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
What so many commuters, young people, and weekend tourists were looking forward to is threatening to be a hefty blow to rail travelers and a PR thud for Belgian rail company NMBS/SNCB. After all, the public rail company wants to postpone the planned expansion of its offerings, which are scheduled for the end of this […]
September 06, 2024
Renault has unveiled a new concept car that reimagines a classic from its past: the Renault R17 Electric Restomod. Based on the sporty Renault 17 coupé from the 1970s, this modernized electric version was developed in collaboration with French designer Ora Ito. The R17 Electric Restomod is to remain a one-off and will make its […]
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 05, 2024
Volvo, the Swedish car manufacturer owned by the Chinese Geely Group, has announced that it will abandon its ambition to sell only fully electric cars by 2030. Instead, it aims for 90-100% of its global sales to be either pure electric or plug-in hybrids at that time. Volvo attributes the change in policy to a […]
September 05, 2024
It must be no coincidence: just when three French-speaking parties involved in the formation of the Brussels government decided on their own to present a proposal in parliament to postpone the tightening of the emission standard for the low-emission zone (LEZ) in Brussels from the beginning of 2025 to 2027, the non-profit organization Chercheurs d’Air […]
September 05, 2024
Nine years after the dieselgate scandal, the former VW Group CEO Martin Winterkorn finally appeared before a German court Tuesday. He denied all allegations against him and pleaded not guilty. He will make a declaration on Wednesday concerning his involvement. Winterkorn, aged 77, led the VW Group from 2007 to 2015. Under his leadership, the […]
September 05, 2024
Following the larger eTGS and eTGX models, MAN has now electrified its 12-tonne distribution truck to create the eTGL. It features a range of up to 235 km, a payload of up to 6.6 tonnes, and a fast charging time of around 30 minutes. The new MAN eTGL will make its debut at the IAA […]
September 05, 2024
Opel is bringing a hydrogen fuel cell variant of its sizeable electric van, the Movano Electric, to the IAA Transportation in Hannover. It features a range of around 500 km, 5-minute refueling, and no compromise on the payload or cargo capacity. It will be built in-house at Stellantis’ Gliwice plant in Poland. Earlier this year, […]
September 05, 2024
It sways the news headlines: the European car industry is facing one of the most challenging times in its 130-year history: reinventing itself in the much-needed energy transition while facing cutthroat competition from China. Still, EU car production jumped in 2023, nearing 15 million vehicles—nearly two million more than the previous year. China is the […]
September 04, 2024
Kia has unveiled the EV3, a new compact SUV with electric drive. The 4.30-meter-long model adopts many elements of the large EV9 inside and out; the platform is essentially the same. In Belgium, only the long-range version was available in August, starting at a special price of €39,090 (instead of 41,190) to be eligible for […]
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 04, 2024
Maxus Motors, part of the Chinese conglomerate SAIC, is bringing two new models in its commercial vehicle range to the IAA Transportation in Hannover later this month: the eTerron9, an electric ‘performance’ pickup, and the eDeliver5, a relatively compact electric van. Both models should join the Maxus model range by the end of the year. […]
September 04, 2024
The new Swedish government, a right-wing minority government with tacit support from the radical-right Sweden Democrats, will abolish the ‘flyswatter’, or flight tax, introduced by the previous red-green government on July 1st next year. “Sweden depends on competition in the airline industry,” says Sweden Democrats group chairman Linda Lindberg. “Companies and individuals need air travel, […]
September 04, 2024
Nearly two years after its unveiling, the Volvo EX90 is starting to reach customers. Software delays postponed the launch of the electric 7-seater SUV by around a year. The first United States and Europe customers are getting their cars this month, with deliveries ramping up between Q4 2024 and Q1 2025. The Volvo EX90 is […]
September 04, 2024
Cupra, a Volkswagen Group brand, has revealed the new Terramar. Unlike the brand’s new Tavascan, the new mid-size SUV isn’t electric. It shares its platform and powertrains with the new VW Tiguan, including a new plug-in hybrid powertrain with up to 100 km of range. The Tavascan, designed in Spain but built in China and […]
September 04, 2024
After an intense period with many used car registrations in July, August saw a slight dip with -4.0%. Still, the provisional annual total is heading toward half a million second-hand car registrations (490,296 units), almost 60,000 more than two years ago. Gradually, more electrified used cars are offered, as 12.7% of registered vehicles are chargeable. […]
September 04, 2024
In China, the fierce price war among the big car manufacturers raves on, with Geely throwing in a new weapon, the Geome Xingyan EV, for city dwellers at a bottom price of around 80,000 yuan or 10,170 euros. It’s targeted directly against BYD, which beefed up its popular Dolphin at unchanged prices starting at 99,800 […]
September 04, 2024
As the VW Group will miss its savings targets by several billion euros, the top management is planning further cuts. For the first time in its 87 years of existence, possible plant closures and redundancies are being considered, also in Germany. Meanwhile, VW’s daughter Audi announced that the Audi Brussels plant would not produce a […]
September 03, 2024
Volvo Trucks is almost ready to launch the next generation of its electric heavy trucks. The new long-range FH Electric, coming next year, will offer a range of up to 600 km, doubling what is possible now within Volvo’s 44-tonne range. This would allow for an entire working day of driving on long-distance routes without […]
September 03, 2024
Lufthansa’s big boss, Carsten Spohr, met yesterday with members of the Portuguese government about a possible stake by the German airline group in TAP. According to Italian business newspaper Corriere della Sera, Lufthansa is interested in taking a 19.9% stake in the publicly owned Portuguese airline. Lufthansa, Air France-KLM, and British Airways parent company IAG […]
September 03, 2024
Cyclis Bike Lease, the Belgian bicycle leasing company, has decided to partner with the German JobRad Group. The Hasselt-based company was founded in 2014. Ten years ago, the company was one of Belgium’s first bicycle leasing companies. Cyclis has been the market leader Belgium for years, with 37,000 bicycles under contract. Among them are all […]
September 03, 2024
While the rest of Europe reports discouraging figures, Norway continues to set new benchmarks in electric vehicle adoption. In August, more than 94 percent of all new passenger cars registered were electric, a new record for the world’s forerunner in the EV transition. “This looks very promising to reach 100% as of January,” reacted secretary […]
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 […]
September 03, 2024
According to the data of the sector federation, Febiac, 29,333 cars were registered in Belgium and Luxembourg in August 2024, a regress of -20,3% compared to the same month last year. Cumulated over the previous eight months, this means a decrease of 3.3% overall. It is noticeable that the segment of individual buyers is still […]
September 03, 2024
Contrary to popular belief, most cars on the road are not company cars. At least half of private sector employees use their own car to get to work. In SMEs, half of employers (54%) offer a company car. Belgian SMEs’ costs to provide company cars have also increased significantly, by an average of 30%, over […]
September 02, 2024
Zeekr, one of Geely’s Chinese subsidiaries, has launched its flagship electric SUV. The Zeekr 7X inherits the 007 sedan’s and the Smart #5’s optimized PMA2+ platform, which gives it an extremely high range of 780 km and ultra-quick charging times. It has already launched in China, with international markets following soon. The Zeekr 7X is […]
September 02, 2024
Tesla plans to start mass production of a seven-seat version of the Model Y at its Giga Shanghai plant in October, with the updated electric SUV set for launch in the Chinese markets. However, according to the National Business Daily, the new Model Y variant has already completed homologation for the European Union market. Officially, […]
September 02, 2024
MR, Les Engagés, and the PS, the parties negotiating a new Brussels government on the French-speaking side, want to present a proposal in the Brussels Parliament that would postpone the introduction of the stricter low-emission zone (LEZ) emissions standards from early 2025 to early 2027. The parties report this in a joint press release. Groen, […]
September 02, 2024
What had become apparent over the past few days is now official: BYD is taking sales in Germany into its own hands. To this end, the Chinese car manufacturer founded BYD Automotive GmbH and took over Hedin Electric Mobility, the Hedin subsidiary previously responsible for BYD imports. There were increasing signs that BYD was dissatisfied […]
August 30, 2024
Polestar, the electric car brand of Geely and Volvo, announced the appointment of Michael Lohscheller as its new CEO. In October, he will succeed long-term CEO Thomas Ingenlath, who has held the position since 2017. The new appointment comes shortly after another significant change at the top of the board. On on October 1st, Lohscheller […]
August 30, 2024
Europe’s largest battery park, which the Giga Storage company plans to set up in Rotem/Dilsen-Stokkem (Belgium), will have a capacity of 700 megawatts, 100 megawatts more than initially planned. The battery park’s name is Green Turtle. In the meantime, the construction team has been assembled. Giga Storage agreed with Tractebel for technical support, and Stadsbader […]
August 30, 2024
As great was the joy a few weeks ago at the inauguration of the new streetcar in Liège, so great is the disappointment today among the advocates of a sustainable mobility policy for the Liège metropolis. After all, the new Walloon government has abandoned the project to extend the Liège tramway to Herstal and Seraing. […]
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
If anyone hoped the zero tax policy for EVs the Flemish government is offering to lure more people into electric driving was a never-ending story, it is time to wake up. Around the negotiating table for the next government, all parties – N-VA, Vooruit, and CD&V – agree that the ‘zero tariff’ will no longer […]
August 30, 2024
According to data from ACEA, the European Manufacturers Association, new EU car registrations saw a modest increase (+0.2%) in July 2024. However, there were mixed results across the region’s four major markets: Italy (+4.7%) and Spain (+3.4%) recorded moderate gains, while the French (-2.3%) and German (-2.1%) markets experienced declines. Seven months into 2024, new […]
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 30, 2024
From 2021 to 2024, Europe’s EV charging network experienced an impressive average annual growth rate of 55.4%. This highlights our continent’s strong momentum in expanding its electric vehicle infrastructure. However, despite this rapid growth, Europe still faces a significant challenge in meeting the European Union’s ambitious targets. Belgium, with a spot in the top five […]
August 29, 2024
Chery Automobile, China’s fifth-biggest automaker with over 1.88 million vehicles sold worldwide last year, says it will take on Belgium from the end of Q4 2024 with two models: the Omoda 5 EV and the Jaecoo 7 PHEV. Officially, three dealers, one in Genk, one in Liège, and one in Luxemburg, were already presented, but […]
August 29, 2024
The ministerial instruction of outgoing Mobility Minister Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo) preventing the use of Boeing 777 aircraft at Brussels Airport at night has been suspended. The Minister said this in the Parliamentary Committee on Mobility. If consultations with the Flemish government come to nothing, it will be up to the next federal government to resolve […]
August 29, 2024
Record wildfires in 2023 pushed Canada into the world’s top four greenhouse gas-emitting countries that year. This is evident from a study published in the journal Nature on Wednesday. In 2023, wildfires burned about 15 million hectares – about four percent of Canada’s total forest area – and more than 200,000 people had to be […]
August 29, 2024
The Brussels public transport company MIVB/STIB has welcomed the first of 70 articulated, all-electric buses. De eCitaro buses will replace the last Euro 5 buses still in circulation, which, due to the tightening of the low emission zone (LEZ), may no longer be used from 2025. The Marly depot in Neder-Over-Heembeek is also being expanded […]
August 29, 2024
Hyundai is shifting gears, doubling the number of hybrid models in its lineup as demand for all-electric vehicles slows. The South Korean automaker announced the new plan, dubbed “Hyundai Way,” during its annual Investor Day. The plan reflects broader industry trends as major brands reevaluate their electric vehicle strategies. The decision signals a significant pivot […]
August 29, 2024
Driveco, a French operator of charging stations for electric vehicles, wants to install 1,500 charging stations in Belgium by 2030 and will allocate 15 million euros for this purpose. The company is already present in Belgium, with 70 charging stations in fifteen different stations, but the goal is to increase that number considerably in the […]
August 29, 2024
While Chinese brands with a solid international sales strategy face significant hurdles over import tariffs, their financial health remains in top shape. After the Geely Group announced record profits earlier this month, BYD also recorded baffling profit growth. Despite slashing prices on its electric vehicles in China, BYD’s net income nearly doubled in the second […]
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 28, 2024
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres issued a ‘global SOS’ on climate change and sea level rise on Tuesday while visiting Tonga (Polynesia) for a meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum, where the leaders of a group of 18 countries are meeting, including Australia and New Zealand. Guterres’ trip coincided with a new report from the […]
August 28, 2024
Nissan has unveiled some of its plans concerning solid-state battery technology, which will launch in a series-production EV by 2028. The Japanese manufacturer also hints that these smaller, more energy-dense batteries will be perfect for a sports car like the next-generation GT-R. Solid-state batteries are seen as the next big step in EV technology. Thanks […]
August 28, 2024
Brussels Airlines will soon introduce a new Belgian Icon, following the tribute to Tintin, the Smurfs, Tomorrowland, and the Red Devils, to name but a few. This time, the public may devise a design for a new painted airplane again. Beer, French fries, chocolate, and waffles are out of the question, but otherwise, almost anything […]
August 28, 2024
In China, the price war among EV makers is raging further with yet another ‘Tesla 3 killer’ launched; Xpeng’s Mona sedan M03 at half the latter’s price: 119,800 yuan (€15,058) euros up to 155,800 yuan (€19,584). A Tesla Model 3 is offered in China in three variants, from 231,900 (€29,149) to 335,900 yuan (€42,222). So […]
August 28, 2024
As of 1 October, Eddy Haesendonck is confirmed as CEO of Hedin Automotive for the whole Benelux region, while his colleague Henrik Lessèl, currently CEO of Hedin Belux, will become CEO of Hedin Germany, a fast-growing market for the Swedish group. In August 2022, Eddy Heasendonck, former CEO of BMW Belux, became CEO of Hedin […]
August 28, 2024
Xpeng is looking for a European production site because of the additional EU tariffs on imported electric cars from China. In addition, the Chinese start-up is intensifying its ongoing cooperation with Volkswagen. Xpeng’s CEO, He Xiaopeng, told Bloomberg that the company is initially selecting a production site in the EU and planning to set up […]
August 27, 2024
Volt Mobility, a commercial electric vehicle leasing company based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has ordered 3,000 Class 1 and Class 3 EV cargo vans and trucks from Mullen Automotive, a US-based company. The vehicles are meant to electrify last-mile delivery services in the Gulf Cooperation Council region (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, […]
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 27, 2024
SAIC Motor Corporation, the owner of the MG brand, which is currently the best-selling Chinese EV in Europe, is hatching a plan to export its popular MG4 model straight out of its Thai manufacturing plant to sail around the EU’s maximum 46.3% (36.3 % + 10%) import tax. According to Thai media, the factory was […]
August 27, 2024
Canada will implement a 100% surtax on all EVs made and imported from China from 1 October. Hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and fuel-cell vehicles are also included on the list. The list is long and includes any vehicle with at least an “electric motor as the motor for propulsion,” whether a bus, a truck, or a […]
August 26, 2024
According to a recent Vias Road Safety Institute study, parents play a decisive role in how 5th- and 6th-grade students perceive traffic. Parents usually decide the means of transport – often the car – for practical reasons, fearing that their child or other road users will not comply with the traffic rules or that their […]
August 26, 2024
This summer, electric vehicles began traveling in France. The number of charging sessions has exploded on the highway aires, but there was no capacity overdemand. In July, energy provider TotalEnergies noticed a strong increase (+127%) in charging sessions on highways and expressways’ fast-charger sites. During the same period, the number of charging points doubled. Between […]
August 26, 2024
In an attempt to restore faith in its autonomous driving robotaxis, GM-owned Cruise is joining forces with Uber. The ride-hailing platform will integrate the services from Cruise into its platform next year, marking a pat on the back for the autonomous vehicle sector. The partnership, announced on August 22, will initially roll out in one […]
