EU states as well Great Britain, Norway and Switzerland subsidise fossil fuels with at least 137 billion euros annually, as research from Investigate Europe shows. Germany is the biggest contributor with fossil fuels subsidies of at least 37 billion euros annually.

The EU-funded project COBRA (CObalt-free Batteries for FutuRe Automotive Applications) aims to develop next-generation cobalt-free batteries. The project also aims to eliminate the need for other critical materials.

The European Commission supports the establishment of charging stations for electric vehicles in Schleswig-Holstein through the German state. At least 1,500 additional charging points are to be created in Germany’s northernmost federal state and up to six bus depots are to be equipped with charging stations.

Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) is also relying on hydrogen as part of the conversion of its bus fleet. After TMB had ordered a total of 23 articulated battery-electric buses from Solaris and Irizar in February, a tender for the purchase of the first fuel cell buses has now been launched.

The newly founded Norwegian company Morrow Batteries plans to build a battery cell factory for electric cars. In the final stage of expansion, the factory will have a capacity of 32 GWh. The first of the four planned expansion stages, each with 8 GWh, should be completed in 2024.

A new EU project called ASTRABAT has been created to push forward with the development of solid-state battery cells. The aim of the project is to create such cells for electric vehicles and other applications in Europe. The project consortium comprises 14 partners from eight European countries.

The EU Commission has apparently drawn up initial proposals for an economic and climate protection package in the transport sector worth up to 100 billion euros. Among other things, the plans outline a purchase premium for ‘cleaner cars’. There is apparently still some dispute about which cars should be included.

The latest CAM data for the electric car sector from Jan to April 2020 paints an uneven development. The study notices a strong increase in electric vehicles sales in Europe in general, the UK in particular, with an increase in PHEV cars in Germany.

After first giving us his polarising observations on how not to make it in the business of charging infrastructure in last week’s guest contribution, the mobility consultant and former Hubject CEO Thomas Daiber now delivers the five biggest Do’s for growth and lasting success.

Deficient business models and a hardware-intensive struggle for locations: Looking back, the former Hubject boss Thomas Daiber sees the ramp-up of the e-mobility charging infrastructure as a permanent turning into dangerous dead ends.

ACEA, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, has published the registration figures in the EU for buses, trucks (from 3.5 tonnes) and vans in 2019 by type of drive. While the figures for buses and trucks have more than doubled, the electric vehicle segment has grown much more slowly.

In Europe, an electric car is responsible for almost three times less CO2 over its life cycle than a comparable petrol or diesel car, Transport & Environment has determined and published a corresponding calculation tool.

An electric bus with a replaceable battery is being developed as part of a Polish research project. The bus manufacturer Autosan and the National Centre for Research and Development and the Lukasiewicz-PIMOT consortium are carrying out the project.

A few days ago, a 27-tonne fuel-cell-powered truck from VDL started its first practical application in the Netherlands. The EU-funded H2Share project will gather practical experience in different regions of North-West Europe.

The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) is calling for binding targets for charging infrastructure for zero-emission trucks. They released new data on the number of charging points and H2 re-filling stations required to meet the EU’s 2025 and 2030 CO2 targets for heavy-duty vehicles.

The European large-scale research initiative Battery 2030+ presents its roadmap to inventing the green batteries of the future. The Fraunhofer R&D Center for Electromobility at the Fraunhofer ISC in Wuerzburg coordinates the project that defines three key areas.

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.