December 12, 2022
The Flemish Finance Minister Mathias Diependaele (N-VA) was brooding on it for a long time. Now the Flemish government has taken the plunge: gas-guzzling pickups will no longer benefit from ridiculously low taxes from January 1st, 2023. At least, this will apply to privately used pickups, not to professionals. For a new Dodge Ram V8, […]
December 09, 2022
“We failed,” say Jona Christians and his friend Laurin Hahn, the co-founders and CEOs of German Sono Motors, who laid the foundation for the company’s first vehicle, the Sion solar car, in a garage in Munich in 2016. In a remarkable campaign, they call up to at least 3 500 of the 21 000 holders […]
December 09, 2022
The compact Atto 3 full-electric SUV, just launched on the European markets by China’s biggest EV maker, BYD, was elected by both the professional and the family jury ‘Family Car of the Year’ in the yearly contest by the Flemish mobility organization VAB. With a total of 63 points, the Atto 3 preceded the Renault […]
December 09, 2022
After the monster of Loch Ness, Scotland now has a beast on wheels that ventures off the beaten track without harming its forest or rocky environment with toxic emissions. The MK1 from Munro is an all-electric all-terrain vehicle unveiled in its final guise. Munro has been teasing its first 4×4 for a while but has […]
December 09, 2022
Volkswagen has released more details on the next generation of the MEB architecture, adding a plus to its name. The company confirms earlier claims that a range of up to 700 kilometers will be possible while DC charging rises to a peak of 200 kW, further shortening the waiting times. The Volkswagen Group builds twelve […]
December 09, 2022
As of 1 January 2023, the current CEO of Renault, Luca de Meo, will take over the presidency of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) from BMW’s CEO, Oliver Zipse, who has held the position for the last two years. The Board of Directors announced that on Friday. Once renewable, the ACEA President is elected […]
December 09, 2022
Delhaize has ambitious plans: next year, the supermarket chain is to install 1 800 public fast-charging stations up to 150 kW for electric vehicles on the parking grounds of its stores. By providing such a large number of charging points – the largest in the retail sector – and making them accessible to everyone 24/7, […]
December 09, 2022
High inflation and the rising cost of raw materials and components are reversing the trend of decreasing prices for battery packs in EVs. According to data from BloombergNEF, the average price has risen by 7% in a year-to-year comparison. That’s the first time in ten years. Europe copes with the highest prices in the world. […]
December 09, 2022
From January 2024, BMW will roll out the much-debated direct sales ‘agency model’ starting for its MINI customers, followed by the BMW brand itself in 2026. Customers will buy their new car online and have a dealer of their choice deliver it, the latter getting a ‘fair’ share of the profit. No more bargaining at […]
December 09, 2022
The registrations of new motorbikes and second-hand ones scored surprisingly well in November. Last month, 1 093 new motorbikes were registered, an increase of 25,3% compared to last year. However, not enough for a positive annual figure. Speed pedelecs, on the other hand, continue to peak. The annual total over the first eleven months is […]
December 09, 2022
In the port of Ghent, steelmaker ArcelorMittal has inaugurated its ‘Steelanol’ project, which converts gas from its blast furnaces into bioethanol. The project represents an investment of 200 million euros. It is part of the company’s plans to become carbon neutral by 2050. “Our customers are looking for green steel, and we want to lead […]
December 08, 2022
The Flemish Minister for Mobility, Lydia Peeters (Open Vld), is planning to distribute 10 000 additional saliva tests for police control. She wants to step up the fight against drug abuse in traffic. On the federal level, Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne (Open Vld) earlier announced to make 100 000 of such tests available – […]
December 08, 2022
The Chinese car and bus manufacturer BYD (Build Your Dreams) has expressed an interest in building its own car factories in Europe. This move would support its European expansion and overcome issues with getting the cars shipped to our shores in the long term. For now, China’s biggest EV maker will start by buying up […]
December 08, 2022
The city of Antwerp welcomes two new hydrogen-powered municipal waste collection vehicles. A first for Flanders. The vehicles were introduced on Wednesday, December 7th, at the DATS 24 hydrogen filling station in Wilrijk (Antwerp, Belgium). Hydrogen-powered vehicles are very quiet and clean. They’re equipped with an electric motor and a fuel cell and only emit […]
December 08, 2022
France will ban short-haul domestic flights in favor of the train. The country was given the green light by the European Commission to abolish flights between cities if the link by train offers an alternative solution with trips of fewer than 2,5 hours. But Willie Walsh, the Director General of the International Air Transport Association […]
December 08, 2022
Volvo CEO Jim Rowan has confirmed that its new ‘baby EX90’ will be called the EX30 and is set to launch in 2023. To keep costs low, it will be built in China on Geely’s SEA platform, which is also used for the recently-launched Smart models. At the launch of the EX90, the new electric […]
December 08, 2022
A business coalition of 45 companies is calling upon the EU Commission in an open letter to ensure all new freight trucks are zero-emission from 2035. With exceptions until 2040 for so-called ‘vocational trucks’ in niches like construction, mining, and timber industry having specific driving patterns. Among them are big names like Unilever, Henkel, PepsiCo, […]
December 08, 2022
Brussels Airlines is expanding its fleet and offering in preparation for summer 2023. It is also creating more than 200 new jobs. The airline is thus adding five new Airbus A320 neo aircraft to its fleet, reducing its carbon footprint. Most of the additional jobs are flying personnel, some of whom are already being trained. […]
December 08, 2022
Flanders’ proactive approach to tackling unsafe traffic situations appears to be successful, and the first results are visible. Flemish Minister for Mobility Lydia Peeters (Open Vld) intends to use new technology to preventively improve traffic safety. Last year, Minister Peeters introduced the MIA approach, a new and inventive way to tackle unsafe traffic situations. MIA […]
December 07, 2022
Advocating the use of hydrogen in combustion engines to decarbonize racing, the Japanese car giant is now also trialing the technology in the family-oriented Corolla Cross. The concept is currently undergoing winter and digital testing in Japan. The H2 concept version of the Corolla Cross uses the same technology as the previously unveiled GR Yaris. […]
December 07, 2022
The extensive e-shared network in the Antwerp region is as good as completed. Indeed, after Antwerp, the orange bikes of the Danish company Donkey Republic will be extended to the Waasland region in East Flanders. In this way, some 36 cities and municipalities are participating in the network today. According to Beveren Mayor Marc Van […]
December 07, 2022
Mercedes-Benz continues to realign its global production network toward electric vehicles. That is why the company and employee representatives have agreed on the significant expansion of the production capacities for electric drive units. According to the agreement, the previously planned capacities will be doubled. In the target scenario, one million electric drive units can be […]
December 07, 2022
As promised, the Vietnamese car manufacturer VinFast has opened its first two stores in Cologne (Germany) and Paris (France). However, the cars have been delayed to 2023 due to chip shortages affecting the launch. VinFast has officially kicked off its European endeavor with the first stores in Cologne and Paris, located in “high-visibility corners” in […]
December 07, 2022
Commercial Vehicle Charging Europe, the joint venture formed in July 2022 by the Volvo Group, Daimler Truck, and Traton Group, announced on Monday that it begins operating its fast-charging network for heavy trucks, buses, and coaches under the brand name Milence. Milence will initially focus on charging locations in the Netherlands, Germany, France, Belgium, Spain, […]
December 06, 2022
Chinese MG finally has a price tag in Belgium, starting at €30 785 for the Standard version with a 51 kWh battery, 125 kW (170 pk), and a WLTP range of 350 km. The Comfort version with 64 KWh battery and 150 kW (204 pk ) getting you 450 km far is listed at € […]
December 06, 2022
European aircraft giant Airbus believes in hydrogen to propel aviation in the future. It solemnly pledged to have an H2 airplane commercially ready by 2035. The hydrogen-powered fuel cell engine showed last week could be the ideal solution for planes for mid-haul flights with up to 100 passengers and a range of 1 000 nautical […]
December 06, 2022
For the first time since January, sales figures for the second-hand car market were positive in November, Traxio announced. Last month, 53 996 used cars were registered, 1,9% more than in 2021. Still, the second-hand market remains down -9,8%, with a cumulative loss of -64 261 vehicles compared to last year. Volkswagen is still the […]
December 06, 2022
Air France-KLM is to buy 800 000 tons of non-fossil Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) over ten years from TotalEnergies to meet its environmental objectives. The two companies signed on Monday a memorandum of understanding for this, starting in 2023. The fuel will be produced by TotalEnergies in its biorefineries and made available to Air France-KLM […]
December 06, 2022
A new boss comes with a new set of laws. With Oliver Blume now in charge of the Volkswagen Group, his management team has sent the prestigious Trinity model back to the drawing board. But unfortunately, they weren’t happy with the original design proposal. As a flagship model, the Trinity was supposed to hit the […]
December 06, 2022
Due to the energy crisis, electricity outages may be possible in some European cities this winter. In France, struggling with its supply as several nuclear plants are out of service, public transport considers all scenarios to avoid stranding passengers, including electricity cut-offs. Although the metro system will be spared a power cut this winter, trams […]
December 06, 2022
Volvo has overhauled the powertrains of the all-electric C40 and XC40 Recharge. As a result, the models get more range while the Single Motor model switches from front to rear-wheel drive. Whether the Polestar 2, using the same technical building blocks, follows suit isn’t clear at this point. The architecture is changing the motor type […]
December 06, 2022
The global energy crisis has triggered an unprecedented acceleration in installations of renewable power, reports the International Energy Agency (IEA). Energy security concerns caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have motivated countries to increasingly turn to renewables such as solar and wind to reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels. Prices of the latter have spiked […]
December 05, 2022
France will ban short-haul domestic flights in favor of the train. The country was given the green light by the European Commission to abolish flights between cities if the link by a train offers an alternative solution with trips of fewer than 2,5 hours. When the measure was first announced, it was contested by the […]
December 05, 2022
Toyota showcased a design study for its new CH-R, making the current looks even bolder. Luxury brand Lexus has released more details on its rival for the Tesla Roadster, the Electric Sport, which will be mated to a manual gearbox despite its battery-powered propulsion. Together with the European premiere of the all-electric Toyota bZ Compact SUV […]
December 05, 2022
Stellantis has signed an agreement with French retrofitting specialist Qinomic to investigate the business case of retrofitting EV powertrains to light commercial vehicles (LCVs) to ensure their continued usability within low-emission zones. This could also be interesting for Belgium. No big plans have yet been announced by Stellantis: the partnership with Qinomic merely seeks to […]
December 05, 2022
Car sales in Belgium are getting back on their feet steadily, as registrations are up again in November by +23,4%, according to the latest figures of Febiac, the Belgian car importers federation. And among them, BMW can set up a party, as it leads the rankings both in car sales and motorbike sales, which is […]
December 05, 2022
On Friday, Belgian’s railway company NMBS/SNCB board of directors approved the future management contract. It will now be submitted to the unions for their opinion, with the federal government expected to give the final go-ahead before the end of the year. Many details about the management contract are yet unknown. However, several broad outlines are […]
December 05, 2022
Through its green subsidiary e-Line, German tuner Abt is starting to develop and produce a fuel cell driveline for vans. With daily ranges of 800 kilometers in express logistics not uncommon, it believes hydrogen is the preferred solution to battery-electric. “We see a sensible area of applications for the hydrogen fuel cell in long-distance logistics,” […]
December 05, 2022
The Mercedes EQT is the electric version of the T-Class compact family van, with the same powertrain as the Renault Kangoo E-Tech Electric. Mercedes has given two examples of how the EQT can be used as a leisure vehicle with the Concept Marco Polo and the Marco Polo module. No surprises under the hood of […]
December 05, 2022
After an intensive testing program, BMW has started, as announced earlier, producing a small series of fuel cell iX5 SAVs that will be used as a technology demonstrator for crucial clients in selected regions from spring 2023. The BMW iX5 Hydrogen is being built in the BMW Group’s pilot plant at its Research and Innovation […]
December 02, 2022
Belgian materials specialist Umicore and PowerCo, the battery company of German automotive giant Volkswagen, are to expand their partnership in battery materials. To this end, they are exploring a long-term strategic agreement to supply PowerCo’s future giant electric vehicle plant in North America. Umicore reports this in a press release. Umicore and PowerCo have also […]
December 02, 2022
Toyota will build a hydrogen version of its pickup, Hilux, which will be co-developed with engineers from its Technical Center in Zaventem near Brussels. Using a fuel cell from the hydrogen pinnacle model Mirai, it will be the first model in its genre. Most competitors, like Rivian, Ford, and Tesla, opt for battery power to […]
December 02, 2022
Next year, Flemish Minister for Mobility and Public Works (Open Vld) will invest 2,3 billion euros in 815 projects. In all those projects, three keywords are involved: bicycle, safety, and sustainability. The largest part of the budget is destined for the Agency for Roads and Traffic (Agentschap Wegen en Verkeer, AWV) (€738 million) and the […]
December 02, 2022
Low-cost airline Ryanair has signed an agreement with Shell to supply more sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The oil and gas group will help make SAF more available to the Irish carrier’s fleet at 200 European airports. This mainly concerns Ryanair’s largest bases in Dublin and London Stansted. Ryanair has already partnered with Neste, the world’s […]
December 02, 2022
D’Ieteren keeps expanding its activities in unchartered territory. After the egg-shaped city car, Mircolino, and the newly adopted multi-brand approach for its used car subsidiary, MyWay, the importer of the VW Group brands, is set to open a dealership for Maserati in Antwerp. “With great pleasure, we announce our collaboration with D’Ieteren for the region […]
December 01, 2022
As in some other European cities, including Brussels, the maximum speed limit for cars in Paris will remain 30 instead of 50 km/hour on all roads. The decision of the capital’s mayor and the police prefect has been in place since 30 August 2021 but has now been officially upheld by the Paris administrative court. […]
December 01, 2022
In an unusual partnership, French carmaker Renault and airplane builder Airbus have announced a partnership to develop innovative battery technology. Apart from reducing the weight of the battery packs and looking at solutions for energy management, both companies will cooperate on solid-state development. Instead of joining forces with another carmaker, Renault has chosen one of […]
December 01, 2022
In Jette, in the north of Brussels, the regional agency parking.brussels has opened a new 50-space interchange car park on the grounds of the UZ Brussel. This P+R parking with access control is the first in Brussels under shared management. The Brussels-Capital Region now has eight car parks designated as Park & Rides: Erasmus, Coovi, […]
December 01, 2022
The BMW Group has decided to share its technological expertise with the world. BMW opts for an open-access approach and hopes to start a dialogue with potential partners. The initiative shows an approach that has never been implemented in the automotive industry before. Global trend research allows the company to draw conclusions about future technological […]
December 01, 2022
With a picture of its driverless sci-fi-like electric truck or T-Pod, ‘shot or conveniently Photoshoped (?)’, in front of the iconic Antwerp Port Authority building, the Swedish Einride has announced its official launch in the Benelux. Einride will deliver six fully electric trucks to Belgian beer brewer Ab InBev, which pledges to replace all its […]
December 01, 2022
During the final test sessions for the all-new eSprinter, Mercedes gathered results on the consumption of its zero-emission van. Completing a journey from Untertürkheim to the airport of Münich and back, the van registered a range of 475 kilometers on a single charge. This autonomy corresponds with an average consumption of 21,9 kWh/100 km, which […]
November 30, 2022
Dutch solar car scale-up Lightyear has kicked off production of its Lightyear 0 sedan in Uusikaupunki, southwest of Finland, at contract manufacturer Valmet Automotive. Valmet plans to produce one vehicle per week, for the time being, pushing up production in 2023. The goal is to produce only 946 vehicles of the Lightyear 0, a symbolic […]
November 30, 2022
A locomotive of Belgian rail freight company Lineas carried out a demo run in the Netherlands fully autonomously on Tuesday. In the process, the locomotive also encountered obstacles on the rails, reports Alstom, which is developing the technology. The demonstration, which took place near Breda, concludes a series of tests that are part of a […]
November 30, 2022
Weather forecasters agree: we’re experiencing a ‘Dunkelflaute’. A period of cold and windless weather with a gray sky. As a result, solar panels and wind farms hardly produce any energy; consequently, in the last few days, energy prices have more than doubled. ‘Dunkelflaute’ (dark wind lull) events are characterized by a very dense cloud cover, […]
November 30, 2022
With the first delivery of the Semi scheduled for this Thursday, December 1st, Elon Musk has announced on Twitter that Tesla’s long-haul truck has achieved a 500-mile (800 km) drive with a loaded trailer earlier this week. That would match the initial promises made by Musk back in 2017. As ever, Tesla CEO Elon Musk […]
November 30, 2022
Thirty-five new speed camera posts will be installed on the capital’s roads next year. Brussels Mobility Minister Elke Van den Brandt (Groen) has announced that. According to the minister, 30 poles have been ordered and received. The installation of 17 to 20 radars is planned for 2023 based on the new radar plan. For the […]
November 30, 2022
Applicants and young employees are still interested in a company car. That is what 68% of fleet and mobility managers confirmed in the new Company Car Report organized by Mobia, the mobility federation of Febiac, Traxio, and Renta. According to the questioned managers, 21% of youngsters have a neutral attitude toward the company car, and […]
November 30, 2022
Opel has unveiled the Electric version of the latest Astra, with similar specs to its closely related cousin, the Peugeot e-308. The Opel Astra Electric is available as a hatchback and an estate version, with WLTP ranges of up to 416 km. After launching the PHEV versions of the Astra first, including a sporty Astra […]
November 30, 2022
After getting the final approval of the EU Commission last week, leasing giant ALD Automotive is replenishing its capital to finalize the take-over of this other European leasing giant, Dutch LeasePlan, at a discounted price of €4,5 billion instead of the initial €4,9 billion proposed. Combining both fleets, the companies that will operate under the […]
November 29, 2022
Automotive supplier Continental has introduced its ‘Green Caliper’, a brake caliper and disc designed specifically for EVs. It saves up to five kg of unsprung weight per wheel and further improves efficiency by reducing residual brake force after releasing the pedal. The Green Caliper is designed with EVs in mind and optimizes weight and efficiency […]
