The German Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV) is investing a further €20 million in the procurement of vehicles for fleets and the development of charging infrastructure as part of its electromobility funding guideline. The ministry approved a total of 86 projects, 36 of them by municipalities and 50... Read more →

Peugeot is accelerating its electrification and, starting in January 2022 in Europe, is focusing its people mover offer—embodied by the compact Rifter and the medium Traveler/Expert Combi—solely on purely electric vehicles. Peugeot is already at the spearhead of electric mobility: 75% of our passenger cars and 100% of our commercial... Read more →

Starting immediately, Deutsche Post is offsetting any unavoidable CO2 emissions due to mail transport with investments in internationally recognized and certified climate protection projects at no extra charge. For the last ten years, DHL has transported all parcels for private customers with its climate-friendly “GoGreen” service. Up until now, the... Read more →

Northvolt has assembled the first battery cell at the newly commissioned Ett gigafactory in northern Sweden. The cell is the first to have been fully designed, developed and assembled at a gigafactory by a homegrown European battery company. The first cell of Northvolt Ett represents a milestone which Northvolt has... Read more →

Leading commercial vehicle manufacturers Volvo Group, Daimler Truck, and the TRATON Group have signed a binding agreement to create a joint venture (JV) to install and to operate a high-performance public charging network for battery-electric, heavy-duty long-haul trucks and coaches across Europe. The partners are committed to initiating and accelerating... Read more →

Portugal-based energy company Galp and Sweden-based battery manufacturer Northvolt have agreed to set up a joint company, Aurora, that aims to become a steppingstone for the development of an integrated lithium-battery value-chain aligned with Portuguese and European ambitions. With the main goal of establishing Europe’s largest and most sustainable integrated... Read more →

Finnish Minerals Group and China-based technology company CNGR Advanced Material have completed the definitive feasibility study (DFS) and decided to continue their collaboration for establishing a pCAM (precursor cathode active material—the preliminary stage of the cathode active material used in lithium-ion batteries) plant in Hamina, Finland. The plant project will... Read more →

Although overall light-duty vehicle sales were down in 2020 due to the pandemic, plug-in vehicle sales bucked that trend and saw growth in many markets. This was especially evident in Europe where the share of plug-in vehicle sales more than tripled, reaching 10.5% of all new light-duty vehicle sales, according... Read more →

CLEPA, the European Association of Automotive Suppliers, commissioned PwC Strategy& to assess the impact of three different Green Deal policy scenarios on employment and value-add among automotive suppliers across Europe in the period of 2020-2040. The scenarios represent a mixed technology approach; the current EV-only approach proposed in the Fit... Read more →

Mazda Motor Corporation will introduce the Mazda2 Hybrid in Europe from the spring of 2022. The Mazda2 Hybrid will be an OEM model supplied by Toyota Motor Europe, a wholly owned subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation, and will be added to the Mazda2 lineup in Europe and sold as Mazda's... Read more →

Alstom and MOL, Hungary’s leading oil and gas company, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to structure cooperation in examining the use of hydrogen technology in rail transportation. MOL Group already produces and utilizes almost 150,000 tonnes of hydrogen per year. As part of its National Hydrogen Strategy, Hungary has... Read more →

The UK Government earlier this month announced that it will support five local transport authorities with funding worth nearly £71 million (US$95 million) under the Zero Emission Bus Regional Area (ZEBRA) scheme. The investment will support the introduction of up to 335 zero-emission buses. The winning authorities were: Cambridgeshire and... Read more →

IONITY, Europe's leading high-power charging network, open to drivers of all electric vehicle brands, and present in 24 countries, announced a combined €700-million investment from its current shareholders and new partner the BlackRock Global Renewable Power platform. This investment will drive IONITY’s growth and network expansion plans across Europe, while... Read more →

In the port of Rotterdam, the first companies are already preparing for the storage, processing and transit of hydrogen, according to a study conducted by the Port Authority into the development of hydrogen import terminals in Rotterdam. The Port Authority held consultations with a large number of Rotterdam-based companies and... Read more →

The EU Innovation Fund will award a grant of €88 million to Neste’s green hydrogen and CO2 capture & storage project, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the Porvoo refinery in Finland. The project introduces carbon capture and storage (CCS) and electrolysis solutions that allow decarbonization of production... Read more →

European engineering consultancy HORIBA MIRA confirmed that its collaboration with GMV NSL to develop new and improved passenger car platooning solutions on behalf of the European Space Agency (ESA) will move into a live trials phase in Q1 2022, encompassing both simulated and physical testing during 2022. The project aims... Read more →

Daimler Truck AG and TotalEnergies signed an agreement on their joint commitment to the de-carbonization of the road freight in the European Union. The partners will collaborate in the development of ecosystems for heavy-duty trucks running on hydrogen, with the intent to demonstrate the attractiveness and effectiveness of trucking powered... Read more →

The decarbonization of EU road transportation will increasingly impact the demand for fossil and biofuel, especially after 2030. The long-term outlook for biofuels, beyond 2045, does not look promising, as the expected decline in demand is likely to encourage biofuel companies to look for alternative uses for their products, according... Read more →

Tide Bus Danmark in the Danish city of Aalborg has ordered 14 Solaris bi-articulated 24-meter electric buses. This is an unique order on an European scale, both as regards the length and specific design of the vehicles. The bi-articulated Solaris e-buses will be deployed for passenger transport in Aalborg, a... Read more →

Plug Power and Lhyfe, a producer and supplier of renewable hydrogen, announced an partnership to pursue and develop jointly green hydrogen generation plants throughout Europe. The initiative seeks to generate a total hydrogen capacity of 300MW by 2025, and to start the development of a 1GW production site. The agreement... Read more →

Ford announced that it intends to invest up to £230 million (US$316 million) at its Halewood vehicle transmission facility to transform it to build electric power units for future Ford all-electric passenger and commercial vehicles sold in Europe. Halewood will be Ford’s first electric vehicle component in-house assembly site in... Read more →

INEOS will invest more than €2 billion into electrolysis projects to make zero-carbon, green hydrogen across Europe. Its first plants will be built in Norway, Germany, and Belgium with investment also planned in the UK and France. INEOS, through its subsidiary INOVYN, is already Europe’s largest existing operator of electrolysis,... Read more →

Germany’s Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) opened the tender process for the national fast-charging network: Deutschlandnetz. Companies and company consortia can compete for the bid to set up and operate around 900 fast-charging locations throughout Germany. (Earlier post.) The Germany network is intended to ensure the basic... Read more →

QUANTRON is presenting the Q-Light fuel-cell-electric transporter at the NUFAM trade fair for the commercial vehicle industry in Europe. As a hydrogen fuel cell transporter in the 3.5 to 4.2 tonne range, the Q-Light FCEV is unique in Europe. The transporter is available with different body variants and can be... Read more →

A major new Health Effects Institute (HEI) report presents a study examining associations between exposures to relatively low levels of air pollution and several health outcomes among participants in 22 European cohorts. In the report, the investigators describe the development of new exposure models for all of Europe for four... Read more →

Royal Dutch Shell will build an 820,000-tonnes-a-year biofuels facility at the Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Rotterdam, the Netherlands, formerly known as the Pernis refinery. Once built, the facility will be among the largest in Europe to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel made from waste. Shell expects... Read more →

BASF SE (BASF) and Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL) announced a strategic partnership on battery materials solutions, including cathode active materials (CAM) and battery recycling. The collaboration aims at developing a sustainable battery value chain, in support of CATL’s localization in Europe and contributes to achieving both companies’ global... Read more →

Germany’s Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) is making a total of €500 million available by the end of 2025 for the further development of the public charging infrastructure in Germany. The aim is to set up a total of at least 50,000 charging points (of which at... Read more →

The UK government has launched a Hydrogen Strategy intended to create a thriving low-carbon hydrogen sector—blue and green—in the UK over the next decade and beyond. The UK’s first Hydrogen Strategy drives forward the commitments laid out in the Prime Minister’s 10 Point Plan for a green industrial revolution by... Read more →

In order to provide a basic fast-charging infrastructure for medium- and long-haul traffic, the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) is putting out tenders for the construction and operation of 1,000 fast charging locations, each with several charging points. (Earlier post.) This will create several thousand new... Read more →

A study recently published by the European Commission’s Joint Research Center assesses how best to identify at the European level an additional fifth category of batteries—those used for Light Means of Transport (LMT) such as e-bikes and similar new products—which would ensure their appropriate collection and recycling. The current 2006... Read more →

Last week, the European Commission adopted a package of proposals to make the EU’s climate, energy, land use, transport and taxation policies fit for reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels (Fit for 55). (Earlier post.) One element of that economy-wide set... Read more →

The European Commission has adopted a package of proposals to make the EU's climate, energy, land use, transport and taxation policies fit for reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels (Fit for 55). The EC said that achieving these emission reductions in... Read more →

Enel X, the Enel Group’s advanced energy solutions business line, and the Volkswagen Group signed an agreement aimed at setting up a full function joint venture of equal partners to enhance the electric vehicle (EV) uptake in Italy. The JV will operate in Italy as Charging Point Operator (CPO) by... Read more →

TES, one of the world’s largest providers of sustainable technology lifecycle services, has agreed to a deal that secures the future of a 10,000 square meter (approx. 110,000 sq. feet) recycling facility in the Port Of Rotterdam, Europe’s largest seaport. The facility, strategically located adjacent to the waterways of the... Read more →

Less than one year after its launch, the French battery company Verkor has raised €100 million (US$119 million) in funding. Co-led by EQT Ventures and Renault Group, with participation from the French Government and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region, the funding will support the company’s expansion, and trigger the construction of the Verkor... Read more →

Shell Gas & Power Developments B.V. and Uniper Hydrogen GmbH have signed a memorandum of understanding (“MoU”) to explore accelerating the development of a hydrogen economy in Europe. Under the MoU they intend to find joint opportunities to couple industrial and mobility demand with hydrogen supply, production and storage. The... Read more →

Leading commercial vehicle manufacturers Volvo Group, Daimler Truck and the TRATON GROUP have signed a non-binding agreement to install and operate a high-performance public charging network for battery-electric heavy-duty long-haul trucks and coaches across Europe. The joint aim is to initiate and accelerate the build-up of charging infrastructure to enhance... Read more →

Europe’s demand for biodiesel for cars and trucks has likely wiped out forests the size of the Netherlands since the introduction of the EU’s green fuels law in 2010, according to a new study by Transport & Environment (T&E). T&E is calling on the EU to end support to palm... Read more →

The European Commission should set ambitious targets for e-kerosene, a green synthetic fuel, when it proposes the world’s first sustainable jet fuel law this month, environmental NGO Transport & Environment (T&E), Lufthansa, the Global Alliance Powerfuels, pilots’ representatives, and other aviation industry and energy players have said. The group, which... Read more →

The European Environment Agency (EEA) has published its provisional data about the CO2 emissions of newly registered passenger cars and vans in Europe in 2020. For cars, the data show a 12% decrease in average cO2 emissions, compared with 2019. Average van emissions decreased slightly, by about 1.5 %. According... Read more →

The European Council adopted its position at first reading on the European climate law, ending the adoption procedure and setting into legislation the objective of a climate-neutral EU by 2050. This follows a political agreement reached with the European Parliament on 21 April and the Parliament’s adoption of its position... Read more →

The EU-funded research project HyFlexFuel recently successfully produced biocrudes via hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) from a variety of biomasses, including sewage sludge, food waste, manure, wheat straw, corn stover, pine sawdust, miscanthus and microalgae in a pilot-scale continuous HTL plant at Aarhus University (Denmark). HyFlexFuel, Process overview. Copyright: Bauhaus Luftfahrt Biocrudes... Read more →

Project AIR—an industrial concept to produce methanol from a large variety of recovered end-of-life streams and hydrogen from electrolysis—has been awarded approximately €30 million by the Swedish Energy Agency, and is now applying for EU Innovation Fund to realize the project. The project is being carried out by the Swedish... Read more →

The Zaragoza, Spain City Council is ordering 68 Irizar e-mobility electric buses—51 12-meter units and 17 articulated. These buses will be progressively incorporated into the service from the last half of next year and will be operated by Avanza. This is the largest electric bus project to date for Irizar... Read more →

Germany will invest some €227 million to support the electrification of rail, with a focus on batteries and hydrogen fuel cells, including charging and refueling infrastructure. Currently, 61% of the rail network in Germany is electrified with overhead lines. Conventional rail vehicles with diesel engines are currently used almost exclusively... Read more →

FCC Medio Ambiente and Irizar will start production of the first 10 Irizar ie urban electric trucks to be used for collection of refuse. Production of these 10 units includes 4×2 and 6×2 of two and three-axle versions. The Irizar ie urban truck incorporates in-house technology developed by the Irizar... Read more →

The European Commission’s Joint Research Center (JRC) published a policy brief showing that delivery of large amounts of renewable hydrogen over long distances could be cost-effective. This finding is important because access to sufficient amounts of renewable hydrogen at low cost is essential for achieving a climate neutral Europe by... Read more →

A new study by Delta-EE, a specialist new energy research & consulting company, has found that the total announced project capacity of the rapidly growing European hydrogen electrolyzer market would take the green hydrogen sector to 2.7 GW by 2025—a nearly 50-fold increase on capacity built over the last ten... Read more →

Average emissions from new passenger cars in Europe increased for the third consecutive year in 2019, reaching 122.3 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometrer (g CO2/km), according to the European Environment Agency’s (EEA) final data. Data about newly registered vans show a stable trend. Key reasons include the growth in the sport... Read more →