The logistics specialist Dachser wants to deliver to the city centres of at least eleven European metropolitan regions without emissions by the end of 2022.

The end of the CHAdeMO fast-charging standard is on the horizon in France. While a 2017-decree made CHAdeMO mandatory for DC-charging stations alongside CCS and Type 2 by the end of 2024, the government has now revised its plans.

Citroën has introduced a cargo variant of its super low-cost Ami light electric vehicle for delivery services and other urban uses. In the new model variant called My Ami Cargo, the passenger seat has been replaced by a modular cargo box that offers 260 litres of storage space.

The Kia EV6 can now be configured and ordered at local dealers across 24 nations in Europe. During the reservation phase, which has now ended, Kia recorded 7,300 reservations for the electric model in Europe. This indicates – as already with the e-Niro – long delivery times.

France’s oil and gas giant Total has opened its network of high power charging stations to Charge4Europe. The JV of DKV and Innogy thus extends its reach across Europe with the agreement affecting Total pit stops in France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.

Following a series of hints, Audi now officially announced plans to enter a hybrid sports car in the 24 Hours of Le Mans again in the 2023 season. Unlike Toyota or Peugeot, however, the German company will not build a hypercar according to Le Mans rules.

An analysis by the Center of Automotive Management (CAM) found that new registrations of BEVs and PHEVs increased strongly in Europe and China in the first quarter of 2021. China remains the largest electric market, just ahead of Europe. What is striking is the enormous increase in new PHEV registrations in Europe.

According to a new study by Ferdinand Dudenhöffer’s CAR Research Institute in Duisburg, the tightening of the EU’s CO2 requirements and the shift to electromobility will not be a job killer.

Here is to a true transport turnaround as France and Finland get creative in their e-mobility incentives. France wants to offer owners of cars with combustion engines a special form of scrapping premium: 2,500 euros for the purchase of a pedelec.

The French DBT Group announced it raised another 200 million euros for its EV charging outlet DBT-CEV. The family-owned company wants to fund a new growth strategy to become “a major EV charging actor in Europe.”

Hyundai Motor has entered into a strategic partnership with Uber in Europe. Through this cooperation, Hyundai will offer Uber drivers discounted access to its Ioniq Electric and Kona Electric models, as well as future all-electric vehicle models.

Within the framework of the European innovation project Flagships, the world’s first commercial cargo ship with hydrogen propulsion is to go into operation on the Seine in Paris this year. This has significantly shifted the focus of the project initiated in 2018.

Toyota Motor Europe is a new shareholder in the start-up Energy Observer Developments (EODev). The French company was founded in 2019 with the aim of driving research and development of the H2 catamaran Energy Observer, for which Toyota is supplying the fuel cell technology.

Alstom has received its first orders for hydrogen trains in France. On behalf of four regions, the state railway company SNCF has ordered the first twelve trains developed by Alstom to run on both overhead lines and hydrogen. The order is worth almost 190 million euros.

French bus manufacturer Safra and the fuel cell joint venture of Michelin and Faurecia, Symbio, announce plans to produce 1,500 hydrogen buses. Businova, the first French fuel cell bus developed by Safra and equipped by Symbio, is already on the road in several cities.

IT service provider Atos has announced that it will fully electrify its nearly 5,500 company cars by the end of 2024. Atos has chosen Renault and Stellantis as its main suppliers of battery-electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

Battery manufacturer Microvast has signed a framework agreement with French bus manufacturer Safra. Over the next three years, Microvast will supply Safra with three standardised battery products for the company’s electric and hybrid buses, as well as for retrofitting the bus fleet.

Rexel, a distribution specialist for electrical installation materials and electrical components, has acquired 100 per cent of the French charging network operator Freshmile. The network operator currently manages more than 8,000 charging points and provides services to more than 50,000 EV drivers.

The public transport provider in the metropolitan region of north-western France,  Métropole Rouen Normandie, has ordered ten electric buses from Daimler. The ten eCitaro are to be delivered this summer and the public transport provider will be utilising different battery technologies for the vehicles.

The British SAIC brand MG Motor is increasingly expanding into continental Europe. After the recently launched all-electric SUV ZS EV and the soon to follow plug-in hybrid MG EHS, the carmaker has announced the next electric duo: the SUV Marvel R Electric and the compact estate MG 5 Electric.

German Economics Minister Peter Altmaier, his French colleague Bruno Le Maire and EU Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic wrote in a guest article demanding that by 2025, Europe should be able to produce enough battery cells each year to supply at least seven million electric cars.

The Berlin-based micromobility provider Tier Mobility has entered into a cooperation with the Free Now mobility platform from BMW and Daimler. As part of the cooperation, Tier’s electric scooters (kick-scoters and mopeds) will be gradually integrated into the Free Now app.

Dacia will open the first pre-orders for its Spring electric model on 20 March. Now the Renault subsidiary brand has given more details on the production model as well as first prices. The private customer model is to start in France at list prices from 16,990 euros.

A new analysis by the European Alternative Fuels Observatory (EAFO) provides interesting insights into the status of charging infrastructure development in Europe. The study also shows that a major effort is still needed to reach the European Green Deal’s milestone of one million public charging points by 2025.

They are the only manufacturer of solid-state batteries for electric vehicles on an industrial scale – and yet they are hardly in the spotlight: French Bolloré subsidiary Blue Solutions developed and commercialised batteries with solid-state electrolyte years ago. Their most prominent customer is Daimler.

The Dutch fast-charging provider Fastned has raised 150 million euros in an offering with accelerated book building. The funds are to be invested in the expansion of the charging network across Europe.

An unofficial fuel cell alliance is forming in France as Faurecia will supply hydrogen tanks for the new fleet of FC commercial vehicles Renault plans to launch at the end of this year. Faurecia will design and manufacture these tanks in France and is already preparing for expansion.

The French supplier Faurecia has acquired a majority stake in CLD, one of the largest manufacturers of high-pressure tanks in China. With this move, the French company is betting on the further growth of the hydrogen market in China.

French battery manufacturer Forsee Power has raised 105 million euros in capital, including a 50-million-euro loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB). The company will use the money to expand its product range and increase its manufacturing capacity.

The French government is launching a 100-million-euro funding programme to build more charging stations for electric cars on the national road network. The scheme is for companies installing charging hubs with at least four fast-charging stations.