Allego, ChargePoint and EVBox have formed the ‘ChargeUp Europe’ e-mobility alliance to accelerate the development of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles in Europe.

A coalition of European car lobby groups made up of manufacturers, suppliers, tyre manufacturers and dealers has written to the EU Commission requesting a relaxation of the schedule for vehicle CO2 targets against the background of the Corona crisis. At the same time, German manufacturers Volkswagen, Daimler and BMW emphasised that they want to retain […]

Denmark’s first fuel cell buses went into operation this month in Aalborg. The three Van Hool A330s with technology from Ballard are used on lines 17 and 72 and were co-financed by the EU project 3Emotion.

As the e-mobility market in Europe approaches adolescence, the option to charge anywhere without having to sign up for multiple providers – roaming, in short, becomes crucial. So we set up a digital meeting with the minds behind two of Europe’s longest-standing providers.

Within the framework of the FutPrInt50 research project coordinated by the University of Stuttgart, an international consortium aims to identify and drive forward technologies that will enable the commercial use of a hybrid-electric aircraft with up to 50 seats by 2035/40.

In Germany, Cologne-region public transport operator Regionalverkehr Köln (RVK) has increased its fuel cell bus fleet with hydrogen buses from Solaris. From 2021, 15 Solaris hydrogen fuel cell buses will be successively integrated into RVK’s fleet.

ZF Friedrichshafen and the Wolong Electric Group have officially sealed the foundation of their joint venture, which was agreed upon in November. The objective of the JV called Wolong ZF Automotive E-Motors Co Ltd is the development and production of electric motors and components.

Ford apparently has more than 40,000 pre-orders for its Mustang Mach-E electric SUV. This means that this year’s planned production of 50,000 units will soon be sold out.

The Polish manufacturer Solaris plans to deliver more than 500 ordered battery buses this year. The proportion of electrified buses is increasing – and with it their importance for the entire company.

Under the leadership of German university TU Braunschweig, eight consortium partners from industry and science have laid the foundation for a network of pilot lines across Europe concerning the research and development in the production of modern lithium-based battery cells.

An increasing number of manufacturers from Eastern Europe are venturing into the electric city bus business. Aleksandra Fedorska took a look at the projects of Ukrainian manufacturers for electrive.

Enel X has secured funding for the AMBRA-Electrify Europe project (AMBRA-E for short) that it coordinates. This project involves investments of 70.75 million euros and includes the construction of more than 3,000 charging stations in Italy, Spain and Romania by 2022.

Brussels has given the green light for an increase in the EV subsidy scheme, the Environmental Bonus in Germany. According to the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, the European Commission today announced that it has no objections to greater financial support for electric vehicles in Germany.

Experts from seven European countries are now working on solutions for next-generation lithium-ion batteries in the SeNSE research project within the European Battery Alliance. The Swedish company Northvolt is to play a decisive role in the four-year project.

Iveco-owner CNH Industrial and Nikola Motor will build the Nikola Tre in battery-electric and fuel cell version at the Iveco plant in Ulm, Germany. The first e-trucks to go into production from 2021 are the battery-electric 4×2 and 6×2 vehicles. The fuel cell version is planned for 2023.

The EU Commission has approved an increase of 300 million euros in Germany’s state aid for the purchase of electric buses and charging infrastructure under state aid law. The German aid scheme is valid until the end of 2021.

France’s head of state Emmanuel Macron and Germany’s research minister Anja Karliczek have given the official go-ahead for a battery cell pilot production in a factory of the manufacturer Saft in Nersac, southwest France. The pilot plant is scheduled to go into operation in mid-2021.

Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diess has delivered a seminal speech, depending action will follow. Essentially, the head of the major carmaker asks for binding environmental agreements across the EU, including charging networks and a higher price on carbon emissions.

Everything was to be so simple – one price for everyone, charged per kWh at all stations with Ionity’s high power charging network. Only it wasn’t that simple, as so-called mobility service operators got exclusive deals and charge differently – to much dismay and a competitor’s delight.

As part of the EU-funded project REVIVE (Refuse Vehicle Innovation and Validation in Europe), a fleet of 15 electric vehicles for refuse collection is to be built and put into operation by 2021. The trucks will have a fuel cell system to increase the range.

The INCIT-EV project, now launched and funded by the EU Commission, is concerned with the development of innovative charging technologies for electric vehicles until the end of 2023. Under the leadership of Renault, a total of 33 partners from eight countries are participating in the project.

The European Investment Bank is providing 27.5 million euros to finance the introduction of cleaner buses in Spain. Specifically, it will support the modernisation of Grupo Ruiz’s bus fleet through the purchase of 32 electric and 141 natural gas buses for public transport.

This week, the EU Commission gave the go-ahead for what is being called “the battery alliance” in seven European countries. Subsidies were approved for 32 GWh battery cell production with PSA and Saft at the Opel factory in Kaiserslautern, Germany and an identical plant in France, making a total production capacity of 64 GWh.

The European Commission has now approved funding totalling 3.2 billion euros for pan-European research and innovation projects by seven Member States in all segments of the battery value chain. Among others, Opel and BMW will benefit from the funds.

According to German Economics Minister Peter Altmaier, the second European battery cell consortium has now been “put on track” by sending the information to the European Commission. However, his ministry still does not mention the names of those involved.

The new European CO2 legislation for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles obliges the EU Commission to monitor real fuel and electrical energy consumption from next year onwards. This was pointed out by the ICCT.

More than every third electric bus in the EU was built in Poland. The strength of the industry is based not only on the domestic manufacturer Solaris – but also on the constantly high demand domestically, as Aleksandra Fedorska reports in her analysis.

The European Commission has opened an investigation against Hungary to assess whether Hungary’s plans to grant €108 million in subsidies to Samsung SDI for the expansion of its battery cell production plant in Göd follow EU rules on regional state aid.

The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, Hydrogen Europe and the International Road Transport Union are jointly calling on European policymakers to ramp up investments in EU-wide hydrogen refuelling infrastructure for fuel cell vehicles.

The German Ministry of Economics has submitted the documents of the first major European project for battery cell production to the European Commission and hopes to receive the Commission’s approval under state aid law this fall.