March 17, 2023
Flemish public transport operator De Lijn continues to face a shortage of drivers. For example, of the 356 drivers De Lijn recruited in 2021, almost a quarter had already left before the end of 2022. So for this year, De Lijn has to look for 900 new drivers all over Flanders. In general, you can […]
March 17, 2023
The French oil and gas concern TotalEnergies sells all its gas stations in Germany and the Netherlands – almost 1 600 – to Alimentation Couche-Tard, the Canadian multinational operator of convenience stores, offering a wide variety of products for people on the go. In Belgium and Luxembourg, TotalEnergies is the market leader with 619 gas […]
March 17, 2023
Tesla is putting the bricks into place to ramp up production in its Grünheide facility, close to Berlin, to 1 million cars annually. An environmental application has been filed to double the permitted output of today. Currently, the German plant churns out 4 000 units of Model Y per week. But according to the original […]
March 17, 2023
In its Antwerp hub, DHL Belgium took delivery of its first batch of electric vans. It’s the first step in the company’s goal to deploy an entire zero-emission fleet by 2030. The choice for the Ford e-Transit is no coincidence. DHL was a partner during the product development phase. The hundred zero-emission e-Transit models won’t […]
March 17, 2023
Lithium de France, a subsidiary of the French group Arverne, has raised 44 million in funds for the explorations to build its first well. The company, based in Bischwiller (Bas-Rhin), near Strasbourg, will develop two synergistic projects around geothermal heat and green lithium in northern Alsace. The two main investors in the fund Equinox Ventures, […]
March 17, 2023
At Audi AG’s annual media conference, CEO Markus Duesmann and CFO Jürgen Rittersberger addressed the key financials for the 2022 fiscal year and focused on strategic decision-making, holistic sustainability, and the upcoming model initiative. Markus Duesmann: “Even here in Germany, we are feeling the impact of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine quite directly […]
March 16, 2023
BMW plans at least six model launches within 24 months for the ‘New Class’ electric cars from 2025 onward. To this end, additional plants are to be converted for the production of these electric cars. More concrete information on the platform and the first models will be available in September. Electric cars based on the […]
March 16, 2023
Eight out of ten young people in Flanders are in favor of zero tolerance for alcohol behind the wheel. Almost 17% do not support such a proposal. That is what a survey by mobility organization VAB revealed. Earlier this month, the European Commission proposed a total alcohol ban for new drivers. Novice drivers should not […]
March 16, 2023
Tesla has implemented the first batch of V4 Superchargers in Harderwijk, the Netherlands, which offers improved compatibility with a wider range of vehicles thanks to a longer charging cable and the ability to offer up to 1 000 V and a theoretical 615 kW of electricity. Tesla has been gradually improving their Supercharger fast-charging stations, […]
March 16, 2023
Between 2019 and today, the Flemish government added 234 average speed checks on 136 locations. This year, another 194 controls are planned on 109 locations. According to Flemish Mobility Minister Lydia Peeters (Open Vld), they’re a “concrete and effective measure to reduce the number of accidents”. Excessive speed is one of the biggest killers in […]
March 16, 2023
Eighteen-years-old who would like to spend a summer traveling through more than 30 European countries with a free rail pass can bid for one of the 35 000 tickets on offer from the European Commission until 29 March. Indeed, since 2018, the European Commission has been launching its spring call for free train travel across […]
March 16, 2023
Volkswagen has just presented the ID.2all concept. The long-expected low-cost ID.2 also previews VW’s new design language. The series ID.2. scheduled for 2025 will be “as spacious as a Golf, as inexpensive as a Polo”. The target price lies below €25 000. At the same time, VW announces it will further accelerate its electrification strategy. […]
March 15, 2023
The new BMW head-up display is called BMW Panoramic Vision and represents the reinterpretation of the BMW driver orientation “eyes on the road, hands on the wheel” in the ‘Neue Klasse’. BMW is developing an entirely new technological platform for the ‘Neue Klasse’, whose name refers to the company’s pioneering models of the 1960s. This […]
March 15, 2023
About one in 40 train passengers chooses a seat in first class on a Belgian railway company train. This resulted in an added value of 35,1 million euros for NMBS/SNCB last year, says Mobility Minister Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo). According to the minister, about 2,5% of all travelers take a seat in a first-class carriage (2% […]
March 15, 2023
Global warming is causing more and more extreme weather conditions. According to the Dutch weather and climate institute KNMI (Koninklijk Nederlands Meteorologisch Instituut), 2022 was the driest and sunniest year ever registered since the beginning of the measuring. According to KNMI’s latest report, ‘The State of our Climate’, the summer of 2022 got 17% more […]
March 15, 2023
The planned connection between the Belgian and Danish energy islands will be delayed. The Danish authorities estimate that the project will be finalized by 2033 and not in 2030. Nevertheless, Minister for Energy Tinne Van der Straeten (Groen) is planning a meeting with her (new) Danish colleague Lars Aagaard (Moderates) to shorten that period. Denmark […]
March 15, 2023
Hyundai Doosan Infracore (HDI), the manufacturer of heavy machinery and construction equipment, has developed a hydrogen combustion engine. Not for passenger vehicle use but for commercial vehicles, construction equipment, and power generators. The 11-liter unit will be ready for mass production by 2025. HDI has completed the design of its hydrogen combustion engine for commercial […]
March 15, 2023
Kia is joining the category of luxurious seven-seater SUVs with the EV9, set to debut later this month. In the wake of the full release, the Korean carmaker shared the first model pictures and some info. Though Kia already has a few battery-powered models, like the Niro EV and the Soul EV, the EV9 is […]
March 15, 2023
Dutch fast-charger company Fastned announced it has won a tender for building two large fast-charging plazas with 12 chargers each along the E17 highway in Gentbrugge (Belgium). As a first, Fastned will be able to equip the EV-charging-only resting area with coffee and sandwich shops, restrooms, and a child playground. The E17 is a crucial […]
March 15, 2023
With still a few months before its official launch, BMW has released more details on the all-new 5 Series. As a segment first, the all-electric i5 will be available as an estate. And the brand’s performance department will also have its take on the battery-powered version. In an official statement on its website, BMW has […]
March 15, 2023
Last year, the Flemish public transport company De Lijn received 135 reports of sexually transgressive behavior on vehicles or at stops. That is 45 more than the 90 reports in 2021, an increase thus of 50%. This is according to figures requested by Flemish MP Katrien Schryvers (CD&V). Most of the 135 reports (78) were […]
March 15, 2023
In the next five years, two-thirds of VW Group’s investments will be turned to electric and connected cars. The Group foresees €122 billion in investments in electrification, 68% of its total investment portfolio of €180 billion. The latter is also heightened by 13% compared to earlier multi-annual plans of the Group. At the same time, […]
March 14, 2023
Brussels Expo and photovoltaic cell provider EnergyVision put more than 11 000 solar panels into use on Monday. With a capacity of 4,7 MWp, Brussels Expo has become one of the largest solar farms in the Brussels Region. Previously, that honor was reserved for the Gare Maritime and the surrounding buildings. The solar system’s construction […]
March 14, 2023
The die is cast: the so-called ‘three-country train’ will finally be welcome on Belgian territory. As of December, the train will connect three countries: every hour, a train will run between Liège (Belgium), Maastricht (the Netherlands), and Aachen (Germany). The plans for the three-country train – a Dutch initiative – go back to 2016, when […]
March 14, 2023
Vilvoorde Viaduct is to undergo a major renovation that will take some eight years to carry out. Flemish Minister of Mobility and Public Works Lydia Peeters (Open VLD) has announced this. The viaduct, one of the busiest traffic points in Western Europe with an average of about 150 000 vehicles passing over it every day, […]
March 14, 2023
Porsche’s performance grew by 13% last year. As the sports carmaker managed revenue of 37,6 billion euros, it saw figures rising to a record high thanks to increasing demand and a growing interest for more exclusive personalized models. As a result, profit came in at 6.,8 billion euros. Porsche sold 309 884 units last year. […]
March 14, 2023
The 16-ton electric Volta Zero from Swedish start-up Volta Trucks has received its European Whole Vehicle Type Approval, which means it can be sold in Europe and that it’s finalized for production. Series production of the Volta Zero is expected to begin soon, with an “early Q2 2023” deadline set by the company. Volta Trucks […]
March 14, 2023
Japanese carmaker Mitsubishi, the third partner in the Renault-Nissan Alliance, has presented its mid-term strategy, including the rollout of sixteen new models in the next five years, of which ni.’ ‘xEVs’. For Mitsubishi, the latter means a mix of BEVs, HEVs, and PHEVs with four fully battery-electric models in the pipeline. These four include an […]
March 14, 2023
After Poland and Italy, a third EU member state, Germany, rejected the EU’s Parliament’s decision to ban ICE cars by 2035. Inside the German government, there is a serious disagreement between the liberal FDP party and the Green party, both members of the government coalition. The German Digital and Transport Minister Volker Wissing has blocked […]
March 14, 2023
BMW and Volkswagen have reduced the prices of their EVs in China significantly. This comes after several carmakers (Mercedes and Tesla among them) have started offering their electric cars for less to increase sales and reduce inventory in the country. The Volkwagen joint ventures FAW-Volkswagen and SAIC Volkswagen are lowering the prices of their ID. […]
March 13, 2023
Flemish Mobility Minister, Lydia Peeters (Open Vld), wants to install solar panels on the unused land of The Agency for Roads and Traffic (Agentschap Wegen en Verkeer, AWV) to generate renewable energy and reduce AWV’s high electricity bill. The last invoice amounted to no less than 45 million euros. The energy will mainly be used […]
March 13, 2023
NIO is planning to launch the shooting brake model of its ET5 sedan, developed for Europe, where estate cars are still popular, in June or July of this year. It appeared in a regulatory directory in China announcing the latest batch of models that will be allowed to be sold. Qin Lihong, co-founder and president […]
March 13, 2023
Today, one in 500 Belgian employees has a mobility budget (MOB). Their number almost doubled in one year: from 0,10% in 2021 to 1,18% in 2022. With the federal mobility budget, employees exchange their (right to a) company car for a budget they can use to organize their own mobility sustainably. Given the limited absolute […]
March 13, 2023
On the Van Praet roundabout, part of a major approach road in the north of Brussels, there will be a sculpture of an old locomotive in the shape of a whale. The ‘Moby Train’ sculpture is a reference to the nearby Train World Museum and should be there by 2026 when public railway company NMBS/SNCB […]
March 13, 2023
Mercedes plans the rollout of its own high-speed charging network. Called HiPower, North American customers will be served first with 20 fast charging plazas, but other major markets, like Europe and China, will follow. The first charging plazas in Europe will be built in Germany and France starting in Q4 of this year, the boss […]
March 10, 2023
A new study by the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (Institut für Energie- und Umweltforschung, IFEU), commissioned by Transport & Environment (T&E) reveals that the European Union wastes millions of hectares of fertile cropland for the production of biofuels. Crops for biofuels consumed in Europe require 9,6 Mha of land – an area larger […]
March 10, 2023
A small group of defective or fraudulent vehicles is responsible for many harmful emissions in the Belgian port area. This is according to a study by the Port of Antwerp-Bruges that used ‘remote sensing’ to measure emissions from passing vehicles in and around the port. Based on such measurements, the researchers estimated that a truck […]
March 10, 2023
The energy-intensive process of producing green hydrogen (made from renewable electricity) is one obstacle hampering fuel cell vehicles’ development. But according to the German newspaper Der Spiegel, scientists are collaborating to exploit white hydrogen. Under this label, the energy carrier is sourced from underneath the earth’s crust. Naturally occurring hydrogen can be found in the […]
March 10, 2023
Although nowhere to find in the official PR communication, some tech tidbits are leaking from BMW via British car magazine Autocar about a beefed-up MINI Cooper Electric, due in 2024. The MINI hatch, rebaptized Cooper, will get bigger batteries than the current 32.6 kWh to stretch the range beyond the somewhat limited 234 km (WLTP) […]
March 10, 2023
The MIUNIK Salt concept from German design firm ID Design is a lightweight, maneuverable, and practical electric motorcycle. It is built on a modular platform and intended for the urban dweller. The vehicle’s aim is to provide a multi-faceted user experience thanks to a very deliberate design that can be mixed and matched to suit […]
March 10, 2023
The European Commission decided on Thursday that individual member states are temporarily allowed to support local industries developing green technologies. The move answers protectionist measures in the United States and China. Among other carmakers, the Volkswagen Group awaited this approval to decide on its battery plant in Poland. As Europe fears that its multinationals will […]
March 10, 2023
The BMW Group met its forecasted financial targets for 2022 and delivered a solid operating performance in a difficult business environment. The premium manufacturer significantly increased Group EBT (€ 23,5 billion/ +46,4%) and net profit (€ 18,6 billion/ +49,1%) from the previous year, despite a decrease in sales (-4,8%). This positive development can be attributed […]
March 09, 2023
The construction of rush-hour lanes on the E313 between Beringen and Ham (Limburg) in the direction of Antwerp will start on Friday. Temporary road signs will be installed, and the actual works at exit complex 25a Tessenderlo will start on Saturday. Entrances and exits in Tessenderlo toward Antwerp will be renewed before the summer. The […]
March 09, 2023
The punctuality of trains of Belgium’s public rail company NMBS/SNCB was again lower in February than a year earlier. If canceled trains are included, punctuality was 82,4%. That means more than one in six trains were running with at least six minutes delay or were abolished. Punctuality figures published on the open data website of […]
March 09, 2023
The Belgian marine engineering companies DEME and Jan De Nul and engineering office Tractebel have jointly developed new floating solar technology capable of operating in harsh marine conditions. This summer, they will set up a test installation off the Belgian coast for experiments. SEAVOLT, as the project is called, combines the expertise of solar, environmental, […]
March 09, 2023
A survey from RTL/N-TV is throwing more oil on the fire in Germany, as the country is currently obstructing the final vote on the de facto ban for combustion engines as of 2035. With only 14% in favor, national enthusiasm for the European deal is low. The probe unveiled that 68% of the German population […]
March 09, 2023
Brussels Mobility plans to start the redevelopment of Avenue Lambermont and General Wahis in the second half of 2024. Together with Auguste Reyers Avenue, which is being redesigned as a city boulevard, the two avenues form the Schaerbeek section of the Brussels Central Ring (R21). The public service has now applied for planning permission for […]
March 08, 2023
In January and February, 1 004 more new speed pedelecs have already been registered than in the same period of 2022. Sales are also on the rise in the second-hand market. So reports mobility federation TRAXIO. According to TRAXIO, speed pedelecs are selling well thanks to companies and leasing companies. Private individuals are also expected […]
March 08, 2023
The focus of the Oosterweel works this year will be on the Right Bank of the river Scheldt. The first utility works in Antwerp are underway, but this autumn, both the construction of the bypass, temporarily replacing the Merksem viaduct, and the construction of the channel tunnels under the Albert Canal will start. In recent […]
March 08, 2023
VinGroup, the owner of the Vietnamese EV brand Vinfast, has kickstarted a new subsidiary focusing on renting electric cars and e-scooters and offering taxi services. Giving its own twist to the hype of mobility users, the holding claims it will be the first multi-platform green transport rental and taxi service. VinGroup Chairman Pham Nhat Vuong […]
March 08, 2023
A Republican senator from Florida has suggested limiting the use of electric vehicles during hurricane evacuations, arguing that the charging infrastructure is not ready yet and that EVs with empty batteries could become roadblocks in critical locations. However, others are not as worried or offer alternative solutions instead. Florida is a high-risk area for hurricanes, […]
March 08, 2023
Chinese car manufacturer Xiaopeng has unveiled the facelift of the P7, its Tesla Model 3 competitor. The new version of the electric sedan will be called P7i in China, although the European name will remain unchanged. A LiDAR system, better performance, and faster charging are new for the facelift. The XPeng P7 was released in […]
March 08, 2023
Women’s lifestyles are less polluting than men’s, but the ‘fair sex’ is more often the victim of climate change. That is the remarkable conclusion of an economist consulted by the French international news agency AFP. A nice little tidbit to reveal on March 8th, International Women’s Day, focusing on issues such as gender (in)equality. “Even […]
March 08, 2023
In the port of Esbjerg, the first ship with captured CO2 from Belgium arrived to store the carbons in a depleted oil field in the Danish part of the North Sea. Called the Greensand project, this is considered the first cross-border offshore CO2 storage project in the world. With the incoming CO2 from the port […]
March 08, 2023
The Egyptian manufacturer, Manufacturing Commercial Vehicles (MCV), is entering the continental European market. The OEM has developed a bus specifically for clients in Germany and has already founded a subsidiary, MCV Deutschland GmbH, for sales, after-sales, and services. The official presentation of the integral, fully electric twelve-meter low-floor bus will take place in March at […]
March 08, 2023
Automotive supplier Onsemi will also use its silicon carbide technology in BMW electric cars in the future. The US semiconductor manufacturer has signed a long-term supply agreement (LTSA) with BMW to use its EliteSiC silicon carbide power module in the manufacturer’s future electric cars. The US semiconductor specialist did not specify the exact number of […]
March 07, 2023
More than two-thirds (68%) of lithium-ion battery production planned for Europe is at risk of being delayed, scaled down, or canceled, a new analysis of Transport & Environment (T&E) shows. Tesla in Berlin, Northvolt in northern Germany, and Italvolt near Turin are among the projects that stand to lose the greatest volumes of their slated […]
March 07, 2023
On Monday, Hyundai Motor Company held a digital world premiere to unveil the all-new Kona, an upscaled multiplayer in the B-SUV segment, led by an all-electric variant (EV) that offers advanced safety and convenience features and class-leading range, according to the manufacturer. Potential customers can choose from EV (standard or long range), hybrid, internal combustion […]
March 07, 2023
Urban.brussels has granted an urban development certificate to Brussels Mobility to create a city boulevard on Auguste Reyers Avenue, an arterial road in Schaerbeek where the public broadcasters VRT and RTBF are located. So reports Brussels State Secretary for Urban Planning Pascal Smet (one.brussels-Vooruit). Reyers Avenue will be reconstructed from facade to facade between Meiser […]
March 07, 2023
Wyclef Jean, of Fugees fame, has launched the Attucks Apex AP-0 at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance in Florida. The AP-0 is touted as the world’s lightest electric supercar, although it’s not the first time the car has been launched. Back in 2020, a new car company called Apex revealed the AP-0 concept EV sports […]
