According to provisional data published by the European Environment Agency (EEA), average CO2 emissions from new passenger cars registered in the European Union (EU), Iceland, Norway and the United Kingdom (UK), increased in 2019, for the third consecutive year. The average CO2 emissions from new vans also increased slightly. Zero-... Read more →
In an EU-funded research project, an international consortium is aiming to develop new production methods for sustainable marine fuels to replace heavy fuel oils in shipping. The use of heavy fuel oils (HFOs) contributes to global warming due to the fossil origin of these fuels and, moreover, generating non-negligible emissions... Read more →
The COBRA (CObalt-free Batteries for FutuRe Automotive Applications) project has been awarded a €11.8-million grant to develop Next Generation Cobalt-free batteries. COBRA, which aims to develop lithium, cobalt-free batteries made with new energy storage materials that incorporate intelligent sensors to help enhance their energy efficiency, is funded by the European... Read more →
Transport operator Przedsiębiorstwo Komunikacji Miejskiej (PKM) in Katowice, Poland, has signed a contract for five Solaris Urbino 12 electric buses to be supplied in the second quarter of 2021. . These will join the 10 already commissioned by the capital of Silesia. At the beginning of the year, Solaris supplied... Read more →
The European Investment Bank (EIB) has signed a €125-million loan with Umicore, the Belgian-based global materials technology and recycling group, to finance part of the greenfield production facility for cathode materials in Poland. The cathode materials will be supplied to battery manufacturers of high-tech lithium-ion batteries that are primarily used... Read more →
As expected, new car registrations in Europe faced a steady decline in April. Volume fell from 1.34 million units in April 2019 to 292,600 vehicles in April 2020, according to JATO Dynamics. This represents the lowest monthly level since the 1970s, and the worst result among the big three markets:... Read more →
Swiss energy storage company Leclanché SA announced a strategic reorganization which will convert the company into a market-oriented, research-driven, software and systems integration company with expanded production and R&D capabilities based on a partnership agreement with Eneris Group. Eneris Group will make direct investments in Leclanché totaling up to CHF... Read more →
Cracow, Poland public transport operator Miejskie Przedsiębiorstwo Komunikacyjne S.A. (MPK) has signed a contract for the purchase of 50 Solaris Urbino 18 electric buses. The new electric buses will expand the existing fleet of 400 Solaris vehicles of varying configurations, cruising the streets of Cracow—including 28 electric buses. The order... Read more →
Solaris and the Romanian city of Craiova (Romania’s sixth-largest city) have signed a contract for the delivery of 16 18-meter articulated Urbino 18 electric buses. The articulated vehicles will make it to Craiova in the first half of 2021. The purchase marks the first use of electric buses in the... Read more →
European R&D and battery production company InoBat Auto has acquired a 290,000 sq ft (27,000 sq m) facility close to Bratislava, Slovakia. The property will house a 100MWh facility combining proprietary High Throughput Process (HTP) R&D with prototype battery cell-manufacturing capabilities. InoBat says the facility will produce batteries to specifications... Read more →
MAN is introducing a new 18-meter articulated electric bus this year. The new MAN Lion’s City 18 E electric articulated 18-meter bus will begin testing with customers in Barcelona and Cologne in the second half of 2020. Sales of the 18-meter electric bus started in April. As part of its... Read more →
In the first quarter of 2020, the electrically-chargeable vehicle segment in Europe significantly increased its market share, rising to 6.8% (from 2.5% in Q1 2019) against the backdrop of the overall decline in passenger car registrations due to the COVID-19 outbreak. By contrast, demand for diesel and gasoline vehicles tumbled... Read more →
The public transport operator in Lublin, Poland has ordered twelve Solaris Urbino 12 electric buses, to be delivered from November 2021 to April 2022. The total value of all the contracts for ordered electric buses with seven charging stations and after-sale servicing exceeds PLN 32 million (US$7.6 million). The contract... Read more →
The response to COVID-19 is having a major impact on the economy, with retail and manufacturing activity crippled without precedence and concerns mounting on consumer sentiment. The European automotive sector, which has been hit particularly badly, is proposing a plan comprising 25 actions to support a strong restart of the... Read more →
BYD Europe outlined an expansion strategy for EVs in Europe, including the trial introduction of electric passenger cars, alongside longer-term plans to bring new BYD LCV and eTruck ranges to the market. BYD will initially introduce the all new, full-electric, second-generation BYD Tang compact SUV to the Norwegian market. Already... Read more →
New data shows that motor vehicles generate more than €440 billion in taxation per year for national governments in the major EU markets plus the UK, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) reports. The taxes fall into three broad categories: vehicle acquisition (VAT, sales tax, registration tax); ownership (annual circulation... Read more →
In a letter to the Secretary General of the European New Car Assessment Program (Euro NCAP), the European Association of Automobile Manufacturers (ACEA), requested a 2‐year delay for the introduction of the 2022 protocols due to the projected lengthy time that will be needed to recover from the effects of... Read more →
Toyota has sold more than 15 million hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) worldwide since the 1997 launch of the iconic Prius, the first full hybrid mass-produced car. Now offered on 44 individual models across a wide range of size and body types, Toyota’s hybrid electric technology has reduced CO2 emissions by more... Read more →
Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL), the global leading EV battery manufacturer, is expanding partnerships with VDL Bus & Coach B.V. and Quantron AG to optimize local product solutions and services for commercial vehicle electrification in Europe. The new partnerships are significant to CATL’s overseas strategy in the commercial vehicle... Read more →
Last year, 85.0% of all new medium- and heavy-buses (over 3.5 tonnes) registered in the European Union were fueled by diesel; the market share of gasoline in this segment was close to zero. All alternatively-powered vehicles (APV) combined accounted for 15.0% of the EU bus market in 2019, with electrically-chargeable... Read more →
In March 2020, demand for new commercial vehicles fell by 47.3% across the EU, as measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 lead to the closure of dealerships, according to the ACEA (European Automobile Manufacturers Association). Each vehicle segment was strongly affected by the fallout of the COVID-19 outbreak and... Read more →
Orleans Métropole (France) has selected Irizar e-mobility for the supply of 29 Irizar ie tram zero emissions electric buses. The Irizar ie tram is an electric, bus with the appearance of a tram that combines the large capacity, ease of access and internal configuration of a tram with the flexibility... Read more →
Audi has introduced the second generation of its A3 Sedan. The compact four-door model offers three powertrains at launch: two TFSI versions (one with a 48V mild-hybrid system) and one TDI diesel. The 35 TFSI, a 1.5-liter direct injection engine, produces 110 kW (150 PS) and is available in two... Read more →
The German Bioethanol Industry Association (BDBe) has published the 2019 market data for the production and consumption of certified sustainable bioethanol. German bioethanol production, standardized for use as fuel, fell last year to 542,699 tonnes—12.8% less than in the previous year. Sales of bioethanol were roughly on par with the... Read more →
Honda Motor Europe is expanding its battery recycling partnership with SNAM (Société Nouvelle d’Affinage des Métaux) to advance the sustainable usability of its end-of-life traction batteries. The pan-European arrangement will see SNAM collect and recycle batteries from Honda’s increasing number of hybrid and electric vehicles and either potentially prepare them... Read more →
A 27-tonne hydrogen fuel cell rigid truck built by VDL started its first demonstration with BREYTNER as part of the EU-funded H2-Share project in Schelluinen, the Netherlands. (Earlier post.) Wystrach GmbH built a low-energy mobile hydrogen refueler to accompany the truck on its demonstration sites. This hydrogen truck is unique... Read more →
Volkswagen reports that, even before the launch of the new ID.3 EV this summer, demand for electrified Volkswagen products has increased in Germany. Every second order for the up! model series is for the fully electric version, with around 20,000 orders received over the first three months of this year.... Read more →
The decline of the European new car market has continued throughout February. According to JATO Dynamics data, 1,063,264 units were registered last month, compared to 1,143,852 in February 2019. This equates to a decline of 7.0%, as last month saw the lowest number of registrations since 2015, when only 955,113... Read more →
INEOS, a leading chemcial manufacturer, announced it will build a UK factory to produce 1 million bottles of hand sanitizer per month within 10 days and will replicate this in Germany. These will be produced according to World Health Organisation specifications and be specifically designed to kill bacteria and viruses.... Read more →
The European Environment Agency’s (EEA) data confirm large decreases in air pollutant concentrations—of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations in particular—largely due to reduced traffic and other activities, especially in major cities under lockdown measures. Reductions of around half have been seen in some locations. The EEA’s data are measured hourly, on... Read more →
Solaris has secured another contract for the delivery of electric buses on the Polish market. The city of Bolesławiec has ordered two electric 8.9m buses and two stationary chargers. Worth a gross of nearly 4.8 million PLN (US$1.1 million), the contract will be carried out in February 2021. Two Urbino... Read more →
The European Commission (EC) presented a broad new European Industrial Strategy to help Europe’s industry lead the transition towards climate neutrality and digital leadership. The Strategy sets out the key drivers of Europe’s industrial transformation and proposes a comprehensive set of future actions, including a Clean Hydrogen Alliance to accelerate... Read more →
After a large increase of new vehicle registrations in Europe in December 2019, volumes for January decreased, marking another month of transition for the complex new car market. A total of 1,138,057 new passenger cars were registered in Europe in January 2020, representing a decline of 7.6% from January 2019,... Read more →
In addition to the European car market recording tepid growth in 2019, CO2 emissions have continued to increase, despite new regulation designed to curtail this, according to JATO Dynamics. Last year, the volume-weighted average CO2 emissions for European markets were at their highest recorded levels since 2014. According to data... Read more →
Irizar e-mobility will provide nine 18-meter (59-foot) articulated electric buses to In-de-City-Bus GmbH (ICB) Frankfurt (Germany), in addition to nine interoperable slow charge stations for their garages. With 560 kWh of stored energy and a range of 220 to 250 km (137 to 155 miles), the latest generation of Iriziar... Read more →
Belgium-based Punch Group has acquired GM’s propulsion engineering center in Turin, Italy. The transaction between the two companies includes an engineering services agreement (ESA) to support GM’s global product programs through the end of 2021. Since 2005, Turin has served as a global center of excellence for diesel propulsion systems... Read more →
BAE Systems has been selected by Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) and the Republic of Ireland’s National Transport Authority (NTA) to supply up to 600 electric power and propulsion systems for its new fleet of buses in Ireland. The selection includes an initial order for 100 systems. The Series-ER system (earlier... Read more →
Two hydrogen mobility projects led by Air Liquide—Hype and HyAMMED—were selected in January 2020 by ADEME (French Environment & Energy Management Agency) as part of the second closing of its “Hydrogen Mobility Ecosystems” call for proposals. Hype is developing the world’s first fleet of hydrogen-powered taxis. Launched during the 2015... Read more →
Porsche Leipzig is expanding the charging infrastructure for electric vehicles in central Germany with a new charging park called Porsche Turbo Charging. The total capacity of the facility, which includes six internal quick charging points, is 7 MW. Porsche Leipzig currently has Europe’s most powerful rapid-charging park, which is operated... Read more →
Norwegian wholesaler ASKO is deploying two battery electric Scania distribution trucks in its operations in Oslo, Norway. This pilot marks another milestone in the cooperation regarding electrified solutions for heavy transport between Scania and ASKO. Asko is also piloting the use of hydrogen fuel-cell trucks with Scania. (Earlier post.) The... Read more →
The all-new Honda Jazz features efficient and responsive performance delivered by e:HEV hybrid technology as standard. The Jazz e:HEV plays a key role in Honda’s commitment that 100% of its mainstream European sales will feature electrified powertrains by 2022. The car will be available across Europe in summer 2020, with... Read more →
In Germany (the largest car market in Europe), the 2020 registration year started with 246,300 newly registered passenger cars—7.3% less than in January 2019, according to figures from the German KBA (Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt). However, alternative drive types increased significantly in the reporting month. Source: KBA. With 7,492 new vehicles, the number... Read more →
In the last quarter of 2019, EU demand for diesel cars further decreased, dropping to 29.5% of new-car registrations, according to data from ACEA, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association. Gasoline cars accounted for 57.3% of the EU market, while electrically‐chargeable vehicles (ECV) made up 4.4% of total new car sales... Read more →
A new report by the European Environment Agency (EEA) finds that, taken together with public transport, walking and cycling for short city journeys provide the greatest benefits for both human health and the environment in urban areas. The introduction and rapid uptake of app-based vehicle sharing schemes can also have... Read more →
The European Commission (EC) last week approved an increase in state funding by €300 million (US$332 million) for the purchase of electric buses in Germany in accordance with EU state aid rules. The German aid scheme will apply until the end of 2021 and is intended to cover the additional... Read more →
Norwegian wholesaler Asko is among the first to operate a goods vehicle that runs on hydrogen, thanks to a collaborative effort by research scientists and industry. SINTEF, one of Europe’s largest independent research organizations, has been working with Asko and hydrogen fuel for almost ten years with the aim of... Read more →
Energy major Total, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Saft, and Groupe PSA with Opel, intend to establish a joint venture named Automotive Cell Company (ACC) to develop EV battery manufacturing in Europe. The project will leverage cutting-edge R&D, notably provided by Saft, in order to produce EV batteries starting in 2023.... Read more →
Solaris has won a tender for the delivery of three articulated electric buses to the operator SWB in Bonn. The Urbino 18 electric buses feature the new generation of Solaris High Energy+ batteries. Pursuant to the agreement, the Solaris buses will be put into service this year. A key condition... Read more →
In a working paper for the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), a team from UC Berkeley, UC Santa Barbara and Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) calculates that the social cost of the phase out of nuclear electricity production in Germany is approximately $12 billion per year. More than 70% of... Read more →
WeShare, Volkswagen and ŠKODA’s free-floating electric car sharing service, is to expand into seven more cities in Germany and other European countries in 2020. Prague and Hamburg in the spring are to be followed by Paris, Madrid, Budapest, Munich and Milan in the course of the year. In all these... Read more →