focus has been exclusively on battery electric vehicles until now. The trend of hybridized drivelines gaining more […]
August 19, 2024
Swedish electric foiling boat start-up Candela has hooked a big fish by selling eight of its P-12 foiling shuttles to Saudi Arabia, which can accommodate 20 to 30 passengers, for Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s NEOM project. It’s the most significant commercial order in Candela’s history. The first batch of eight vessels will be delivered […]
August 19, 2024
According to data from South Korean market watcher SNE Research, hydrogen car sales are dropping fast worldwide. Fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) experienced a marked decline in the first half of 2024, with sales falling by 34.1% compared to last year. The challenges for the FCEV industry keep growing. SNE Research says only 5,621 hydrogen […]
August 19, 2024
Lamborghini’s plan to become the first sports car brand with an entirely electrified line-up went live at the prestigious Monterey Car Week 2024, where the brand launched the Temerario. This all-new entry-level sports car replaces the Huracán. It aims to combine higher performance and higher sustainability with a plug-in hybrid driveline. Following the introduction of […]
August 16, 2024
While Mercedes is fully concentrated on launching the all-electric G-Class EV, the engineers from Arcade Cars are feasting on a throwback to the seventies. The London firm unveiled a GE230 featuring no tailpipe emissions through the conversion to battery power. But old habits die hard. The all-electric G-Class, officially known as the G580 with EQ […]
August 14, 2024
Geely daughter Zeekr, sister company to Lynk & Co and Volvo, claims a new record for its updated 2024 Zeekr 007 sedan with the ‘Golden Battery’, which can charge from 10 to 80% in 10.5 minutes—4.5 minutes faster than the first generation. It says its in-house developed ‘Golden Brick Battery’ is the world’s fastest-charging mass-produced […]
August 13, 2024
BMW has enhanced its brand apps, My BMW and MINI App, with a new Electric Vehicle Analysis function allowing customers who drive a BMW with a combustion engine to simulate how well an all-electric BMW would suit their driving profile. In other words, accurate data to cure its petrol heads’ range anxiety. The setup is […]
August 13, 2024
In an interview with the German newspaper Der Welt, Volkswagen Group CEO Oliver Blume has strongly supported the European Union’s planned ban on combustion engines by 2035. Blume affirmed that electric mobility is the clear path forward for the automotive industry and emphasized a niche role for e-fuels. In the interview, Blume aligned himself with […]
August 12, 2024
Scientists at Oxford University Physics Department have developed a revolutionary solar power-generating coating that can be applied on everyday objects from buildings over car bodies like future EVs to ‘wearables ‘ like a backpack or even your cellphone’s back. There is no need for silicon-based solar panels anymore, and it’s even more efficient. The technique […]
August 09, 2024
As a world-first global offshore wind leader, Ørsted has successfully deployed heavy cargo drones for operational work in the Netherlands. These emission-free drones replace the costly, more polluting ships that usually fit the bill. The launch is a pat on the back for offshore renewable energy production reaching net zero. Following successful tests at the […]
August 09, 2024
As a strong advocate for hydrogen mobility, Japanese carmaker Toyota faces headwinds over how it promotes and deploys the Mirai. The company has to deal with several lawsuits in California, while a group of scientists wrote an open letter asking to replace the vehicle as the official Olympic Games car. Hydrogen isn’t without merits, but […]
August 08, 2024
The new Fiat Grande Panda was unveiled nearly two months ago. However, most of us missed its most brilliant feature. Behind the Fiat logo on the front fascia of the electric crossover hides an integrated charging cable that comes out like on a vacuum cleaner. The electric Grande Panda is the first, but it won’t […]
August 07, 2024
Schiphol Airport is the first worldwide to test a hydrogen-powered Ground Power Unit (GPU). The H2-GPU can power KLM Cityhopper aircraft on-site, for example, for lighting and power in the cockpit. These new GPUs are more environmentally friendly than battery-based and diesel GPUs. The test is part of the TULIPS partnership initiated by Schiphol and […]
August 07, 2024
The BMW Group is experimenting with humanoid robots in a real production environment in its plant in Spartanburg, US. The latest generation of robots, ‘Figure 02’, made by the Californian robotics company Figure, has been successfully tested in the production unit. Both partners collaborate to prepare the robots for future production applications and continue developing […]
August 07, 2024
Engineers from the famous Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston have found a method for creating pure hydrogen at sea that might become an interesting new path for greening the shipping industry. The technique uses recycled aluminum from soda cans, seawater, and… caffeine. The engineers estimate that just 1 gram of aluminum would generate […]
August 06, 2024
According to CNEVPost, the German premium car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz has been given the go-ahead to test Level 4 (L4) autonomous vehicles in Beijing, following approval for L3 testing in the Chinese capital city late last year. To our knowledge Mercedes is one of the few manufacturers to have obtained the permission to use Level 3 […]
August 06, 2024
Samsung is upping the stakes in the race to commercialize solid-state batteries. At the SNE Battery Day 2024 event in Seoul, South Korea, the tech company announced that its pilot production line is now fully operational, with plans to transform into mass production by 2027. Early customers have already returned feedback on their solid-state oxide […]
August 06, 2024
According to a media report, a mid-size SUV will follow shortly after the new CLA four-door Mercedes, which is set to launch soon. This X174 model (internal codename) should be on the market at the end of 2025 and is labeled as ‘a Tesla Model Y fighter’. The news comes from Automotive News, which cites […]
August 05, 2024
As is commonly known, freezing cold temperatures affect an EV’s range. But how do extreme summer temperatures affect its battery capacity? When temperatures rise to 38 degrees Celcius, like in Southern Europe, that can shorten your range by 31%, an ongoing study by American Recurrent Motors Inc. shows, using data from 7,500 live connected cars. […]
August 02, 2024
The difficult car market leaves deep traces in the supplier sector, with a large failure round plaguing the companies involved. Big names like seat maker Recaro and wheel forger BBS filed for bankruptcy this week, while French supplier Valeo and German counterpart ZF are facing heavy restructuring strategies. Bracing for the new automotive era comes […]
July 30, 2024
Dutch paints company AkzoNobel’s Resicoat brand has developed innovative powder coating technology that provides improved electrical protection for electric vehicle (EV) battery systems in just one spray. There’s a growing demand in the EV market for coatings with a high dielectric strength to help increase the safety of battery systems. AkzoNobel’s Powder Coatings business has […]
July 30, 2024
Chinese premium carmaker NIO has officially rounded the cape of 2,500 Power Swap Stations (PPS), of which 2,454 are located in China and 51 in Europe. Besides some local minor projects from Californian start-up Ample, NIO is the only one offering swappable batteries in Europe. But currently, only for its own models. However, NIO has […]
July 30, 2024
Europe’s biggest carmaker, Volkswagen, is investing one billion dollars in American electric van and pickup specialist Rivian and promising another $4 billion in the coming years. The German Federal Cartel Office has also given the deal the green light. For loss-making Rivian, losing up to $39,000 per car it produced, it’s a lifeline. For VW, […]
July 29, 2024
Daimler Truck kicked off real-world customer trials with its fuel cell truck last week in Germany with Air Products, Amazon, Holcim, INEOS, and Wiedmann & Winz. The five Merceds-Benz GenH2 Trucks will be deployed in different long-haul applications on specific routes in Germany, such as transporting building materials, sea containers, or cylinder gases. The trucks […]
July 29, 2024
German automotive supplier ZF Friedrichshafen AG will cut 11 to 14,000 jobs from its current domestic workforce of 54,000 by 2028 “to respond to the changes in the mobility sector, particularly in electromobility.” That will be “difficult but necessary,” ZF CEO Holger Klein said in a statement last week. In the future, its German locations […]
July 25, 2024
Farizon, Geely’s commercial vehicle brand, has unveiled its ‘Black Tortoise Battery’. It’s a battery pack specially designed for light commercial vehicles, with a low pack height and, more importantly, a long-lasting service life of ten years, or the equivalent of 800,000 km. This new battery pack will be introduced to Farizon’s V7E and V6E models, […]
July 24, 2024
Chinese lithium-ion battery cell maker Farasis Energy, which supplies Geely, Mercedes-Benz, and Turkish Togg, among others, claims to have successfully achieved durable NMC cells for a million-mile (1.6 million km) battery in lab testing. Battery packs using these cells can last a million miles over 15 years while retaining over 70% of their capacity, even […]
July 24, 2024
Kodiak, a US-based start-up specializing in autonomous driving tech for heavy trucks, has made its first real-world driverless delivery by hauling a load of sand for Atlas Energy Solutions on dirt roads in West Texas. By early next year, these driverless trucks should do these sand runs 24/7. Kodiak was founded in 2018 by Don […]
July 24, 2024
From now on, season ticket holders of the Flemish public transport company De Lijn can register their boarding or transfer digitally. This means that bus or streetcar passengers who have registered their ride or transfer in advance on busy lines no longer have to queue to scan their MOBIB card with the driver. User surveys […]
July 24, 2024
German carmaker Volkswagen and Chinese partner Xpeng are broadening their collaboration on an electric vehicle platform for China. Their development will be used on specific Chinese market cars as well as models based on VW’s MEB platform. In April, both partners announced that Xpeng’s in-house developed E/E Architecture (integrated software and hardware) would be integrated […]
July 22, 2024
What Apple failed to accomplish is building its own electric car, Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi excels in doing so by building the world’s fastest four-door car ever, the SU7 Ultra. Imagine going from 0 to 200 km/h in 5.96 seconds. This is a Porsche Taycan-sized ultra-version of the SU7 that is on sale in China […]
July 22, 2024
On Friday, a computer glitch caused many problems at airports worldwide. From Sydney over Dubai to Berlin, nearly 4,300 aircraft had to be grounded, with the US, Britain, India, and Australia particularly affected. In Belgium, the damage from the computer malfunction remained relatively limited, with delayed flights at Brussels Airport—courtesy of the old computer system. […]
July 19, 2024
It looks like a boxy mini-Jeep, fully electric and ready to take on the sandy beach. It could wear a Jeep batch, but it isn’t a Jeep. However, if interest is high, it might as well become one. It is a design concept by French designer Emmanual Klissarov based on Citroën’s Ami 8 EL6 light […]
July 19, 2024
Volvo Cars has partnered with Hubject, a specialist in OEM and charging point interoperability, to enable Plug&Charge compatibility in its fully electric vehicles. The EX90 SUV will become the first Volvo to feature Plug&Charge, with other electric models to follow. Plug&Charge is the official standard that allows electric vehicles to recharge at a charging point […]
July 18, 2024
Renault Trucks’ prototype for a safer, fully electric low-entry delivery truck, Oxygen, is entering a new test phase. After starting trials in Lyon and Paris, the French truck manufacturer has signed a partnership with Dutch supermarket chain Jumbo and its transport supplier SVZ to test the Oxygen prototype in Amsterdam. The Renault Trucks Oxygen is […]
July 18, 2024
After thoroughly testing a stint on the test rig in the lab, BMW’s Startup Garage is now switching to the next step to build in DeepDrive’s revolutionary in-wheel dual motor in different BMW models for road testing. According to BMW, DeepDrive’s innovative concept more or less melds two electric motors into a single unit, creating […]
July 17, 2024
Chinese premium EV maker NIO has opened the 50th Power Swap Station on the Old Continent in Norway, where it started in 2022 its European journey. With those in homeland China, NIO manages 2.493 swapping stations over six markets. For NIO, battery swapping is a USP as it is the only one offering that possibility […]
July 16, 2024
Kia’s Platform Beyond Vehicles (PBV) are coming closer to fruition. From next year, the Korean manufacturer will launch its mid-size electric PV5 van on the European market, which targets a range of around 400 km and which will be available in both passenger and cargo versions. Eventually, a full range of 5 PBVs will be […]
July 16, 2024
BMW’s Digital Key, a smartphone app that allows you to open and start your car without having the official car key fob in your pocket, is the first to get the official worldwide recognized CCC Digital Key™️ certificate. With a secure Digital Key in your Apple or Android wallet on your smartphone, you can unlock […]
July 16, 2024
Volkswagen subsidiary PowerCo wants to industrialize solid-state batteries and use the technology of US specialist QuantumScape. The companies have agreed to “industrialize QuantumScape’s next-generation solid-state lithium-metal battery technology.” The VW battery subsidiary and QuantumScape know each other well. They have had a joint venture since mid-2018, which will now be replaced by the new agreement. […]
July 15, 2024
Just a few days after Chinese-Swedish brand Zeekr unveiled the first pictures of its first luxury large five-seater SUV designed for the mainstream market, the 7X, its specs leaked through the Chinese regulator office that has to approve all new cars. It’s a ‘bruiser’ of an SUV with profound dimensions (4,825/1,930/1,666 mm) and a wheelbase […]
