Volkswagen AG is investing some €900 million (US$1.019 billion) in joint battery activities with Northvolt AB. Part of the sum is intended for a joint venture with the Swedish battery cell producer, a further share will go directly to Northvolt AB. Part of the sum is an element of Northvolt’s... Read more →
Total greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union (EU) increased by 0.7% in 2017, according to latest official data published today by the European Environment Agency (EEA). Less coal was used to produce heat and electricity but this was offset by higher industrial and transport emissions, the latter increasing for... Read more →
At a press event yesterday in Berlin, Volkswagen launched pre-booking in Europe for the first model in its new full-electric ID. model family, the ID.3. One day later, Volkswagen reports that customer interest in the initial special edition of the EV—the ID.3 1ST, which is limited to 30,000 vehicles—is significantly... Read more →
Irizar has signed a contract for 15 zero emissions electric buses and charging infrastructure for Schaffhausen in Switzerland. The energy needed for the charging stations will be generated by the Rhine River as it passes through Schaffhausen. Irizar was awarded the supply contract for the first line of electric buses... Read more →
The European car market registered its seventh consecutive month of decline in March 2019, according to figures from JATO Dynamics. Ongoing political and economic uncertainty, including lack of clarity around Brexit, alongside consumer preoccupation with diesel bans in cities, meant that overall demand continued to decline. Last month, 19 of... Read more →
Volvo Cars is making its industry-first connected safety technology available across Europe as another step in its ambitions to improve traffic safety. The technology allows Volvo cars to communicate with each other and alert drivers of nearby slippery road conditions and hazards via a cloud based network. Hazard Light Alert... Read more →
Toyota Motor Europe (TME) sold 279,000 vehicles in the first three months of 2019, achieving a hybrid electric vehicle mix in excess of 50%—one year ahead of plan. With a year-on-year rise of 14%, hybrid models helped TME maintain sales in Q1 2019 in a declining market, pushing up TME... Read more →
Paris transport operator RATP is splitting an order for nearly 800 electric buses into three identical batches, in their minimum and maximum amounts, with HeuliezBus, Bluebus/Bolloré and Alstom/Alstom Aptis. The up to €400-million order is the result of a consultation launched in January 2018, the aim of which was to... Read more →
In a survey of 2,000 adults across the UK, Nissan’s research found that only 1 in 3 were aware of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) going live on 8 April—yet almost half of all respondents support the daily charge’s introduction. The ULEZ now operates 24 hours a day, 7... Read more →
All but three European car manufacturers met their specific emission targets in 2017, based on current European vehicle test rules. Nevertheless, average carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from new cars sold in the European Union in 2017 rose by 0.4g of CO2 per km from 2016, according to final data published... Read more →
Tesla’s Model 3 led the BEV and premium midsize sedan rankings in Europe in February, according to JATO Dynamics. The hotly anticipated car excelled during its first full month on the European market and became the best-selling BEV. The Model 3 quickly outsold other big players such as the Nissan... Read more →
The Volkswagen Group said that since August 2017, more than 300,000 old diesel vehicles to exhaust emissions standards Euro 1 to Euro 5 have been exchanged throughout the Group. The old diesels have been replaced by new or nearly new cars from the participating Group brands with efficient powertrains of... Read more →
The European Parliament, Council and Commission (the EU institutions) reached a provisional political agreement on the revised General Safety Regulation. As of 2022 a suite of 15 new safety technologies will become mandatory in European vehicles to protect passengers, pedestrians and cyclists. The European Commission expects that the proposed measures... Read more →
At a Ford “Go Further” experience in Amsterdam on 2 April, Ford will unveil Fiesta and Focus EcoBoost Hybrid models for Europe. The Fiesta EcoBoost Hybrid and Focus EcoBoost Hybrid will feature a mild-hybrid architecture with a belt-driven integrated starter/generator (BISG) replacing the standard alternator, enabling recovery and storage of... Read more →
The European BATTERY 2030+ initiative launches this month with its initial project which will lay the basis for this large-scale research initiative on future battery technologies. A long-term effort over 10 years with a focus on disruptive technologies, the BATTERY 2030+ initiative will concentrate on low TRL transformational research (TRL... Read more →
The Volkswagen Group and European partners are forming the European Battery Union (EBU) with a view to forging ahead with battery research throughout Europe. The new consortium is to be led by the Volkswagen Group and the Swedish battery producer Northvolt (earlier post). Partners from research and industry in seven... Read more →
Kia used the Geneva International Motor Show as the platform to introduce the battery-electric e-Soul to Europe, as well as to reveal new upgrades to the Niro Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid. Every Kia vehicle on show in Geneva employs the brand’s mild-hybrid, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or electric vehicle technology. Electrification... Read more →
At the Geneva International Motor Show, Tom Gardner, Senior Vice President, Honda Motor Europe, said that the company intends to move 100% of its European sales to electrified powertrains by 2025. This new ambition builds on the brand’s 2017 aim of two-thirds of its sales to be electrified by 2025,... Read more →
An analysis by JATO Dynamics has found that average new vehicle CO2 emissions in European increased in 2018, with the total average increasing by 2.4 g/km to 120.5 g/km in 2018—the highest average of the last four years. The analysis covered 23 markets in Europe and found a direct correlation... Read more →
Ballard Power Systems is participating in the H2PORTS project, which is aimed at facilitating a rapid transition at European ports from fossil fuels to low-carbon, zero-emission alternatives based on hydrogen and fuel cells. (Earlier post.) Earlier this month participants held the first technical meeting of the H2PORTS project, which is... Read more →
The European Parliament and the Council have reached provisional agreement on a regulation setting, for the first time in the EU, strict CO2 emission standards for trucks. Under the agreement, emissions from new trucks will have to be 15% lower by 2025 and 30% lower in 2030 compared to 2019... Read more →
Just a few months after the launch, Porsche is expanding its charging service for plug-in and electric vehicles (earlier post) by five countries and additional functions. The platform now has more than 49,000 charging points in twelve countries. Alongside Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium and Finland, the charging... Read more →
A new report from the European Environment Agency (EEA) warns that the health of Europe’s most vulnerable citizens remains disproportionately affected by environmental hazards such as air and noise pollution and extreme temperatures, especially in Europe’s eastern and southern regions, despite overall improvements in Europe’s environmental quality. The map uses... Read more →
The European car market remained stable during 2018, as 15.6 million vehicles were registered—just 346 more than in 2017—according to JATO Dyanmics. It was the best result since 2007, when the market peaked with 16.02 million registrations. Strong results in Q2, where the market was up by 4.8%, and Q3,... Read more →
The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has launched the Battery Cell Research Production Center, a new R&D and large-scale industrial manufacturing plant for lithium-ion cells; the center will receive an investment of €500 million. The location of the new facility is to be selected by mid-2019, after... Read more →
Ford revealed the enhanced Mondeo—including a new Hybrid Wagon variant for the first time—at the Brussels Motor Show in Belgium. Further significant Mondeo powertrain upgrades include: Ford’s advanced 2.0-liter EcoBlue diesel engine introduced to Mondeo, for superior long-distance cruising; Ford’s new intelligent eight-speed automatic transmission introduced to Mondeo, which adapts... Read more →
Researchers at the Bernal Institute at the University of Limerick, Ireland are leading an €8-million EU-funded project called Si-DRIVE, which aims to develop battery technology to support higher performance electric vehicles. This project will tackle the major barriers to EV uptake, which relate to driving range, cost and recharge times... Read more →
The €7.9-million (US$8.9-million), 43-month Lithium Sulfur for Safe Road Electrification (LISA) project will launch 1 January 2019 in Europe. The overall goal is to design and manufacture a lithium-sulfur technology that will enable safe electrification of EV applications. The partners involved in the LISA project are LEITAT (co-ordinators), OXIS Energy... Read more →
Municipal transport operator MPK in Poznań, Poland and Solaris Bus & Coach signed a contract for the delivery of 21 electric buses: 15 articulated and 6 standard length. Pursuant to the agreement the whole order is to be completed by the end of February 2020. The total contract value is... Read more →
A new European Joint Research Center (JRC) analysis on the deployment of electric vehicles (EV) in Europe concludes that although the sector evolved significantly between 2010 and 2017, progress is still small to be characterized as full-scale commercialization. In 2010, electric vehicles still represented a niche market. Since then, the... Read more →
Progress on increasing the use of renewable energy and improving energy efficiency is slowing across the European Union, putting at risk the EU’s ability to achieve its energy and emissions reduction targets. Rising energy consumption, particularly in the transport sector, is to blame for the slowdown, according to preliminary data... Read more →
Battery electric cars emit less greenhouse gases and air pollutants over their entire life cycle than petrol and diesel cars, according to a European Environment Agency (EEA) report. Promoting renewable energy and circular economy—including the shared use of vehicles and product design that supports reuse and recycling—will help maximize the... Read more →
The coming electric vehicle boom will significantly increase the demand for cobalt in the EU and globally. As a result, demand is expected to exceed supply already in 2020 and the EU must take steps to boost supply and curb demand without hindering the growth in electric vehicles, according to... Read more →
Following Zwickau, Volkswagen intends to change its plants at Emden and Hanover in Germany over to the production of electric vehicles. After Zwickau, Volkswagen is therefore establishing its second e-mobility center in Germany in Lower Saxony. At a works meeting held on Wednesday in Emden, HR Board Member Gunnar Kilian... Read more →
The European Parliament approved binding 2030 target for renewables (32%) and an indicative target on energy efficiency (32.5%) that will play a crucial role in meeting the EU’s climate goals. Parliament on Tuesday confirmed the provisional agreement reached with the Council in June on energy efficiency (434 votes to 104... Read more →
The European Parliament has backed plans for trucks to cut CO2 emissions by 2030. MEPs adopted a higher target (35%) than the European Commission (30%) for new trucks to reduce the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, with an intermediate target of 20% by 2025. Manufacturers will also have to... Read more →
The number of battery-electric buses ordered in Europe more than doubled in 2017 compared to 2016, reaching 1,031 vehicles, according to a new analysis by environmental NGO Transport & Environment. T&E estimates this to be equivalent to around 9% market share of new registrations in 2018. The are currently about... Read more →
At the beginning of the third quarter, the BMW Group signed a long-term contract with the Chinese company Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL) to supply battery cells with a value of four billion euros. The award of this contract was a decisive factor in CATL’s decision to build an... Read more →
In response what it said is widespread interest from European customers, Nikola Motor Company has designed a hydrogen-electric truck for European markets. Reservations for the Nikola Tre (means “Three” in Norwegian) are now open at www.nikolamotor.com/tre. Guests at Nikola World in Phoenix in April 2019 will be able to view... Read more →
Earlier this month, members of the European Parliament’s Environment Committee proposed a higher target (35%) than the European Commission (30%) for new heavy-duty trucks to reduce EU greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, with an intermediate target of 20% by 2025. Manufacturers will also have to ensure that zero- and low-emission... Read more →
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across the European Union rose slightly in 2017, mostly because of the transport sector. Preliminary estimates published in the European Environment Agency’s (EEA) annual trends and projections assessments show a 0.6% emissions increase in 2017 from 2016. This limited increase means that the EU is still... Read more →
Air pollution and transportation noise are both associated with an increased risk of heart attacks. However, studies on air pollution which do not take into account traffic noise tend to overestimate the long-term effect of air pollution on heart attacks, according to a study conducted by the Swiss Tropical and... Read more →
The European car market recorded the highest monthly decline of the last decade in September 2018, as 1.12 million vehicles were registered—343,000 less than in September 2017, according to figures from JATO Dynamics. The drop follows August’s inflated results, which were boosted by an increase in business registrations and stock... Read more →
Nouryon (formerly AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals), Tata Steel and the Port of Amsterdam have joined together to study the feasibility of a large green hydrogen cluster in the Amsterdam region. The three parties consider green hydrogen as vital for reaching climate targets and building a more circular economy—e.g., by combining it... Read more →
The Volkswagen Group rolled out a new diesel swapping program in Germany. Environmental incentives for scrappage of Euro-1 to Euro-4 diesel vehicles of any make are again being offered by some of the Group’s brands throughout Germany. Vehicle keepers in the 14 cities classified by the federal government as having... Read more →
The BMW Group, Northvolt and Umicore have formed a joint technology consortium in order to work closely together on the continued development of a complete and sustainable value chain for battery cells for electrified vehicles in Europe. The chief objective is to make battery cells sustainable by establishing a closed... Read more →
Ford has begun production of the Deutsche Post StreetScooter WORK XL electric van at its European HQ in Cologne, Germany. Based on a Transit chassis, produced at the Ford Otosan joint venture plant in Kocaeli, Turkey, the medium-sized electric delivery van is fitted with a battery-electric drivetrain and a body... Read more →
The European Council agreed on setting a target of a 35% average reduction in CO2 emissions form new cars by 2030. This position is a basis on which to begin talks with the European Parliament, which just came out with its own target of 40% by 2030 (earlier post). The... Read more →
EMT, the transport company of the Spanish capital Madrid, is set to receive another 276 Mercedes-Benz Citaro NGT urban buses with natural gas drive in the next two years. This will be the fourth major order from Madrid in quick succession. EMT placed its first order two years ago for... Read more →
Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) approved a proposal which would set a higher target for reducing EU fleet-wide emissions for new cars by 2030 of 40% (compared to the EU Commission’s 30%; year of reference 2021) with an intermediate target of 20% by 2025. Similar targets are set for... Read more →