Globally, 20% of new car sales are electric, with China leading the way (50% of new sales). In Europe, this is 14-17% (France, Germany), in the US only 10%. Fossil fuel cars still dominate, but are losing ground.
Toyota’s latest hydrogen combustion engine offers an alternative with 600+ km range and 3-5 minute refueling time, but limited infrastructure (53 stations in California, few in Europe), but green hydrogen is expensive and scarce. So the transition to EVs continues, especially in China (70% of global EV production) and Europe (EU ban on new fossil cars in 2035). Solid state batteries (SCCU) promise 700 km range and lower costs by 2030. Trump’s elimination of EV subsidies ($7,500 tax credit) and freeze on charging network funding ($5 billion) are slowing the US transition. He is promoting fossil fuels, which is widening the gap with China.
Ford CEO Jim Farley calls Chinese EVs “superior” in technology and cost (e.g. Xiaomi YU7: $35,000, 835 km range). U.S. automakers are losing market share due to high costs and slow innovation.
Especially in the Netherlands and Germany, the energy grid is overloaded by growing EV and AI demand and this slows down the expansion of charging infrastructure, while fossil cars benefit from existing filling stations. Fossil cars therefore remain relevant, especially for long distances, but their share is steadily decreasing.
EV sales increased
In the Netherlands, EV sales grew 16% to 132,166 units in 2024, with the Tesla Model Y as the best-selling model, despite a stagnant EU market; EV growth of 40% is expected in 2025 to 2.7 million vehicles in Western Europe, with a market share of 22%.
The EU continues to aim for a combustion engine ban by 2035, but the European People’s Party (EPP) wants to scrap emissions fines for 2025 and give manufacturers two extra years to meet CO2 targets, as the EV transition is hampered by import duties, limited range, fire hazards, high costs, grid congestion and insufficient charging infrastructure. Under pressure from the European car industry, car manufacturers now have until 2027 to get below 93.6 grams. The average will be measured over three years (2025, 2026, 2027). In addition, manufacturers must emit 15 percent less CO2 annually between 2025 and 2029 than in 2021. From 2030 to 2034, the CO2 reduction must even be 55 percent less than in 2021 to achieve 100 percent less emissions in 2035.
A total of 1.7 million cars returned due to airbag problems
The 1.7 million cars are subject to the ‘stop drive’ restriction. Thirty manufacturers and some 200 models are affected. The dangerous Takata airbags must be replaced before the car can be driven again. By mid-June, the list of fatal airbag victims had grown again, with the death of a female driver in Reims. A sign of a serious shortcoming in the approach to the problem. The victim, a 37-year-old woman, was driving a Citroën C3 that was subject to a simple recall and not the ‘stop drive’ recall. She had not even received a letter informing her of the recall. The models affected include BMW, Nissan, Audi, Volkswagen, Tesla and Seat.
Trade war and import duties
Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis have withdrawn their outlooks for this year due to the uncertainty created by Donald Trump ’s trade measures . According to Mercedes, the uncertainties surrounding the import tariffs are “too great to reliably estimate business developments this year.” The company also warned that operating profit, cash flow and margins will come under pressure if the current trade barriers persist. Stellantis issued a similar statement. Stellantis’ sales had already fallen by 14 percent in the first quarter. Volvo and General Motors had previously withdrawn their outlooks due to uncertainties surrounding the import tariffs, which threaten to disrupt global supply chains and significantly increase the cost of shipping cars. Mercedes exports cars made in Europe to North America, but also makes cars in the US that are sold locally. These cars are also exported to countries including China. Trump did take steps to soften the impact of his auto tariffs, including reducing some duties on foreign parts. But for now, his volatile trade policies are sowing uncertainty across the industry. Earlier this month, the U.S. imposed 25 percent tariffs on imported cars from abroad.
In the first quarter of 2025, 570,943 fully electric cars were registered in Europe, including the UK, Norway and Switzerland. That is 28% more than in the same period last year. In 2024, 1 in 8 new cars was electric, now that is more than 1 in 6. The plug-in car is seriously gaining ground. In March 2025, almost a quarter of a million electric cars were registered. Tesla has taken a big hit, but seems to be slowly recovering. In the first quarter of 2025, the number of registrations still fell by 38% compared to last year. But a flattening line is visible. In January, the decline was still 47%, while in March it was only 30%. Despite the bad figures, Tesla Model Y and Model 3 are the most popular electric cars in Europe.
The European Union imposed definitive import duties on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) on October 30, 2024, which will remain in place for five years, in a bid to counter unfair Chinese subsidies. The duties, on top of the EU’s standard 10% import duty, range from 7.8% for Tesla to 35.3% for SAIC, depending on the level of cooperation with the European Commission’s investigation.
Tesla was granted a lower 7.8% levy after an individual request, as it demonstrated that it benefits less from Chinese state aid. The vote among the 27 EU member states on October 4, 2024 was not made public, but according to international media, ten countries voted in favor, including the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, France, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland (45.99% of the EU population).
Five countries, including Germany, Hungary, Malta, Slovenia and Slovakia (22.65%), voted against, and twelve countries, including Belgium, Spain and Sweden (31.36%), abstained. Germany’s vote against reflects the interests of carmakers such as Mercedes and Volkswagen, which sell a lot in China and fear Chinese countermeasures.
China has launched retaliatory investigations into EU imports of cognac, dairy and pork, and is considering tariffs on large-engine gasoline cars, which would hit German brands. Chinese automakers such as BYD and Geely faced 17% and 18.8% tariffs respectively, and are trying to limit the impact by moving production to Europe, such as BYD’s factory in Hungary and plans in Turkey, which has tariff-free access to the EU through a customs union. The European Commission and China are negotiating alternatives, such as minimum prices for Chinese EVs, to avoid tariffs, with recent progress reported on April 10, 2025.
The EU estimates that Chinese EVs (including Tesla) grew their market share in the EU from 3.5% in 2020 to 27.2% in Q2 2024, with Chinese brands up from 1.9% to 14.1%, and warns that China’s overcapacity of 3 million EVs per year is threatening the EU market. Sales of new passenger cars in the EU are set to stagnate in 2024, according to the European auto industry body ACEA, with declines in Germany, France and Italy but strong growth in Spain. Sales of fully electric cars in the EU fell, though the Netherlands saw a 16% increase with 132,166 EVs, with the Tesla Model Y the best-selling model and Kia the most popular brand. A total of 381,227 cars were registered in the Netherlands, up 3.1%. A recovery is expected by 2025, with a potential 40% growth in EV sales in Western Europe (including the UK) to 2.7 million vehicles, and an EV market share of 22% in 2024. EU tariffs are likely to dampen the growth of Chinese EV imports, with S&P Global predicting that Chinese cars (including non-Chinese brands such as Tesla) will not reach the expected peak of 1 million registrations in the EU27 by 2027.
Following the 2024 US presidential election, President Trump imposed import tariffs on the EU , including 25% on cars and 20% on other goods, on top of a base tariff of 10%, effective April 2, 2025. The EU responded on April 9, 2025 with retaliatory tariffs on US products such as motorcycles, poultry and fruit, worth €21 billion, although these were partially paused following Trump’s announcement of a 90-day moratorium for most countries except China (125% tariffs). These trade tensions, combined with the EU-China tariffs, complicate the global EV market, with Tesla benefiting from its lower EU tariff but struggling with declining sales in Europe, such as a 15.1% drop in California and a halving in Germany in April 2025, partly due to competition and tariff pressure.
The range for most car users is too limited
Electric cars currently have a limited range, of which suppliers usually provide overly optimistic figures. The actual range depends on the location of use, accessories used, driving style, weather conditions and especially the load of the car and the number of people. Problems with electric driving often arise in frost. The batteries are less able to retain power at low temperatures and the use of the heating and windscreen wipers put a strain on power consumption. Not only does the range drop sharply, but it also appears that the charging cables can freeze to the car. In the event of a wire break, a new cable can easily cost 300 euros. An electric car may also only be charged to 80% if you want to prevent your batteries from deteriorating.
Researchers looked at the data of almost 30,000 electric cars that were in the heat. That is: at 32 degrees and at 37 to 38 degrees Celsius. At 32 degrees, the loss of range starts, but that is negligible. The researchers see that significant loss of range only occurs at higher temperatures. Then you can see 17 to 18 percent of your original range evaporate. The main reason for the lost kilometers is the air conditioning. However, the battery does not have as much trouble with it as when heating the car in the winter. Then the temperature difference that it has to bridge is also greater. Just think: from -5 to 20 degrees or from 37 to 20 degrees. The researchers discovered that EVs with a heat pump lose more range in the heat than electric cars without such a pump. For EVs with a heat pump, this amounted to 7% loss at 32 degrees Celsius and 15% loss at 37+ degrees. The non-pump EVs lost 3 and 13 percent, respectively, at the high temperatures. The car with the highest percentage loss is a model not sold here: the Chevy Blazer EV. Next is the Kia Niro with 12 percent evaporated energy. That would mean that 55.2 kilometers of the 460 total range is eaten up by cooling the car.
The biggest problem with electric driving is that the charging stations are not only very expensive but also often defective or occupied and expensive. A normal charge can take up to an hour. Fast chargers can recharge an 85 kilowatt-hour battery for eighty percent in about thirty minutes, but that is again super bad for the batteries. Users of the charging stations leave their car behind during the recharging and go shopping, have a drink somewhere or visit, while the queue grows behind them. This is a big problem in the United States in particular, but here too the fast charger in Southeast is usually full of Schiphol taxis. To prevent this, plug-in charges are now being charged everywhere.
The actual range is in many cases forty percent lower than the “guide values” given by the manufacturers. For example, the Renault Zoe only reaches 232 kilometers instead of the promised 400 kilometers and the Opel Ampera-e reaches 304 instead of 500 km. The Mercedes EQS reaches 363 kilometers at 130 km/h instead of 651 km. The EQE reaches 409 km/h instead of 594 kilometers. The BMW i7 reaches 364 km/h instead of 619 kilometers. The Volkswagen ID5 reaches 330 km/h instead of the stated 516 km. The Cupra Born reaches 329 instead of 550 km.
The Mercedes EQS SUV does 321 km instead of 594 km. The Skoda Enyaq Coupe RS iV does 299 km instead of 523 km. The Ford Mustang does 314 km instead of 540 km. The Hyuandai Ioniq 6 does 302 km instead of 5,454 km. The Tesla Model 3 Long Range does 340 km instead of 580 km. The Tesla Model Y Long Range does 306 km instead of 507 km.
The Nissan Ariya does 304 km instead of 525 km. The BMWi4 does 334 km instead of 520 km. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 (73 kWh) does 270 km instead of 430 km. The Audi E-Tron GT does 348 km instead of 348 km. These differences are at a measured speed of 130 km per hour. On January 1, 2016, the additional tax percentage for cars with emissions between 1 and 50 grams of CO2 per kilometer increased from 7 percent to 15 percent and on January 1, 2017, the entire additional tax benefit for plug-in hybrids disappeared.
This means that for every non-fully electric car, a 22 percent addition percentage applies, which resulted in a halving of sales. The half rate in motor vehicle tax for plug-in hybrids remained in place. A process has now been initiated to gradually reduce the tax benefits for plug-in vehicles. Sales of hybrid cars in the Netherlands have completely collapsed after the tax measure.
Not only cold and heat limit the range of electric cars, rain also contributes to this and is even higher than previously thought. The French Automobile Propre investigated the decrease in range during extreme rainfall. Just like with cars with combustion engines, the layer of water that accumulates in front of the tire causes rolling resistance.
This means that the car needs more power to drive at the same speed. Less visible, and therefore less obvious, is the hindering effect of high humidity. This also causes greater aerodynamic resistance. Colder air has a greater density, while a cold road surface affects the temperature of the tires. The colder it is, the more the consumption increases. Measurements were carried out with the Cupra Born, the Peugeot e-3008, the Renault Scenic e-Tech and the Audi e-Tron GT RS.
The tests were conducted outdoors in pouring rain, and therefore not under identical laboratory conditions. At a speed of 110 km/h, an average additional consumption of sometimes more than 20 percent was measured. The additional consumption was 4 kWh per 100 kilometers, which reduces the range by an estimated 16.7 percent. This results in a range of almost 60 kilometers less per charge. For comparison: driving faster (130 km/h) in dry conditions results in an additional consumption of 1.2 kWh per 100 kilometers.
This means that electric cars will travel an average of 15 kilometres less. CATL is introducing an innovative Freevoy Dual Core battery, which increases the range to 1,500 kilometres. This is possible thanks to a much higher energy density, which significantly increases efficiency. Another battery developed by CATL is the Shenxing battery, which uses lithium iron phosphate (LFP). This battery can charge with a capacity of 1.3 megawatts, which corresponds to two kilometres of range per second. The maximum range is around 800 kilometres.
Carsick
People get sick more often in electric cars, or carsick. According to scientists, it is quite possible that people get carsick more quickly in an electric car than in a regular car. This involves completely new movements that you experience in an electric car, but not in a car with a combustion engine. An electric car is often (much) heavier, but also has a lower center of gravity. This makes a car feel different in the bends. EVs often have fairly soft suspension with relatively stiff damping to control the mass. The biggest problem, however, is the acceleration and deceleration forward. An electric car already delivers its maximum power and torque at 0 rpm, so in almost every situation an EV can suddenly accelerate forward.
You can prevent this by activating the Eco mode. In that case, most electric cars respond much more slowly to the gas. This ensures that there is a little more peace in the car and the car jerks less during acceleration. The eco mode does expose another nauseating facet: regenerative braking. Every time you release the gas, the EV brakes on the engine. Think of it as a kind of dynamo on your bike. The harder you press it, the more energy it can absorb. In this case, to provide the battery with some energy again. The disadvantage is that every time you release the gas, it has a braking effect. You as the driver know when you release the gas, so your body is already preparing for the braking effect, but the occupants do not. Especially because an electric car does not make any noise. The occupants are used to taking sounds and vibrations into account, which are no longer present with an EV. According to the scientists, other signals must be given so that the occupants know that the car is braking. Think of the use of lights. As a driver, you can switch off the regenerative braking yourself or at least adjust it so that you are least bothered by it.
Fastest, cleanest and most luxurious fast charging station in the Netherlands
In the Zeeland village of Biervliet, you will find the fastest public fast charger in the Netherlands. The charging station is owned by a local brewery: Groen Goud Biervliet. A family business that not only brews special beers, but also takes sustainability seriously. Since January 2025, a fast charger has been located on the brewery’s grounds that can handle peaks of up to 480 kW.
In theory, you can charge enough power for hundreds of kilometers within ten minutes. In practice, your car is probably the limiting factor rather than the charger itself. At Fastned, you rarely get above 300 kW, the latest Tesla Superchargers reach a maximum of 350 kW (if there is no more than 1 car at a pole) and Ionity has the fastest poles with devices that stop at 400 kW (also split over two cars if there are two). It is the first of this type in Europe, a MaxiCharger DH480 from Autel. The power is generated by thousands of solar panels on the existing sheds.
While your car is charging rapidly, you can go to Groen Goud for fresh coffee, luxury sandwiches and home-made cake. There is a small kiosk with a farm vending machine where you can buy local products, and for children there is a gnome path in the greenery around the site. Even the toilet has been thought of: it is self-cleaning and always spotlessly clean. Groen Goud Biervliet shows that electric driving is not only a nuisance and does not have to depend on large companies with uniform charging stations along the highway.
Fire hazard
Hundreds of miles off the coast of Alaska, a fire broke out on June 5, 2025, on a cargo ship carrying 3,000 cars, including 800 electric ones. The 22-person crew of the Morning Midas managed to escape in a lifeboat. No one was injured. The 183-meter-long ship was en route to Mexico when a fire of unknown cause broke out near the Aleutian Islands in the North Pacific Ocean. The company behind the ship, London-based Zodiac Maritime, confirmed that the fire was in the electric car section. The crew was unable to control the flames and had to abandon ship. A nearby merchant ship, the Cosco Hellas, picked them up from their lifeboat about 500 kilometers southwest of Adak Island. The car and truck carrier Morning Midas was built in 2006 and flies the Liberian flag. According to Marinetraffic.com, the cars were transported in the Chinese city of Yantai on May 26. They were being shipped to Lázaro Cárdenas, a port city in Mexico. The cargo ship, eventually sank in the Pacific Ocean 580 kilometers off the coast of Alaska. The ocean there is about 5 kilometers deep.
The number of electric car fires has increased significantly in recent years, mainly because there are more and more electric cars on the road. In the Netherlands, 219 electric car fires were registered last year, while in 2022 there were still 104. Although electric cars do not necessarily catch fire faster than petrol or diesel cars, extinguishing such a fire is a lot more difficult. This is because the battery of an electric car is designed to be waterproof, making it difficult for water to get into the battery to effectively stop the fire.
This means that an electric car fire can last for hours, while a regular car fire is usually under control within an hour. In addition, lithium batteries can cause a chain reaction, in which adjacent cells overheat and re-ignite, even after extinguishing. That is why experiments are being conducted in the Netherlands with water immersion containers, in which a burning electric car is completely submerged in water to prevent re-ignition. The fire brigade urgently needs an expansion of this specific fire-fighting equipment and has a serious budget shortage for this innovation. This concerns:
- Immersion containers: These are water basins in which a burning electric car can be completely submerged. This is necessary to effectively cool and extinguish the battery, which can cause a long-lasting and intense fire due to a so-called ’thermal runaway’. The immersion can last up to 48 hours.
- Special extinguishing agents: Special extinguishing agents have been developed that are more effective in extinguishing lithium-ion batteries, such as lithium fire extinguishers.
- Ultra High Pressure (UHD) extinguishing systems: These systems can inject water into the battery at high pressure to cool it from the inside. This is especially useful in hard to reach locations such as parking garages.
- Thermal imaging cameras: These cameras are essential for monitoring the temperature of the battery pack and checking for thermal runaway or re-ignition of the battery after extinguishing.
- Hazardous Materials Measuring Equipment: An electric car fire can release toxic gases such as hydrogen fluoride. Measuring equipment is needed to determine the concentration of these substances and ensure the safety of firefighters.
- Education and Training: Firefighters require specialized knowledge and training to safely and effectively combat electric vehicle fires, including recognizing the specific hazards and operating the new equipment.
- Fire blankets: Although not primarily for extinguishing the fire itself, fire blankets can be used to isolate the fire and limit the spread of toxic fumes until firefighters arrive on the scene.
Lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles, e-bikes, scooters, tools, tablets, phones, and toys are increasingly causing house fires in the Netherlands. In 2023, batteries were the suspected cause of 5% of all house fires, up from 3% in 2022, driven by the growth of electric bicycles and scooters. The National Fire Prevention Weeks of 2024, supported by the fire brigade, insurers, and the Dutch Burns Foundation, focused on safe charging of e-bikes and scooters. Many people do not know what to do in the event of a battery fire; extinguishing it yourself with water is life-threatening due to hydrogen formation and explosion risks.
The fire department advises to go outside immediately in the event of a battery fire and call 112. Electric cars in underground parking garages pose a growing safety risk: fires are difficult to extinguish, produce harmful substances, can spread to other vehicles, and threaten the structure of garages. The Netherlands Institute for Public Safety (NIPV) reports an increase in EV fires from 58 in 2021 to 201 in 2024 and warns that parking garages are not suitable for a fleet that is 50% electric by 2035. Institutions such as the TU Delft ban EVs in garages and require outdoor parking to improve access for emergency services. Worldwide, there were more than 200 ship fires in 2022, often caused by EV batteries, with eight ships lost, the highest number in ten years.
Norwegian ferry company Havila Kystruten bans EVs, and Greek ferries only allow EVs with batteries charged to 40%, checked upon boarding. On April 21, 2024, an electric car caught fire under a carport in Etten-Leur while charging, and the burned-out car was lifted into a water container to be fully extinguished. On January 4, 2024, an EV caught fire at a charging station along the A28 between Beilen and Dwingeloo, causing significant damage to the station; firefighters submerged the car in a large water container.
A Tesla truck in the US burned in 2024 after colliding with a tree, requiring 50,000 gallons of water and fire retardant from an airplane and a 15-hour highway shutdown to safely cool the batteries. On June 24, 2024, a lithium battery factory in Hwaseong, South Korea, containing 35,000 batteries exploded, killing 22 workers, mostly Chinese; about 100 workers were on the job. In the US, e-bikes caused 200 fires in New York in 2022, many while they were charging.
On May 21, 2024, six family members in the Netherlands were injured when a bicycle battery fire occurred while charging on a windowsill; smoke inhalation led to hospitalization, and neighbors extinguished the fire with a garden hose despite fire department advice to evacuate. On May 5, 2024, an electric U-OV bus in De Bilt burned down completely, but all 30 passengers were unharmed. In late April 2022, a Tesla Model S burned down in a parking garage in Shanghai, followed by a Tesla fire in Hong Kong; Tesla’s software update improved the charging system and temperature management, but fires continue to occur, such as in Oss (2019) and Hollywood (2018).
Lithium-ion batteries are difficult to extinguish because chemicals react with oxygen, causing thermal runaway, where overheated cells ignite other cells, sometimes explosively. Causes include internal short circuits (due to manufacturing defects or vibration) or external short circuits (due to water or incorrect connections), where lithium reacts with moisture and oxygen, made worse by boiling organic liquids in the battery. Extinguishing with water produces hydrogen, which burns further. Statistics show that EVs rarely fire (25 per 100,000 vehicles), but battery fires are almost always the cause, due to thermal, electrical, or mechanical stress, such as accident damage or faulty battery management.
On July 26, 2023, one of the 498 electric cars also caused a fire on the car carrier Fremantle Highway north of Ameland. One crew member died and 22 were injured with breathing problems, burns, and broken bones. The Fremantle Highway fire (2023) with 3,784 cars, including 500 EVs, was possibly caused by a Volkswagen Taycan, and extinguishing was impossible; the ship sank, with €140 million in damage for Volkswagen.
Shipping companies like MOL are investing in AI cameras, and some are refusing EV transport. In Incheon, South Korea, a Mercedes-Benz EV fire destroyed a 140-car parking garage in 2024 for eight hours; the car used Farasis Energy batteries. Samsung SDI admitted responsibility for EV battery fires, issuing 180,196 recalls in the US, but failed to identify any design flaws, suggesting complex causes. China is banning substandard bicycle batteries from November 2024 but exporting them to the EU, raising the risk of 350 million e-bikes. Manufacturers like Mercedes-Benz (CATL, Farasis, LGES, SK On), Hyundai, Kia (LGES, SK On, CATL), and BMW (Samsung SDI, CATL) are publishing battery suppliers after the Incheon fire, but there is no software solution to eliminate fire risks. Boeing warns against transporting lithium batteries on passenger planes because firefighting methods are inadequate; airlines including Delta and Air France are stopping them, and the International Civil Aviation Organization is investigating solutions.
The European Commission wants to free up 1.8 billion euros for raw materials to produce batteries for the automotive industry itself. This should make the EU less dependent on the import of foreign batteries for accumulators and stimulate the greening of the European automotive industry.
Modern EV batteries are long-lasting. Renault’s own data shows that more than 99 percent of Renault ZOE batteries, including the first generation from 2012, still retain at least 70 percent of their original capacity after 10 years. Battery research firm Recurrent also conducted a study based on real-world user data from 15,000 electric cars, which concluded that most EVs only lose around 1 to 2 percent of their capacity per year. And only 1.5 percent of all those battery packs have ever been replaced.
Costs of electric driving are rising rapidly
The price development is fast and the batteries of the Tesla Model S are expected to cost only 8,500 euros in 2025. In 2013, this was still 50,000 euros. A kilometer in an electric car costs almost 76 cents, 9 cents more than in a petrol car. The ANWB calculated with cars of 46,000 euros – that is how much an average electric vehicle (ev) costs – with which 15,000 kilometers are driven per year for four years. Depreciation, insurance, maintenance, charging or refueling, tires and motor vehicle tax were included.
Insurers charge a higher premium for electric cars because of the heavier weight and the much more expensive parts. Insuring an electric car is therefore on average 16 percent more expensive than insuring a comparable petrol car. Electric cars that are stationary for a day consume approximately 3 kilowatt hours per day. That is good for more than 1000 kilowatt hours per year.
This amounts to a power consumption of over 600 euros. An electric car constantly sends the temperature, battery status and meter readings to the owner’s app. This process consumes much more energy than, for example, a smartphone. In addition, it is important for the lifespan of rechargeable batteries that the charge does not remain lower than 30% and higher than 70%. The consequences of this for the range are easy to guess. A lower fuel surcharge applies to passenger cars and vans on CNG, LNG and LPG with the type designation ex-factory, G3 or R115 installation. This arrangement will also be terminated as of 1 January 2026.
A new measure will introduce a new temporary rate discount within the motor vehicle tax for zero-emission passenger cars of 40% between 2026 and 2028, 35% in 2029 and 30% in 2030. After 2030, the temporary discount will expire. All other zero-emission vehicles, such as EV vans and EV buses, will be exempt from this motor vehicle tax discount from 2026 (these vehicles currently receive the same discount as passenger cars). Motor vehicle tax must be paid in 2026. This is partly determined on the basis of weight and can therefore be hundreds of euros higher for electric cars with heavy batteries than for comparable petrol models.
Insurer ZLM is introducing a separate insurance for electric cars. This includes roadside assistance if a driver gets stranded with a flat battery. This is remarkable because this service is not even standard with the ANWB Roadside Assistance. The question is whether other large insurers will now also introduce a separate e-insurance.
Driving an electric car is considerably more expensive than driving a petrol or diesel car due to energy tax, profit margin, more expensive (damage) repairs and maintenance. Repairs and parts also cost considerably more for electric cars. For example, replacing the brake booster costs 4000 euros for a Nissan Leaf, while it costs 350 euros for a fuel car. Maintenance of fully electric cars costs an average of 590 euros (excl. VAT) per year. For a car with a combustion engine, this is 568 euros (excl. VAT).
Small petrol cars are 67 euros cheaper per month than electric ones. (804 euros per year). In the B-class, electric ones are 79 euros more expensive per month, (948 euros per year). In the C-class, the difference is 42 euros per month (504 euros per year).
Electric driving requires a change in the way of driving and a more conscious planning of it. Charging has to be done every day, longer journeys have to be prepared and charging stations have to be selected in the hope that they are available and intact when they arrive. Charging at home will also become a lot more expensive after the abolition of the net metering scheme as of 2027.
Grid congestion and charging infrastructure
Minister Hermans is investigating a safety measure to better protect the electricity grid against overload. It concerns a flexible ‘backstop’ that intervenes in power-intensive devices such as charging stations, heat pumps and solar panel inverters. These smart devices could automatically limit their consumption or production in the event of an emergency signal.
For example, the charging speed of electric cars can be temporarily reduced to prevent power outages. To relieve the overloaded power grid, grid operators also want home chargers for electric cars to charge less quickly during rush hour. According to the RAI Association, there will be around 550,000 EVs on the road in 2024, while the number of public charging points is around 140,000. This leads to long waiting times at fast chargers, especially along highways.
The cleanest diesel buses may legally enter city centres until 1 January 2028. To accommodate entrepreneurs, the State Secretary postponed this rule by one year. The new measures should give entrepreneurs more time and space to switch to an electric commercial vehicle.
Two measures have been agreed:
Each municipality will set a minimum six-month fine-free period. If there is local reason to do so, a municipality is free to use a longer period”. The Hague wanted a four-month fine-free period, but that will not happen.
A legislative amendment process will be started to allow vans with emission class 6 to remain in the environmental zones for one year longer. “That is beneficial for almost half of the company vans, around 46 percent”, the government believes
In the meantime, the government is monitoring the impact of the emission zones in the municipality. The government and the municipalities are also working on a new set of agreements on the exemptions. These should not be regulated by the municipality, but nationally. In this way, you would be able to enter all environmental zones in the Netherlands with one exemption. The environmental zones in the Dutch municipalities are therefore being postponed by a year due to the government. This also gives the municipalities some time to find a better solution for admitting construction workers. In addition, local administrators are struggling with power problems.
Policies, developments and initiatives to accelerate the transition
Batteries that supply power back to the grid.
Charging station company WeDriveSolar has been experimenting with the technology for ten years. Now the teething problems have been solved and, according to the company, it is time for a large-scale deployment. The starting signal was given on Wednesday, together with the municipality, car manufacturer Renault and car sharing company MyWheels.
There are now fifty shared cars in Utrecht that use the so-called vehicle-to-grid technology (V2G). They are parked at charging stations that are specially made for this purpose. In a year and a half, the number of smart plug-in cars in Utrecht should have grown to five hundred. The shared cars will never completely drain their batteries, MyWheels emphasizes. It is therefore still possible to spontaneously get into a shared car. If a car is reserved, the system ensures that the battery is full when you leave.
In the average sixteen hours a day that the shared car is not used, it is part of a ‘virtual power plant’. It charges when electricity prices are low – usually when the sun is shining brightly – and discharges when electricity is expensive. The grid operator can also use the batteries for a fee to prevent overloading the grid.
With the new technology, MyWheels shared cars are no longer just a means of transportation, but “mobile neighborhood batteries,” says director Laurens van de Vijver. “I am very proud that this is happening right here in our backyard.”
Experts have long seen smart plug-in cars as a way to combat the pressing problems on the power grid and to make more green energy useful. In the coming years, more and more home batteries and large-scale battery parks will be installed that store excess solar power and can step in when there is a lot of demand for electricity during peak hours. Plug-in cars could do this too, but currently they usually do not have the option of ‘bidirectional’ charging.
Renault is now adding that option as standard to its electric cars. Next year, the automaker also wants to make it possible for Dutch consumers to use a plug-in car as a home battery. For that, a special charging station must be purchased.
MyWheels sees the Utrecht charging project as a prelude to a much larger deployment of the technology. Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Eindhoven will follow later this year, says Van de Vijver.
According to him, many municipalities are enthusiastic, because they are now often running up against the limits of the power grid. In Utrecht, new housing estates are in danger of no longer being able to get a connection, or they have to make do with a limited capacity. For example in the new Beurskwartier district.
“You can solve that with a large battery that you can order from Tesla. That costs a few million,” says Matthijs Kok of the municipality of Utrecht. “But there will also be 150 shared cars, because it is a car-free neighborhood without private car ownership. If you use all of those as a battery buffer, you don’t need that stationary battery. You use less material, because you already have those cars. It’s a win-win on all sides, but we have to arrange it together.”
In the future, smart cars throughout the country could make a significant contribution to the power supply during peak hours, thinks Baerte de Brey of ElaadNL, a knowledge centre of the Dutch grid operators. The million plug-in cars that are currently driving around are equivalent to a capacity of 10 gigawatts: six large coal-fired power stations.
“That is not yet available for vehicle-to-grid . But if in a few years a lot of Renaults have been sold, and Kia, Hyundai, Polestar and Tesla also supply it as standard, then you will potentially get enormous volumes.”
Electric vehicle manufacturers, utilities, and charging app operators see big financial benefits in using EVs to store energy via bidirectional charging, or vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology, which allows cars to charge at off-peak rates overnight and sell power back to the grid at a profit during peak hours. A million EVs could produce as much power as a large nuclear power plant.
V2G
Britain’s ev.energy is working with Siemens, Nissan, Volkswagen, and others on V2G implementation, which has been theoretical for years; only the Nissan Leaf has tried it, but Nissan is in crisis after a failed merger and a 6.4% share drop in 2024. Smart meters, AI, and modeling by energy companies are making V2G accessible to other brands. Tesla, BMW, Volkswagen, Renault, Toyota, and BYD are planning V2G-capable models, with BYD buoyed by China’s ambition to deploy V2G on a large scale by 2030.
In the US, V2G is experimental, and bidirectional chargers, while more expensive, become cheaper with scale. Octopus Energy in the UK offers a V2G tariff with free overnight charging if EVs are left plugged in, and plans to do so in France, Japan, New Zealand, and Texas by 2025. Automakers such as GM, which is launching a Chevrolet Silverado EV with V2G and home power in 2025 and is making all models V2G-capable by 2026, are setting up energy units to share V2G revenues with owners, utilities, and aggregators such as Duke Energy. Ford’s F-150 Lightning, also V2G-capable, saw production in Dearborn suspended from November 18, 2024 to January 6, 2025 due to lackluster demand. California reached an emissions deal with Ford, Volkswagen, Honda, BMW, and Volvo to protect strict EV sales regulations from a potential Trump administration that would roll back subsidies for EV production to “bail out” the auto industry.
Solid state batteries
For the first time since May 2025, an electric car with a fully solid-state battery has been driving around in Munich. BMW is currently testing a modified BMW i7, equipped with a new generation battery that no longer uses liquid components. According to the German brand, this is a world first. The battery is being developed in collaboration with the American technology company Solid Power, which specializes in solid-state technology.
Unlike the conventional lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles today, this battery does not contain a liquid electrolyte but a solid: a thin layer of sulphur that conducts the current between the positive and negative poles. This makes the battery considerably safer, because solid electrolytes are not flammable. At the same time, the design offers the possibility of higher energy density and significantly shorter charging times.
According to Solid Power, the batteries in the test car can be charged about a thousand times before their capacity noticeably decreases. That is comparable to the lifespan of existing batteries, but the bigger advantage lies in the amount of energy that can be stored per charge. No figures have yet been released about the exact range of the modified BMW i7. The aim of the test is primarily to investigate how the battery behaves under real conditions, such as fluctuations in temperature, vibrations and long-term mechanical stress.
Solid-state batteries are attracting attention because of their theoretical advantages, but the road to practical application is still long. One of the biggest technical challenges is the fragility of the lithium metal in the anode. During charging and discharging, this metal expands and contracts, causing microscopic cracks to form at the boundary between the lithium and the solid electrolyte. These cracks form a breeding ground for dendrites: needle-shaped structures that grow into the material and eventually cause a short circuit. This happens not only at high currents, but surprisingly also at low charging currents, which makes the problem even more persistent.
Recent Chinese research, published in the scientific journal Science, has shown using advanced electron microscopy that the phenomenon is related to metal fatigue. As with metals that are subjected to long-term stress, repeated loading causes small defects in the material. These make the lithium extra vulnerable to dendrite formation. The discovery is important because the problem can now be better understood and even predicted. This opens up new possibilities for improvement: for example, the lithium metal can be reinforced with other materials or protected via adapted loading strategies that reduce mechanical stress.
For BMW, the test is an important step towards a broader application of this technology, although the company emphasizes that further development is necessary. Other car manufacturers, such as Toyota, Stellantis and BYD, and battery manufacturers such as CATL, LG and Samsung are also working on solid-state batteries. The first commercial models are expected to appear on the market in the coming years, but large-scale production is not expected until after 2030.
The outlook is nevertheless promising. With a solid-state battery that works well, electric cars could in the future drive more than a thousand kilometers on a single charge, and be fully recharged in less than fifteen minutes. The test drive in Munich shows that the industry is getting closer to that goal.
The EU is working on tax reforms to stimulate electric lease cars, while ETS2 tax will increase fuel prices by €0.25 per liter in 2025 and €0.60 in 2026 from 2027, making EVs more attractive. In the Netherlands, MRA-Elektrisch (80 municipalities, Noord-Holland, Flevoland, Utrecht) has been stimulating electric driving since 2012 with 3,300 public charging stations in 2020. Vattenfall and BAM are installing 8,000 new charging stations in Noord-Brabant and Limburg, half of which are proactive, to support 1.9 million EVs in 2030. In Gelderland and Utrecht, 191 Park&Charge charging stations operate “grid-aware charging” to prevent grid overload, a first in the Netherlands, without major inconvenience for users.
Liander warns that the power grid will not be able to handle the growth to 2 million EVs and 400,000 charging stations in 2030, despite expansions. GVB’s electric buses on lines 15, 22, and 36 in Amsterdam have been using opportunity charging since 2020, with night-time charging at Garage West and fast charging at Sloterdijk station, financed by GVB, Vervoerregio, and the municipality.
Simon Loos tests the Mercedes-Benz eActros 600, which will go into series production in 2025, with a range of 500 km for Albert Heijn distribution centers, after 5 million electric kilometers since 2014.
Sixt is purchasing 100,000 BYD EVs for rental in the Netherlands, Germany, France, and the UK by 2028, with the goal of a 70-90% electric fleet by 2030. Taxi company Willemse de Koning deployed 80 electric Mercedes E VITOs for student transport in Utrecht in 2019, with 41.4 kWh batteries, 160 km range, and 84 kW power.
Since October 2023, Amsterdam offers 100 electric Hyundai IONIQ car-sharing apps with a range of 200 km for €0.25 per minute; Car2go’s electric Smarts (145 km) cost €0.31 per minute. Lomboxnet, We Drive Solar, and De Terijders promote EV-sharing projects in Utrecht, The Hague, and Zwolle. Nanyang Technological University is developing a titanium dioxide gel battery that charges to 70% in two minutes, lasts 10,000 cycles, and will be on the market within two years, an improvement on lithium graphite.
Innovations such as electric fire trucks (Menlo Park, 2019), flying taxis from Airbus, Rolls-Royce, and Joby Aviation (eVTOL, 400 km/h, 800 km range, deployment after 2030), and Transavia’s investment in FlyWithLucy’s electric 15-seaters (250 km range, from 2025) show the broadening of electric transportation. New York’s mayor plans electric helicopter taxis for airport transportation in 2025, following test flights in 2023.
Norway wants to allow only EVs from 2025, with 25% of sales already electric. Germany is allocating €1 billion to EV subsidies, and Japan is encouraging 150,000 EVs with tax breaks, with more charging stations (40,000) than petrol stations (35,000). The Netherlands invested €6 million in an Electric Vehicle Investment Fund with California for EV innovation. Royal Haskoning DHV is electrifying its 500 lease cars, and a world record procession of 746 EVs drove along the A270 in 2017.
The transition is failing and the electric car market has collapsed
Sales fall and dealers go bust
British car manufacturing is hurtling towards the brink amid global economic uncertainty. In May 2025, the sector saw output fall by a third to just 49,810 vehicles produced. That is the lowest level since 1949, excluding the coronavirus crisis when factories were forced to close, according to data from the Association of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
Ford CEO Farley calls both the cost and quality of Chinese cars much better than what we have here in the West. “We have global competition with China and it’s not just about EVs,” he said.
Net profit at Porsche fell by more than 30 percent to 3.6 billion euros in 2024. A total of 310,700 cars rolled out of the showrooms, 3 percent less than the year before. In China, the decline was 28 percent. The company is mainly suffering from disappointing sales of electric models. That is why Porsche’s management has decided to increase investments in combustion engines and plug-in hybrids. In order to reduce costs, Porsche wants to cut around 1,900 jobs by 2029. VinFast, Rivian and Polestar really need a lot of money. And that is what happens. This is especially the case with Lucid: their operating loss is estimated at -374 percent per car sold. In other words: for every euro Lucid brings in, they spend almost five euros.
Private individuals are dropping out due to the end of the SEPP subsidy (€2,950 for new EVs, stopped at the end of 2024), high purchase costs, and practical hurdles such as charging and the expected future throttling of charging capacity. The share of private EV purchases fell from 32% in 2023 to 26% in 2024. Meanwhile, the total business EV market in the Netherlands grew by 9.6% in April 2024, but this is mainly due to lease drivers (53% of the market in 2024).
There are now almost 512,000 fully electric cars on the road in the Netherlands, of which almost 80,000 are Teslas and 27,600 are Kia e-Neros. Sales of Chinese electric cars have fallen by almost half since the EU import duties came into effect. Sales of electric cars in Europe plummeted in August, ACEA found. The European automotive industry organization counted 92,627 registrations for fully electric cars.
That is almost 44 percent less than in the same month last year. Sales of electric cars have gone into free fall and fell by 9.5 percent in Europe in November 2024. Hybrid sales also fell. In the four major European car markets (Germany, France, Italy and Spain), sales of electric models also fell. In the French and Germans, sales even fell by more than 20 percent compared to a year earlier.
The decline in November is not an isolated incident. Sales of plug-in cars have been under pressure for some time now. So far this year, 5.4 percent fewer fully electric cars have been sold, while hybrids with a plug-in have shown a decline of 8 percent. Germany is putting a heavy burden on the results with a minus of over 26 percent and will exempt EVs from Kfz-steuer (road tax) until 2035, there will be tax benefits for electric company cars up to €100,000 and it will be made possible for companies to depreciate EVs in a shorter period. The German government not only wants to stimulate fully electric cars, but also plug-in hybrids and EVs with a range extender (if they exist). How exactly this will be implemented is not yet known. All plans are not yet final.
In September 2024, almost 80 percent of new cars sold were electric or hybrid. For several months now, at least three out of four car buyers have been opting for a model that can run entirely or partially on electricity, instead of a fully electric car. This is evident from figures from BOVAG and RAI Vereniging. Of the more than 30,000 cars sold last month, 39.9 percent are fully electric. Another 39.3 percent are hybrid. The remaining 20 percent mainly consist of petrol cars. Driving on diesel, hydrogen or gas is no longer popular. On 1 January 2024, almost 228 thousand vans were registered in the Netherlands with an emission class of 4 or lower. This is almost a quarter (23 percent) of all vans.
These vehicles will not be allowed to enter the zero-emission zone (ZE zone) from 1 January 2025. Several municipalities will introduce such a zone on that date. These vans will only be allowed to enter the ZE zone with an exemption or waiver. Vintage cars (40 years or older) and wheelchair-accessible vehicles are eligible for an exemption. The emission class indicates the degree of air pollution: the higher the number, the cleaner the vehicle. The share of vans with a low emission class has steadily decreased in recent years. In 2024, less than a quarter of vans had an emission label of 4 or lower (228 thousand) and in 2020 this was still 39 percent (363 thousand).
Older petrol and diesel cars last longer, which is why 90% still drive such a car, according to figures from industry association Acea. Due to the increased sales of electric passenger cars, the European vehicle fleet is changing. In 2019, 1% of cars had a (partly) electric drive, in 2023 that share will have grown to 7%. The Netherlands is ahead of many other European countries with a share of 14% of the vehicle fleet. The number of electric cars sold in the EU increased by 34 percent year-on-year in January 2025, to more than 124,000. The largest share was Germany (34,498), with an increase of more than 53 percent. According to ACEA, more than 11,000 electric cars were registered in the Netherlands, an increase of 28 percent compared to January 2024.
Heavy electric cars safer for drivers, not for cyclists: collisions more often fatal
Electric car buyers are dropping out for several reasons;
- The purchase price is higher than the car is actually worth due to the import duty;
- The additional payment will be a lot higher due to the increased catalogue price;
- Motor vehicle tax is more expensive because of the heavy batteries;
- Charging rates increased by 30% as of January 1
- The insurance is more expensive because of the higher damage repair costs;
- Energy prices will rise, making charging more expensive. In addition, batteries also discharge when not in use;
- Tires wear out faster due to the heavier weight and faster acceleration;
- Charging stations are closed at certain times due to grid congestion;
- Lease rates are increasing due to lower resale value at the end of the contract;
- Fast charging reduces battery life by 40%
For an electric car with a catalogue price of 55,000 euros, the additional tax in 2025 will be around 10,596 euros per year. In 2026, this will increase to 12,096 euros per year. This makes private driving in the company car unaffordable and it quickly pays to lease a car privately. With a tax levy of around 5,000 euros compared to a private lease of 3,600 euros, this choice is obvious.
Fast charging harmful
Fast charging options have implications for battery life. With the advent of ultrafast charging technology, electric vehicles can now reach 80 percent charge in just a few minutes. This seems like a big step forward and chargers with an output of over 500 kW are being promoted as the solution for fast charging times, making electric vehicles even more practical due to their range. However, using chargers with an output of over 120 kW can reduce battery life by as much as 40 percent.
To protect consumers from the negative effects of ultrafast charging, governments could consider introducing stricter rules regarding warranties for critical vehicle components, such as batteries. Requiring a minimum warranty for the battery, for example up to 80 percent of the original capacity after a number of years, could help users not to worry about the cost of a replacement battery. However, many manufacturers attach strict conditions to warranties.
For example, vehicles must be serviced on time, the vehicle may not change ownership, and commercial applications are often excluded from warranty. This means that some consumers, electric taxis and other commercial vehicles that use ultrafast charging may not be entitled to a battery replacement or repair, even if it has deteriorated significantly due to the use of fast chargers. It is therefore wise to only use fast chargers in urgent cases.
Layoffs and production stoppages
Ford produces two electric models in Cologne. Sales of these electric cars have been lower than expected in recent years, despite Ford having invested almost 2 billion euros in them. Ford plans to cut around 2,900 jobs in Cologne as part of a major reorganization of its European operations. IG Metall is taking action to reinforce demands for higher severance payments and a social plan. Employees at two Ford factories in Cologne have gone on strike in protest against a major reorganization that will result in the loss of thousands of jobs. It is the first strike ever at the factories. According to the IG Metall union, the factories are at a complete standstill.
The orders for 175,000 cars from General Motors and 65,000 from Polestar (Volvo) will be spread over a longer period. Polestar then scaled back production and laid off 15% of its workforce. 450 employees lost their jobs and the company was transferred to the Chinese Geely. In the first quarter of 2024, only 7,200 Polestars were sold. NL-Invest invested 25 million euros in the now proven hopeless company. Construction of the Polestar 3 SUV will start this summer in South Carolina. Polestar made a net loss of 1.09 billion euros in 2023 and currently produces mainly in China. But it will soon have to deal with significantly higher import tariffs there because both the US and the EU have increased them.
In Germany, sales of electric cars fell 16.4% in the first half of 2024 after the government scrapped consumer subsidies in December. Sales of fully electric vehicles in the EU rose from 6.1% in 2020 to 14.6% of new car sales in 2023. However, that fell to 14.4% in the first half of the year, as electric vehicle sales rose just 1.3%. German automotive suppliers are seeing job losses in the coming years. Robert Bosch previously announced it would cut 7,000 jobs, 3,200 of which would be in Germany.
Continental is also shedding staff. Last year, the company announced a major reorganization. In February, it turned out that this would involve the loss of 7,150 jobs, 3% of the total number of jobs. 5,400 office jobs and 1,750 positions in the R&D department will disappear. 40% of the jobs to be lost are in Germany.
Lunaz, the British company that focused on electrifying Rolls Royces and other classic cars, has also been declared bankrupt. Lunaz blames the bankruptcy on the British government’s decision to postpone the ban on the sale of cars that run on fossil fuels for five years.
While The Hague continues to hold on to 2030, the cabinet of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has already postponed the start of the zero-emission era to 2035. The entire English EV sector is struggling with setbacks, partly because of this. In February 2024, plug-in car manufacturer Arrival, which was once valued at thirteen billion dollars, also went bankrupt. And in the autumn, Volta, which made electric trucks in Warwick, Coventry and Reading, was unable to survive and had to make a fresh start with the help of investment fund Luxor Capital. All British ‘business and assets’ have been acquired.
According to the American research agency S&P Global Mobility, almost half of plug-in drivers are considering returning to a car with a combustion engine until it is actually mandatory. A group of almost five thousand American car dealers sent a letter to President Joe Biden twice asking him to review the EV plans. Joe Biden then decided to give car manufacturers more room to continue selling vehicles that run on fossil fuels. In 2032, the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by the entire fleet of passenger cars, vans and trucks in the US must be almost half lower than in 2026. Previously, this was 67%.
Large-scale electric driving and a rapid transition (from gas to electricity) are not yet technically possible. There is a major shortage of power cables to transport the enormous increase in power from solar panels and wind turbines, but also of personnel to install them. In large parts of Overijssel, Groningen, Drenthe and Utrecht, the network is overcrowded and the capacity is already insufficient. In the course of this year, Utrecht wants to throttle the public charging stations for electric cars. Between 16:00 and 20:00, the charging stations must supply considerably less power, which is the time when the demand for power is greatest and it is precisely when people come home from work that the demand for power must be limited.
Leasing and car rental company Sixt saw its profit fall by $44 million in 2023 due to lower residual values. Arval, the leasing company of French bank BNP Paribas, is less affected by losses because its focus is still on fossil fuels. Only 10% of Arval’s fleet of 1.7 million vehicles is electric. However, they too have been forced to raise prices due to lower residual values. Some car manufacturers are giving leasing companies extra cash compensation to compensate for the losses.
In Germany, electric car leasing has nevertheless increased dramatically over the past three years. However, sales of electric cars fell by 16.4% in the first half of 2024 after the government scrapped consumer subsidies in December. Sales of fully electric vehicles in the EU rose from 6.1% in 2020 to 14.6% of new car sales in 2023. However, that fell to 14.4% in the first half of the year, as electric vehicle sales rose by just 1.3%.
Transport & Environment (T&E) in Brussels wants to require large European company car fleets and leasing companies to drive 100% electric by 2030. However, this pressure will lead to an even greater supply of second-hand cars, which could cause prices to drop even more. And that would be a reason for leasing companies to stop. Incidentally, sales of petrol cars also fell by 7 percent and sales of diesels fell by more than 10 percent.
Japanese Toyota, Mazda and Subaru want to move away from fully electric driving and jointly develop completely new combustion engines. They still emphasize that ‘carbon is the enemy’, but want to achieve this goal with engines that run on alternative fuels. The three manufacturers believe in ‘multiple roads’ that should lead to a cleaner vehicle fleet.
According to them, this approach does indeed include a new generation of combustion engines that are being developed for the use of alternative fuels, such as synthetic fuels, biofuels, but also for hydrogen. Their plans clash with the New European legislation and regulations and could result in an import ban or will be banned for use on European roads. The three car manufacturers will then only be able to produce and deliver for countries outside the EU in the future.
Automotive lighting and electronics manufacturer Hella is cutting 420 jobs at its Lippstadt headquarters, accounting for around 10 percent of the factory’s jobs. Hella has suffered losses of 50 million euros in the past two years.
Suppliers and charging station manufacturers are also facing huge losses. This year, 1,400 jobs will disappear at Audi Brusse, while the remaining 1,600 employees are at risk of losing their jobs by the end of 2025. Previously, there seemed to be job security until 2027, but the declining sales of the Audi Q8 e-tron threaten to bring that deadline forward by two years. In the meantime, the management is unable to find a successor for the Audi A3, the A1, the e-tron and the Q8 e-tron variants that are currently rolling off the production line.
The world’s third-largest electric vehicle manufacturer ZF Friedrichshafen is to cut a quarter of all jobs in Germany. That equates to around 14,000 employees. In the first half of 2024, sales of electric vehicles in Germany fell by 16.4%.
In order to get the market moving again, Fiat, Volkswagen and Renault are launching cheaper models with a price below 24,000 euros. Only 17% of new electric cars sold are in the affordable B-segment. Hyundai wants to launch the cheaper Casper for around 20,000 euros. Dacia has the Spring as the cheapest and the Dacia Sandero is not expected until 2027 or 2028. This is followed by electric cars around 25,000 euros from VW, Renault’s Twingo and Tesla.
Tesla’s long-awaited $25,000 Model 2 won’t be on the market anytime soon, as the self-driving Robotaxi is next. Elon Musk promised an affordable Tesla back in 2018. The car would cost 25,000 euros and would be produced in the German factory.
Volkswagen is developing EREV cars (Extended-Range Electric Vehicles), electric vehicles with a range extender: a combustion engine that works as a generator to charge the battery, rather than directly driving the wheels. In China, this technology is very popular, and VW is considering EREV models for Europe, partly due to 80,000 pre-orders for Scout SUVs and pick-ups (from 2027).
Chevrolet, Ford, Cadillac, BMW (i3, i8) and Opel (Ampera) have already used range extenders, but were unable to convince customers at the time. VW now sees opportunities, with a concept car at the Shanghai Auto Show. Current electric models such as the ID.4 or ID.7 can be converted by placing a two-cylinder engine with a generator under the hood, which allows for a range of 1,000 km on a single tank and battery charge. EREVs require smaller batteries than pure electric cars and are cheaper to build than plug-in hybrids, according to AlixPartners.
Mazda (MX-30), Hyundai and Stellantis are also betting on EREVs, while Chinese brands such as Li Auto and BYD dominate the market. The global EREV market is growing by 50% per year and is expected to reach 3.2 million units per year by 2030. Mercedes, Audi and BMW have not yet announced EREV plans.
From 2035, cars with combustion engines will no longer be allowed to be sold
The first victims
MisterGreen
The financial situation of the Dutch leasing company MisterGreen, specialized in leasing Teslas, remains worrying. Since December 2024, interest payments to private bondholders have been stopped. At the same time, Teslas are being auctioned without these investors being informed. The proceeds are used for other obligations, including bank loans, which further increases uncertainty among investors.
Financial position affected by residual value losses
The core of the problems lies in the sharp decline in the residual values of used Teslas. In 2023, MisterGreen recorded a net loss of €5.8 million. These losses, combined with an exclusive focus on Teslas, have eroded the company’s financial base. At the end of 2022, equity amounted to €14.4 million, intended as a buffer against residual value losses, but proved insufficient to cope with the current crisis.
As of July 1, 2024, MisterGreen’s fleet consisted of 4,801 vehicles. The strategy of investing exclusively in Teslas seemed successful for a long time—the company was even named the fastest growing leasing company in the Netherlands in 2019. However, in 2024, the market for second-hand Teslas was hit by a so-called “perfect storm”: price reductions for new models, an oversupply after lease contracts expired, the phasing out of subsidies and the announcement of road tax for electric cars from 2025.
No more interest since December, investors in uncertainty
Interest payments to bondholders have been at a standstill since December 2024. Through the DuurzaamInvesteren platform, private investors have invested more than €20 million in MisterGreen subordinated bonds since 2019. Investor Isaac Huijink expressed his frustration that same month: “The proceeds from auctioned Teslas are not used for bondholders, but for other obligations such as bank loans.”
The concerns are exacerbated by the lack of transparent communication. The last official update to investors was on February 28, 2024. Since then, there has been a lack of clarity about the company’s financial health and future plans. As of April 10, 2025, there was still no significant improvement.
Controversial role of Bondholders’ Foundation
The interests of the bondholders are formally represented by a foundation, but this is partly managed by representatives of MisterGreen itself. According to Errol Keyner of the Association of Securities Holders (VEB), this poses a potential conflict of interest. Since these are subordinated bonds, there is a good chance that investors will see little or nothing back from their investment in the event of bankruptcy, according to bankruptcy lawyer Jeroen Fleers.
Auctions without transparency, proceeds go to banks
To generate liquidity, MisterGreen auctions dozens of Teslas every week via platforms such as Troostwijk Auctions, BCA and Autorola. The proceeds are usually between €10,000 and €14,000 per vehicle. Not all cars are auctioned; some are leased back via the company’s own ReDrive program. Although this contributes to sustainability, according to COO and co-founder Mark Schreurs, these proceeds also flow into general business operations—particularly to banks such as ABN AMRO and Rabobank, which have first liens on the vehicles.
Schreurs emphasized in December 2024 that the auctions are “normal practice” within the sector. However, that statement is at odds with the concerns of investors, who feel overwhelmed by the lack of information and priority in the financial settlement.
Future remains uncertain
Although MisterGreen is in talks with potential takeover candidates and in February 2025 negotiated refinancing after breaching loan conditions, the consequences for bondholders are highly uncertain. Day-to-day operational obligations are still being met for the time being, which indicates some degree of liquidity. However, it remains unclear whether and when interest payments to investors can be resumed, let alone whether repayment of principal is feasible.
Structural problems in the market for used Teslas
MisterGreen’s situation is not unique. The second-hand market for Teslas is under pressure worldwide due to falling new prices, the loss of incentives and behavioral factors. The public image of Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who regularly makes controversial statements, also contributes to the decreased consumer confidence in the brand.
Nikola
Stellantis
Stellantis, formed from the 2021 merger of Fiat Chrysler and PSA Group, and Chinese battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd (CATL) announced on November 30, 2023, a €4.1 billion investment in a 50-50 joint venture to build a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery plant in Zaragoza, Spain, with production start in late 2026 and a capacity of 50 gigawatt hours, enough to power an average of 700,000 EVs per day. CATL, the world’s largest EV battery maker with a 36.8% market share (65.5% for Chinese manufacturers), already has operational plants in Germany and Hungary. The joint venture will focus on affordable battery electric vehicles, building on a non-binding agreement in November 2023 for local supply of LFP battery cells and modules in Europe.
Stellantis is also investing €100 million in an affordable battery for the electric Fiat 500, produced in Europe. Automotive Cells Company (ACC), in which Stellantis and Mercedes-Benz have interests, paused construction of battery factories in Kaiserslautern and Termoli (total investment €7 billion), with a decision on a third plant in Saarland still pending, in part due to the recent demand slowdown in the EV market and the bankruptcy of competitor Northvolt in March 2025. Stellantis NV (NYSE: STLA, current share price: $9.38 USD, market cap: $27.62 billion) lowered its adjusted profit margin forecast for 2024 to 5.5-7.0%, after reporting a 70% decline in net profit over the past year, partly due to disappointing EV sales and production challenges.
On May 6, 2025, STLA shares fell 0.7% (from $9.45 to $9.38 USD), with a year-to-date exchange rate of $22.27 (May 2024) to $9.38 (May 2025), reflecting broader market challenges. CEO Carlos Tavares, who has led Stellantis since the merger, stepped down effective immediately following criticism over a 2024 profit warning; his successor will be named in 2025. Stellantis has faced ongoing issues with electric models from Peugeot, Opel, and Citroën, including the Peugeot e-208, Peugeot e-2008, Opel Corsa-e, and Opel Mokka-e, with 33,000 cars in the Netherlands failing to charge since 2019 due to defective Mahle on-board chargers. These on-board chargers, which convert alternating current (AC) from wall sockets or charging stations to direct current (DC) for the battery, fail even after replacement (three versions released), costing owners €1,000-€2,000, often out of warranty.
Some customers pay in full, others in part, and complaints are poorly followed up by dealers. After pressure from the ANWB, Stellantis extended the warranty on on-board chargers from two to four years. Fast charging (DC) remains possible, but is discouraged due to higher costs, limited availability, and battery wear with frequent use. The on-board chargers are also in some Toyota models, such as the electric Proace van from a Stellantis collaboration. Stellantis signed an emissions agreement with California in 2024, alongside Ford, Volkswagen, Honda, BMW, and Volvo, to protect strict EV sales regulations from a possible Trump administration, which withdrew EV subsidies.
The EU continues to aim for a ban on combustion engines in 2035, but relaxes CO2 targets by two years and plans tax reforms in March 2025 to incentivise electric lease cars, while ETS2 tax increases fuel prices (€0.25/litre in 2025, €0.60 in 2026), making EVs more attractive. Stellantis benefits from the growing EV market in the Netherlands (up 16% in 2024, 132,166 units), but sees stagnation in the wider EU, with EV growth expected to grow 40% in Western Europe to 2.7m units in 2025, and a market share of 22% in 2024.
Umicore
Umicore, the European promise of the car battery industry, also thought it could help producers of electric cars with raw materials for nickel-cobalt batteries. An ambitious investment plan followed, worth 4 billion euros. Umicore won TotalEnergies, Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis as customers. With these contracts it would supply half of all electric cars sold in Europe with battery materials.
It pushed the price to a high of around 60 euros in 2021. Until Chinese battery manufacturers such as CATL developed an LFP battery suitable for cars, consisting of the abundant and therefore much cheaper iron and phosphate. Tesla, Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz were converted. Umicore’s nickel and cobalt fell out of favor. The effects of this only really became clear in 2024, and the company, like competitors, also had to deal with a collapsing demand for electric cars.
The revenue from the battery division dropped from 548 million to 386 million euros in one year and the branch booked a loss of 5 million euros. With a planned collaboration with Volkswagen, the group still wants to invest 844 million euros in their Ionway in 2025. Volkswagen founded Ionway in 2023 with the Belgian Umicore group, with a factory in Poland. The new joint venture, was established in Brussels and should eventually supply batteries for 2.2 million electric cars per year. VW and Umicore plan to invest a total of 3 billion euros in the collaboration in the coming years.
Lease cars
Hertz Global Holdings, a global car rental company, sold about 30,000 of its 60,000 electric vehicles (EVs), including Teslas and Polestar models, in 2024 and replaced them with non-electric cars, due to high repair costs and lackluster demand, resulting in a net loss of $2.9 billion in 2024, including $245 million in depreciation on EV sales in Q4 2023. Repair costs for EVs were double that of comparable combustion cars, and the residual value of used EVs declined sharply, with Tesla Model 3s selling for $20,000, nearly half the purchase price. Hertz’s stock (NASDAQ: HTZ, current price: $2.66 USD, market cap: $774.74 million) plummeted 68% in 2024, and CEO Stephen Scherr was replaced by Gil West in March 2024 amid criticism over its EV policy.
The company expects to complete its fleet transformation by the end of 2025, with a potential return to profitability supported by $1.8 billion in liquidity. Leasing companies in Europe, key to the energy transition with 60% of new car sales and 80% of EVs leased, are suffering heavy losses due to low residual values. Residual values of used EVs in July 2024 were 24% lower in Germany and 30% lower in the UK than before the pandemic, while lease rates for used EVs doubled in three years due to poor resaleability. Carmakers are offering buyback guarantees and cash compensation to cushion losses, while leasing companies such as Ayvens are exploring leases for used EVs. Arval, with only 10% EVs in its 1.7 million vehicles, has seen prices rise due to residual value losses, but has been less affected by a focus on non-EVs.
Price cuts and cheap Chinese EVs such as BYD are further depressing residual values, although the EU’s import tariffs (7.8% for Tesla, up to 35.3% for SAIC) are curbing Chinese imports. Electric vans have been cheaper in total cost of ownership (TCO) than diesel variants since 2024, thanks to the abolition of the BPM (Dutch Vehicle Tax) exemption for diesel, which has pushed up prices by €10,000-€17,000. Ayvens calculates that businesses are saving €50-€150 per month by running electric vans, with 60% of new vans now electric. This advantage will remain in 2026-27 despite rising vehicle tax (MRB) on EVs, although government policy changes could affect sentiment.
Battery production for EVs is environmentally damaging due to the mining of nickel, cobalt, lithium, and manganese, with rejection rates of 15-30% in Europe, and up to 90% at start-up plants. Just one recycling plant in Rotterdam processes 20,000 EV batteries per year, forcing raw materials to often be exported to Asia, defying the EU’s import reduction goal. Congo’s four-month cobalt export ban, after a price drop from $80,000 to $21,000 per tonne, has forced China (60% of demand) to manage its inventory, while Indonesia benefits as the world’s second largest cobalt producer. Sales of electric trucks are stagnating, with only 740 fully electric trucks in the Netherlands (0.5% of total), compared to 4% for electric passenger cars. To achieve a 45% CO2 reduction in 2030, 430,000 electric trucks and 50,000 public charging stations are needed, 35,000 of which are on the high-voltage grid.
The EU is mandating fast-charging points along the TEN-T network from 2025, within 3km of motorway exits, to ensure full coverage by 2030. Grants of €45 million in 2024 were oversubscribed in two days, with 647 applications for over 600 trucks, but sales are set to fall by 10% in 2025 due to postponed investments. The Fraunhofer Institute predicts that electric trucks will be competitive within a few years, with battery costs falling to €100/kWh by 2040 and improved range. DAF and Mercedes will deliver tractors with longer ranges in 2025 to meet the EU’s 15% CO2 reduction target. The EU’s zero-emission zones, planned in 15 Dutch cities from 2025, are boosting electrification, although Amsterdam has reduced the zone to the city ring. Grid congestion is hindering expansion, such as a halted charging station project in Leeuwarden due to Liander’s inability to supply power.
The ANWB reports that electric driving will cost 72 cents/km in 2024 (compared to 61 cents in 2022), mainly due to depreciation. The ACM is considering giving priority to social institutions for grid connections, because 75% of postcodes do not allow large-scale connections. Research by Gaspedaal.nl shows that 96% of petrol drivers do not want an EV due to high prices, battery doubts, and limited range, with ADAC tests showing up to 54% loss of range in winter conditions (e.g. Toyota bZ4X: 504 km to 233 km). The MRB discount for EVs will remain until 2031, but the automotive industry fears that only 30% of sales will be electric in 2030, against the EU’s 2035 target. Supplier Brose is planning 10% layoffs and has not ruled out bankruptcy, reflecting sector-wide sales pressure.
Electric buses
The growth of electric buses in the Netherlands was disappointing in 2023, with only 137 new zero-emission buses due to delivery problems, according to the Zero-emission Bus Monitor, compared to an expected inflow of 1,766 in 2024, driven by accelerated deliveries and government incentives.
VDL
VDL Bus & Coach, another Dutch bus manufacturer, delivered 50 electric Citea buses to EBS in 2024 for the Zaanstreek-Waterland concession (MeerPlus), of which 30 are in service and the rest are in preparation. VDL is due to deliver 193 buses (60 LE-122 of 12.2 meters, 490 kWh; 133 LE-135 of 13.5 meters, 552 kWh) for R-Net and M-Net, but was delayed by chip shortages, with an original deadline of December 10, 2023. EBS was fined €1.7 million for non-electric driving and other shortcomings.
VDL’s turnover in H1 2023 was €3.2 billion, but the net result decreased from €298 million to €82 million due to losses on electric buses. The depot in Zaandam (Achtersluispolder) has been operational since May 2024, with chargers and permits ready, but the delivery of around 140 buses is proceeding slowly (7 per week), possibly until the end of 2025.
EBS
EBS opened the Netherlands’ largest zero-emission depot (38,000 m², 128 charging stations, 7,000 m² of solar panels, 2,000 panels, 2.15 MWh battery storage) in Purmerend on 13 June 2024, which together with Zaandam will enable completely emission-free transport in the Zaanstreek-Waterland region. The fleet of 200 electric buses was supposed to be operational by the end of 2024, but delivery problems postponed this. Stellantis, parent company of Opel, Fiat, Peugeot, and Citroën, asked the EU to postpone stricter CO2 emission rules, citing low EV demand and damage to the automotive industry.
However, the EU is maintaining its 2035 combustion engine ban, with relaxed CO2 targets and ETS2 taxes (€0.25/litre in 2025, €0.60 in 2026) to incentivise EVs. The European e-bus market grew by 22% to 7,779 registrations in 2024, led by Yutong (+99.8%), Daimler (+105.8%), and Iveco (+130.6%), while Ebusco’s market share fell from 3% to 2%.
Ebusco
In Deurne, Ebusco, founded in 2012 by Peter Bijvelds, is struggling with severe financial and operational storms, which have brought the company to the brink of the abyss. In 2023, the electric city bus manufacturer delivered 138 buses, a fraction of the original target of 550 to 600 units. For 2024, Ebusco aimed for 250 to 300 buses, but the reality was merciless: only 157 buses were delivered, with a market share of barely 2%. The order portfolio shrank from 1,719 buses in 2023 to 581 in 2024, despite a Swiss order for 12 Ebusco 3.0 buses and the reassignment of 74 cancelled buses to NIAG, Rouen and EBS, with deliveries to EBS planned for mid-2025.
The financial malaise is even more dire. In 2023, Ebusco posted a turnover of €102.4 million, but struggled with an EBITDA loss of €95.7 million and a net loss of €120.1 million, exacerbated by fines of €5 million for late deliveries, shortages of parts and personnel, and €7 million in additional costs for transport and purchasing. In 2024, turnover imploded to €10.7 million, a decline of 89%, with an EBITDA loss of €132.6 million and a net loss of €200.8 million. Production stops, order cancellations and turnover revisions of €16 million in 2023 and €18 million in the first half of 2024 took their toll. The company had just €2.4 million in cash at the end of 2024, compared to €27.9 million a year earlier, and is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy.
Operational problems piled up.
Supply problems at suppliers cost Ebusco between €15 and €20 million in turnover in 2023, while the lack of certification for energy storage containers kept another €10 million off the books, although that paperwork has now been obtained. Grid congestion and long charging times, especially for long-distance journeys such as winter sports routes, hampered the use of electric buses. An example is the Zaanstreek-Waterland concession, where VDL Bus & Coach only delivered 50 of the 193 promised electric Citea buses, with 30 in service and the rest delayed by chip shortages. Deliveries will continue until the end of 2025, with a rhythm of 7 buses per week, and EBS was fined €1.7 million for non-electric driving. The new Purmerend depot, opened on June 13, 2024 with 128 charging stations and 2.15 MWh battery storage, supports the transition to 200 emission-free buses, but delivery problems continue to throw a spanner in the works.
To survive, Ebusco switched to an Original Equipment Designer model, partly outsourcing production to contract manufacturers in China and Portugal, risking EU import duties of up to 35.3% on Chinese electric vehicles. The company laid off 100 employees and saw 100 others leave. Capital injections kept Ebusco afloat: €59.2 million in 2023 via a share issue and a convertible bond, €36 million in November 2024 via a rights issue, in which Chinese battery supplier Gotion took a 9.3% stake and appointed Duan Wei as deputy CEO, and €22 million in debt financing in February 2025. But €5 million from Green Innovation failed to materialize, triggering a bank default. A bankruptcy petition was withdrawn on May 5, 2025 after payment, but the company’s reliance on short-term capital and supplier support remains a sword of Damocles.
The share price of Ebusco (Euronext: EBUS) plummeted from €23 at the IPO in October 2021 to €1.50, a drop of 93%, with a market value of just €200 million compared to €1.33 billion at the time. Investors lost 85% of their investment, and items such as deferred tax assets (€16 million in 2022) were fully written down. Under the leadership of co-CEOs Frank Meurs and Michiel Peters, COO Roald Dogge and the new CCO Erland Morelissen, who comes from the bankrupt Van Hool, Ebusco is trying to simplify production and scale up to 40 to 50 buses per month by the end of 2025 through a reorganization.
The Ebusco 3.0 and 2.2 are in operation in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Norway, Sweden and Spain, but the ambitious targets of 3,000 buses, €1.5 billion turnover and a 35% EBITDA margin are a distant dream. Founder Bijvelds points to ongoing supply chain issues as the main culprit, but with ongoing losses and a fragile financial position, Ebusco’s future seems more uncertain than ever.
Charging station congestion
The routes to winter sports destinations in Austria, Italy, France, and Switzerland will experience significant congestion at charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs) during the Christmas and spring holidays of 2025, especially during peak periods such as school holidays. In the Netherlands, the Christmas holidays (20 December 2025 to 4 January 2026) and the spring holidays (14 to 22 February 2026 for central and southern regions, 21 to 28 February 2026 for northern regions) coincide with holidays in other European countries, leading to high occupancy of charging stations, especially on Saturdays.
Data from Eco-Movement shows that the average occupancy rate of charging stations is higher during the Christmas holidays than during the spring holidays, especially on routes to Austria and Italy. The situation is more favourable for the French Alps: the busiest day towards France (10 February 2025, peak of the French winter sports season) is comparable to an average day on the Austrian route. Saturdays should be avoided, especially 6 January 2025, when many winter sports enthusiasts return. By charging on Sundays, Fridays, or in the evening/at night, waiting times are shorter.
The route to Austria is busiest during the Christmas holidays, with a peak on Friday 27 December 2025, due to overlapping holidays in the Netherlands, Germany, and Poland, which has a two-week Christmas holiday in 2025/2026. The spring holidays are quieter, especially outside Saturdays, and an alternative route via Karlsruhe and Stuttgart offers more available charging stations compared to the standard route via Nuremberg.
ANWB advises that Austria has 22,749 public charging stations, of which 4,285 are fast chargers, mainly around cities and winter sports areas, but with high rates (€0.55-€1.25/kWh, up to €1.50/minute at fast chargers). Charging in Germany is often cheaper, especially for long uphill journeys, where EVs consume more. The route to Italy, with the Sella Ronda as its end point, is particularly busy on the last leg, with long waiting times for afternoon charging sessions.
The week of February 22nd to March 2nd, 2025, when central and southern Netherlands have holidays, is extremely busy, even at night, due to overlapping holidays in Bavaria (February 16th-20th, 2026) and Austrian states such as Tyrol and Salzburg (February 9th-14th, 2026). Additional loading time is necessary, and Saturdays such as February 22nd, 2025 should be avoided.
Switzerland is quieter during the spring break, with manageable crowds on 11 and 17 February 2025, provided that afternoon charging sessions are avoided. It is busier during the Christmas break, especially on 2 January 2026, due to the Swiss Berchtoldstag, a public holiday that causes extra traffic. General advice to avoid crowds is: leave on Friday or Sunday, stay overnight on the way, charge at night or early in the morning, and use apps such as the ANWB Laadpas or Vandebron EV app to check available charging stations and rates.
The ANWB Charging Pass covers 66% of Austrian charging stations, but local passes such as ChargePoint Austria or Ionity are sometimes cheaper. There is also the charging compass since 2015 .
According to the Electric Drivers Association (VER), drivers are presented with an incorrect invoice in half of the cases. Charging station providers have errors on the invoice half of the time. In a fifth of the charging sessions, no price information was available in advance. One or two of the nine providers are only actively transparent about the charging price. That price often consists of many elements that not all car owners can check or understand. Especially if the invoice is often higher than expected, that is extremely frustrating. It can also make a difference of tens of euros per charging session. If something is communicated about prices in advance, it often does not match what is charged afterwards. Adhesive costs can also skyrocket and you only see that afterwards.
For electric buses, for which charging infrastructure is crucial, Dutch manufacturers such as Ebusco and VDL face challenges that slow down the transition to zero-emission transport, which could indirectly increase the pressure on public charging infrastructure.
Stellantis, producer of electric vans among other things, is pushing for a postponement of stricter EU CO2 regulations due to low EV demand, which could indirectly impact charging infrastructure by delaying EV adoption. However, the EU’s 2035 combustion engine ban and ETS2 taxes (€0.25/litre in 2025) continue to incentivise EVs, further increasing pressure on charging stations. The number of charging points increased by a quarter in 2024, but is expected to stagnate soon due to the overcrowded electricity grid and a shortage of installers. The Netherlands must have a nationwide, accessible and future-proof charging network by 2030. Every neighbourhood, with the exception of rural areas, must have a charging point within walking distance.
There are now almost 184,000 charging points in the Netherlands. This increased the national coverage to 83 percent, in 2023 it was still 80 percent. The rate at which charging stations were built was slightly lower than in recent years. This is due to the pressure on the electricity grid in certain regions, such as Utrecht, Gelderland and Flevoland. Because the number of electric trucks in our country is growing, more charging points must also be built on industrial estates. But it is precisely there that the electricity grid is often full. This hinders the transition to electric driving.
Car manufacturers
Abarth/Fiat/Stellantis
Under the hood of the new Abarth 500e is a powerful electric motor with an output of 113.7 kW / 154 hp, fed by a 42 kWh battery pack. Instantly available torque of 235 Nm. Abarth is an Italian car manufacturer and tuner owned by Stellantis. The brand was founded in 1949 by Carlo Abarth and was acquired by Fiat in 1971. The Abarth 500e Scorpionissima is available from € 44,000 for the hatchback or € 47,000 as a convertible version.
Aiways
Has a 5-door U5 SUV from 2020 and an Aiways U6 since 2022. The U6 will cost around 48,000 euros
Alfa Romeo
The entry-level Junior gets 156 hp and 260 Nm from a single electric motor. This takes the car from 0 to 100 km/h in 9 seconds and the top speed is 150 km/h. A 54-kWh battery provides a range of 400 kilometers. This cheapest Alfa Romeo Junior costs at least 39,000 euros. This means it falls within the SEPP scheme, which means you only pay 36,050 euros as a private individual. In terms of positioning, the Alfa is slightly more expensive than the cheapest Peugeot e-2008, which is otherwise the same in terms of technology. The technically identical Fiat 600E is also slightly cheaper at 35,990 euros. For 41,000 euros you get the Junior Speciale with the Progresso logo in the grille, matte trim elements, 18-inch wheels, vinyl and fabric upholstery, a steering wheel with leather upholstery and an electrically adjustable driver’s seat with massage function. The strongest and fastest Junior is called ‘Veloce’. There is still one electric motor, but now it produces 240 hp and 345 Nm. This increases the 0-100 time to 6 seconds and the top speed to 200 km/h. The Junior is set up a bit sportier with a limited slip diff, an extra wide track, lowered suspension and stronger brakes. The Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce is available from 48,000 euros
Amber/Avtotor
The Amber is the first electric Russian city car. The prototype was developed by the Moscow Technical University on behalf of the Russian car manufacturer Avtotor and the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade. The Amber has a very different design. The car is high, with a floor that starts above the wheels and the back looks like that of a panel van. The Amber has a 5 hp electric motor and has a maximum speed of 80 km/h. The range is 100 kilometers. The car is scheduled to go into mass production in 2025 at the Avtotor plant in Kaliningrad, where BMWs, Kias and Hyundais were previously assembled.
Apple
Although the design, functionality and drivetrain of Apple’s electric car are still largely unknown, there has already been talk of a price. The model should cost less than 100,000 dollars (94,920 euros). Apple deployed 1,800 engineers to have a self-driving Apple car ready in 2019. There was already a team of about 600 people working on Project “Titan”. The two largest companies in the world, Apple and Google, jointly developed the Google Auto. Google Auto LLC was founded in 2011 and tests self-driving cars on public roads. The Titan project has been running since 2014 when an initial design was made. The project is led by Doug Field, an Apple veteran who also worked at Tesla. Apple wants to use a new type of batteries and should also be able to drive independently. However, the Apple Car is not yet driving on the road. CEO Craig Federighi is skeptical about the entire project. Apple CEO Tim Cook oversees the car, but according to some employees, he rarely visits the offices. The Apple Car is supposed to drive itself, but that’s not easy. During a test drive in August 2021, the cars reportedly had a hard time navigating the streets. The cars hit the sidewalk and failed to stay in the right lane at intersections. Earlier this year, a test car nearly hit a jogger. The car’s software previously identified the jogger as a “stationary object,” then as a “stationary person,” and then as a “moving pedestrian.” The person in the car still had to slam on the brakes, after which the car came to a stop right in front of the person. The electric Apple car was supposed to hit the market in 2026, but that was recently canceled.
Arrival
British startup Arrival has an electric van as its first model and has already sold 10,000 of them to UPS. The new “Beta Van” looks striking and modern. The front is a more classic nose with a large windshield and the driver’s door is a sliding door. Arrival Van electric van will also collaborate with Uber for an electric taxi. The official market launch is planned for 2022. Arrival produces the most important components in-house with a focus on standardization, low weight and robustness. What is special is that Arrival plans to collect the developed technology in so-called microfactories, of which 1000 will be created worldwide by 2026. The Arrival Van comes with 44 to 130 kWh. packages and the largest battery should have a range of 200 kilometers. Arrival emphasizes that many delivery services work in a very small area so that the vans only cover very short distances during their journey. Arrival has the South Korean Hyundai and the American UPS as mega investors. Hyundai invested $100 million in Arrival, UPS invested an undisclosed amount and ordered 10,000 vans.
Audi see also Volkswagen
Audi offers the 2021 e-tron GT 5-door Hatchback for 109,480 euros and the Q4 e-tron from 50,740 euros to 65,740 euros. The Q4 Sportback is available from 52,790 to 67,790 euros. The Q8 e-tron is available from 69,750 to 97,500. The Q8 e-tron Sportback is available from 72,150 to 99,900 euros. Audi’s announcement that it will not allocate new models to the Vorst plant in Belgium has caused a wave of concern among employees and industry observers. The plant, which specializes in the production of the electric Audi Q8 e-tron, has bleak prospects for the coming years. We do not see how the closure can be avoided, because most of the employees will be laid off this year or early next year. Some 5,500 protesters have taken to the streets of Brussels to support workers at the threatened Audi Brussels car factory. Audi is cutting 1,400 jobs this year, with the remaining 1,600 workers at risk of losing their jobs by the end of 2025. Previously, job security until 2027 seemed likely, but slumping sales of the Audi Q8 e-tron threaten to push that deadline back by two years . Meanwhile, management has been unable to find a successor to the Audi A3, A1, e-tron and Q8 e-tron variants currently rolling off the production line. There is a slight trade-off in performance with the 40 e-tron: Audi claims 517km on a single charge, but its 204bhp engine means it takes almost 9 seconds to reach 62mph from a standstill. Those wanting more power will need to spend €8,000 more for the 50 variant, which increases power to 300 hp but drops the range to around 482 km. Prices start at €47,600 for the 40 version, but for €40,000 you have a nearly new 12,000 km 2022 car.
BMW
BMW introduced an all -electric 3 Series at the IAA in Frankfurt in September 2017 , a precursor to its electrification strategy. For self-driving technology, BMW is working with Intel and Israel ’s Mobileye , which develops software for rapid reactions to road conditions without driver intervention, also used by Tesla and General Motors. The BMW i3, a compact electric city car made of lightweight, recyclable materials, has been a pioneer since 2013. The BMW i4, a sporty sedan, costs €10,000 more than the Tesla Model 3, but offers long – distance comfort , a quiet interior, high-quality metal and leather trim , and an easy-to-use iDrive infotainment system. The i4 has a range of up to 590 km, but the Tesla charging network remains superior. Prices start around €60,000. The BMW iX3, an electric SUV with 286 hp and a range of 460 km, will be produced until the spring of 2025 , but has been removed from the range due to import duties (up to 45%) from China. The successor, expected at the end of 2025, will have more powerful batteries, a more efficient drive and a new design, and is built in Hungary . The BMW iX premium electric SUV offers a range of up to 620 km. Prices start at €83,700 (xDrive40), €106,500 (xDrive50), and €135,000 (M60 with sports package). The iX2, launched in March 2024, costs €58,068, has all-wheel drive, 313 hp, a 64.8 kWh battery (417-449 km range), and charges from 10-80% in 30 minutes with 130 kW. The i5 and i7, electric versions of the 5 Series and 7 Series respectively , are available with ranges of up to 580 km (i5) and 610 km (i7). The i5 finished second in the 2024 Car of the Year elections. BMW is investing €650 million in a new plant in Munich for electric cars only . In the first half of 2024 , BMW sold 179,554 electric vehicles, an increase of 28% and more than Mercedes-Benz (93,400) and Audi (76,657) combined , accounting for 13.9% of total sales. Sales fell slightly to €36.6 billion, and pre – tax profit fell 19% to € 4.2 billion due to higher production costs. Net profit fell 84 % to €476 million in the third quarter , mainly due to falling demand in China . BMW is considering delaying production of electric MINIs in the UK due to uncertainties in the auto industry, but expects sales growth to continue through 2025. The new BMW i4 M60 xDrive is a powerful electric sports car that sends 604 hp and 795 Nm to all wheels, outperforming the petrol-powered M4 CS, which produces 551 hp and 650 Nm. The i4 M60 accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.7 seconds, slightly faster than the M4 CS, although with a top speed of 302 km/h it is clearly faster than the i4, which is limited to 225 km/h. The i4 M60 has a range of around 460 kilometers thanks to an 81.1 kWh battery. It can be fully charged in 8.5 hours via AC charging, or from 10 to 80 percent in half an hour via DC fast charging. The maximum charging power is 205 kW.
Visually, the i4 M60 bears a strong resemblance to the M50, with the M60 badge being the most noticeable difference. Compared to the M50, power is up by 60 hp, torque remains the same at 795 Nm, and the sprint time to 100 km/h improves by 0.2 seconds. Weight is slightly reduced by 5 kg, although this is likely at the expense of a slightly reduced range. The i4 M50 xDrive, the slightly less powerful variant, also features all-wheel drive thanks to electric motors on both axles. This produces 544 hp (400 kW) and the same impressive torque of 795 Nm. Weighing in at over 2,250 kg, the M50 sprints to 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds, with a limited top speed of 225 km/h. The i4 M60 confirms BMW’s ambition to build powerful, fast and relatively practical electric sports cars that combine both performance and range.
BMW will launch the electric iX5 in 2026 – an electric X5, that is. There will even be a hydrogen version of this and, according to rumors, there will even be a range extender like the one in the i3. This is a small petrol engine that functions purely as a generator. If the battery is in danger of running out, the petrol engine charges the battery while driving. The petrol engine does not drive the wheels. The total range would then be 1,000 kilometers.
Born
The Cuipra Born is based on the ID. 3 platform, which means both cars look very similar. The Born has an ace up its sleeve though, as drivers can spec a hot e-Boost variant. This bumps power from 204 to 232 hp, while those wanting a hot ID. 3 will have to wait for the GTX, which is reportedly due this year. Like the ID. 3, the Born has a 58kWh battery that is good for 426 km. New prices start from €41,450 while used 2022 cars with around 22,500 km can be bought for €27,000.
BYD
BYD has shot itself in the foot with huge discounts on the Chinese market. The car manufacturer hopes to win the competition with high discounts, but investors fear that the finances will suffer. In two weeks, BYD has lost 20 billion dollars in market value. The Chinese BYD has been around for over twenty years. BYD started as a battery manufacturer, but since 2002 it has also been making cars for the business market. The abbreviation BYD stands for “Build Your Dreams”. The fully electric BYD Atto 3 has a range of 300 kilometers and is equipped with a battery that charges in just two hours and then has its full capacity again. This special Fe battery was of course developed by BYD itself. The Chinese car manufacturer uses the model worldwide as a taxi and sells many to Uber for use in England. BYD is the market leader in Europe, especially for large passenger buses. The Atto 3 costs 38,025 euros, the Byd Dolphin costs 29,025, the Byd Han is available from 69,025 and the Sealion from 50,690 with a range of 482 km. BYD has a factory for electric buses in Hungary and there will also be a car factory in Szeged, a Hungarian city near the border with Romania and Serbia. BYD switched from battery production to the automotive sector in 2003. Since then, the Chinese company has grown considerably. Tesla, BMW, Mercedes and Audi depend on BYD for their batteries. Last year, the company stopped producing petrol cars. The Chinese market leader in electric cars arrived at CLdN in Vlissingen on February 21, 2024 with the first 5,449 cars. The ‘BYD Explorer No. 1’ is the first of eight sister ships that will strengthen Chinese exports over the next two years. Uber plans to deploy approximately 100,000 BYD electric cars in Europe and Latin America. The two companies signed a multi-year agreement for this on July 31, 2024. The cars will then also be deployed in the Middle East, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. There is also a partnership for self-driving cars for the Uber platform deployed. In Brazilthe government shut down the factory in Camaçari because of alleged forced labor. 163 workers had to be evicted from the miserable conditions in which they had to work. They were not allowed to leave their homes without permission and had to surrender their passports. 60% of their wages were withheld as security for serving their contracts. Their beds often had no mattresses and 31 workers had to share 1 bathroom with toilet without toilet paper. The health care facilities were also substandard and the workers had to work up to 25 days without a break. BYD launched the Qin L EV in 2025. In China, the electric car costs the equivalent of around 16,500 euros for the basic model and 19,300 euros for the top version. That is almost half the price of a Tesla Model 3 in China. In terms of dimensions, the sedan is also not inferior to its American rival. The Qin L EV is 4.7 meters long, 1.9 meters wide and 1.5 meters high, with a wheelbase of 2.8 meters. The Qin L EV comes with two battery packs: 46.08 kWh and 56.64 kWh. Fast charging is possible from 30 to 80 percent in 24 minutes. According to the Chinese CLTC test protocol, the electric sedan offers a driving range of up to 470 kilometers and 545 kilometers respectively. The Long Range AWD variant has a range of 713 km. The new sedan is based on BYD’s e-Platform 3.0 Evo, which the company claims has the lowest energy consumption in its class. The interior features a refreshed design with BYD’s DiLink 100 smart cockpit. This includes a 15.6-inch floating infotainment screen, a 12-inch head-up display and an 8.8-inch driver display. Furthermore, the Qin L EV has a system that can both cool (down to minus 6 degrees Celsius) and heat (up to 50 degrees). All models come standard with BYD’s ‘God’s Eye C’ driver assistance system, which offers functions such as autonomous navigation on highways and remote parking. The system is supported by no fewer than five radars, twelve ultrasonic sensors and twelve cameras. The 80kWh Atto 3 with a range of 420 km will compete with the MG ZS and Kia Niro EV. The Atto is based on a special platform that supports front, rear and all-wheel drive; charging from 10 to 80% with a 100kW fast charger takes 44 minutes. The interior is inspired by gym equipment. Prices start from around €38,000. BYD sold 7,231 fully electric cars in Europe in April, 169 percent more than a year earlier. This placed BYD in the top 10 electric brands on the continent.
The BYD Dolphin Surf has been sold as the BYD Seagull since 2023 and almost a million have already been sold under that name. But at 22,990 euros, the starting price can still be called competitive. This BYD is already the seventh car in the ‘EV under 25 grand’ category. BYD has made the necessary adjustments. For example, the car gets two windscreen wipers instead of one, although a rear wiper is still missing. Furthermore, the thicker bumpers mean that the Surf is no less than 20 centimeters longer than the original. While a Chinese Seagull is available with a blue, pink or purple (!) interior, the European version sticks to a modest combination of black and gray. Just like in the larger Dolphin, there is quite a lot of hard plastic in the dashboard, which is certainly no disgrace in this segment. Even the typical, electrically rotating infotainment screen can be found in this smallest and cheapest BYD. Although the screen is a lot smaller than in other models. The infotainment works fine and comes standard with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, but it is a pity that the drop-down menu in which you can, for example, disable the speed warning, often responds slowly or not at all.
At just under four metres long, the Surf falls right into the brand-new class of the smallest electric cars, which is known in the automotive industry as the A-segment. Most adults can still sit reasonably well on the strictly two-seater rear bench, and the luggage space of 308 litres is comparable to that of many competitors, who often have a more cramped rear bench. The BYD lacks a parcel shelf, but the standard dark-tinted rear window helps to keep out prying eyes.
The Dolphin Surf has only 30 kWh in house and does not go further than max 220 km, even according to the WLTP cycle. The vast majority of Dutch people will therefore opt for a Boost, which, like the Comfort – the version names are deliberately chosen alphabetically – has a (net) 43.2 kWh battery. This should allow a range of more than 300 kilometers and that is quite in line with the market in this segment, although an Inster can reach 370 kilometers in the best case. The Active and Boost versions of the Dolphin Surf share the same 88 hp electric motor, the Comfort is remarkably powerful for this ‘lower class’ with 156 hp. The driving behavior is distinctly comfortable, remarkably comfortable even for such a small car. The chassis is soft, but not weak and feels well-constructed. In a fast bend it leans heavily, but the direct steering and ditto throttle response still give the whole thing a lively character.
Meanwhile, it remains pleasantly quiet on board and the range of driver assistance systems is downright impressive. For example, the Dolphin Surf has standard adaptive cruise control and a (somewhat ragged) active steering assistant. This is technology that many competitors in this price range do not offer.
The seating position is high, but not unpleasant, partly thanks to the depth-adjustable steering wheel. Towards the front, the large amount of glass offers a good overview, when reversing you are quickly grateful for the (standard) reversing camera or (non-standard) 360-degree camera. Every Surf has the aforementioned driving aids as standard, the camera and the screen, but also artificial leather and the option to use your phone or smartwatch as a key. In addition to the larger battery, the Boost also adds electric seat adjustment (!) and alloy wheels, plus a rain sensor and electrically folding exterior mirrors. The Comfort is even more luxurious and is also the only version with seat heating.
With all that luxury, it is noticeable that no Dolphin Surf has automatic climate control. It is one of the few stitches that this small newcomer drops. Conclusion: the Dolphin Surf is well put together, looks and feels complete and offers very decent performance for the money. It also contains a lot of luxury and space, but there are now competitors for which this also applies.
BYD has scaled down its production in recent months. Existing factories are running fewer shifts and expansion plans have been postponed. At least four factories are now shutting down their production lines at night, which has reduced production by a third. As far as is known, BYD currently has a total of seven large factories in China. These are signs that the enormous growth that BYD has experienced in recent years is now slowing down. The electric carmaker already overtook Tesla last year as the largest EV manufacturer in the world, but relies almost exclusively on the Chinese market. Last year, BYD sold 4.27 million cars. For this year, the company is aiming for a 30 percent growth to 5.5 million.
The car market in China has been hit by a price war, which is why BYD is also giving huge discounts on its cars. Despite this, stocks are still increasing. The Chinese authorities themselves ordered the car manufacturers to stop the price war.
After Reuters reported this, the share on the Hong Kong stock exchange fell by 1 percent, after it had been at +2.6 percent shortly before.
Byton
China came in June 2022 with the Byton M for 45,000 euros. The car has screens across the entire width of the car and also in the back. The – M-Byte 95 kWh 4WD is an Electric Car with Four-wheel drive, a length of 4,875 mm, a width of 1,970 mm, a height of 1,665 mm and a wheelbase of 2,950 mm. The unladen weight of the vehicle is 2,600 kg, there is 550 liters of luggage space and there are 5 seats. In 5.5 seconds, the – M-Byte 95 kWh 4WD accelerates from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour and the top speed is 190 km / h. The total power of this vehicle is 300 kW (408 hp) and the maximum torque is 735 Nm. The battery range is 390 km and the battery capacity is 105 kWh. Only a part of this (95 kWh) is usable. The range and energy consumption vary per season and depend on the temperature and the use of electronics in the car. In winter (28.4 kWh/100km) the energy consumption is lower than in summer (21.6 kWh/100km). The same applies to the range. In winter (335 km) the combined range is smaller than in summer (440 km).
Cake
The largest share of bankrupt Cake was owned by AMF, a Swedish pension company: 11.3%, Stefan Ytterborn, the founder of Cake: 10.4%. Creandum, a Swedish venture capital firm: 10.4% Black Capital, the investment company of the Lundin family: 9.3%, Headline, an American venture capital firm: 9.2%, Rutger Arnhult, a real estate profile: 6.4%.
ChangAn
ChangAn is coming with the Deepal S07. ChangAn is yet another new Chinese brand coming to the Netherlands. The Mazda 6E uses the technology of the ChangAn Deepal 03. The electric Mazda will be released in the Netherlands in August of this year. It is possible that the Deepal will be released in the Netherlands a little earlier, but that is not yet entirely certain. They are leaving the 03 at home for now, because they are coming to Europe with the S07. This is an SUV. The launch of the Deepal S07 will be phased and will start in April. The Netherlands is one of the markets that is given priority, so it is expected that April will also be feasible. The ChangAn Deepal S07 is priced at 45,000 euros and is just as expensive as the Mazda 6E.
Changzhou Xili Vehicle Co
Changzhou offers an electric car for 840 euros via Alibaba. The two-seater with an electric drive is designed to meet the most basic mobility needs. You can’t take it on the highway, because in terms of horsepower, the 1.1 hp electric car is more of a toy car for on your own terrain. The Chang Li is 2.50 meters long, 1.50 meters wide and 1.80 meters high. It weighs 323 kg and the load capacity is 300 kilograms. The car has independent wheel suspension and drum brakes and you steer with a motor handlebar. A 1000 or 1200 watt motor is available for an additional charge. That corresponds to 1.4 or 1.6 hp. This allows the rear-wheel drive car to reach a top speed of up to 30 km/h and can handle an angle of inclination of 30 degrees. The range is between 40 and 100 kilometers. A three-seater is available from 1350 euros and a version for taxi services costs at least 1500 euros. The small electric vehicle is also not intended for public roads, but more for large private and company premises.
Chery Automobile
Chery Automobile is a Chinese car brand with sixteen factories worldwide and is owned by the local authorities in Wuhu. In 2020, the brand sold 730,000 cars, bringing the total since its foundation to 9 million units, of which 1.7 million to foreign customers. Chery Automobile wants to launch the Luxeed S7 together with Huqwei, using the latest batteries from Catl. The model should compete with the Tesla model S. Cherry sold 1.2 million cars in 2022. The Chinese car manufacturer wants to turn the former Nissan factory in Barcelona into one of the most important export facilities worldwide and produce 15,000 vehicles per year by 2029. The car manufacturer is working with the Spanish company EV Motors. Vehicle production at the factory is due to start at the end of next summer. This concerns the production of both electric vehicles and vehicles with combustion engines. For example, Chery will produce its Omoda 5 electric vehicle (EV) there. In 2021, Japanese carmaker Nissan closed the factory after 41 years. Chery wants to create 1,250 jobs. 600 former Nissan employees are taking courses to eventually work at the factory. In the coming months, 150 of them will be hired, said EV Motors CEO Pedro Calef at the presentation of the reopened factory. In the coming years, important investments will be made in the so-called Zona Franca factory. Again, the entire operation is supported by the Chinese government with various subsidies and loans.
Chevrolet
The Chevrolet Bolt will soon be available in the US for just $30,000 net. The Bolt has a range of 238 miles and buyers will receive a $7,500 tax credit on the $37,500 gross model.
Lemon
The ë-C3 is the first electric car in the B-segment for less than 25,000 euros. An affordable electric car with a 44 kWh battery pack and an 83 kW electric motor on the Smart Car EV platform. The ë-C3 2024 has a WLTP range of approximately 320 kilometers and drives to 100 km / h in 11 seconds and reaches a top speed of 135 km / h. There is an 11 kW three-phase AC on-board charger, on the DC fast charger it achieves a very acceptable charging speed of 100 kW. During the Paris Motor Show in September, Citroën presented the electric DS3 Crossback. An electric Berlingo costs 37,940 euros including the 50 kWh battery from Stellantis that gives you a range (320 km WLTP) for everyday use. Fast charging is possible with a maximum of 100 kW. The Berlingo has an internal roof box. All compartments together measure 186 litres. There are two length variants. The M is already 4.40 metres and has three separate sliding seats, so you can also mount three child seats next to each other. The XL version has 35 centimetres more and the possibility for 7 seats. The M version has a luggage space of 775 litres with all seats in use. The Citroën Berlingo is available in black, white and grey, blue and green.
Cupra Born (Volkswagen)
The Cupra comes in an Essential Limited 59kWh version starting at €35,000, a Business Limited 59kWh for €37,500, a Performance Limited 59kWh for €40,000, a Business Limited 77kWh for €42,000, a Performance Lined 77kWh for €45,000 and a VZ Limited 79kWh for €50,000. The Cupra Born hatchback shares its electric platform and interior tech with the Volkswagen ID 3, and is an attractive car to drive. You can have a 58kWh battery model with a range of up to 408km, but you’re better off paying extra for the 77kWh model, which promises a range of up to 550km. Opt for the bigger battery and you’ll get more power too. Its well-balanced rear-drive chassis and precise handling help it corner with aplomb. There is a VZ version 240 kW (326 hp) with a range of no less than 600 km.
Dacia
Dacia is named after the name used by the Romans to refer to the region we now know as Romania. In 1999, the Renault Group acquired Dacia. Dacia is active in 44 countries, has more than 8 million customers and is the third largest car brand in the private market in Europe. Dacia has the electric Spring Electric with a range of up to 305 km in the WLTP urban cycle and 230 km in the combined WLTP cycle*. The Dacia Spring Electric is a 3.73-metre short five-door hatchback that is 1.62 metres wide and 1.51 metres high. The small electric car has a 44 hp and 125 Nm strong electric motor, which is linked to a 26.8 kWh battery pack with a range of 225 kilometres and a top speed of 125 kilometres per hour. Using a 30 kW DC charger, the pack can be charged to 80 percent of its capacity in less than an hour. With a 7.4 kW wallbox, you need 5 hours to fully charge the pack. With a 3.7 kW wallbox, it takes 8.5 hours to fully charge an empty battery. There are two versions, one where the battery is included in the purchase price and one where you rent the battery pack. The basic price is 21,750 euros. The Dacia Bigster is now also available at the dealer and is available from €31,000. Dacia and the Chinese Leapmotor already offer electric cars for less than 20,000 euros
Daf and VDL
Dutch truck manufacturers VDL and DAF unveiled their first electric truck on 16 May 2018, which has a range of approximately 100 kilometres on a single battery charge. The vehicle’s engine has a capacity of 210 kW (286 hp). The battery can be fully charged within half an hour using a quick charger. Normal charging takes one and a half hours. The truck was presented jointly under the names of both VDL and DAF and is sold by DAF.
Dongfeng
Dongfeng Motor Corporation is a Chinese multinational in the automotive industry. The company produces buses, trucks, passenger cars and spare parts. Dongfeng is considering producing 100,000 cars per year in Italy, but that would mainly concern hybrid vehicles. Dongfeng is a partner of Stellantis, which produces Fiat cars in Italy. In addition to Dongfeng, Italy is in talks with Chinese car manufacturer Chery. After all, you can buy the Dongfeng Box (including all the features just mentioned) for around 23,000 euros. The import duties that will soon apply to Chinese EVs are already included. Dealer group Gomes will take care of the distribution of the Dongfeng models (such as this Voyah Free).
Dott
Amsterdam e-steps company Dott by Maxim Romain and Henri Moissinac managed to raise over 70 million from the Belgian Sofina, the European growth investor Estrari and Invest-NL. Invest-NL is a publicly financed investor for sustainable projects.
Electrictra
Elextra Cars is coming with an exclusive four-wheel drive electric sedan. It does 0-100 km/h in 2.3 seconds. Initially, one hundred copies of the car designed in Switzerland will be built. Production will take place in Stuttgart. The rear of the car looks like the Bugatti Chiron and at the back there will be a huge rear light unit.
Ferrari
Ferrari wants six out of every ten cars it produces to be electric or semi-electric. To make that possible, the company is investing 4.4 billion euros in the further development of electric models.
Faraday Future
The FF91 from Faraday Future has a capacity of 1050 hp and a range of over 600 km. The electric car accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.4 seconds and the battery will be able to charge faster than that of other electric cars. Reservations for one of the 300 FF 91 models to be manufactured are possible for a deposit of 5000 dollars. Delivery will not take place until 2018. The first FF 91 will be sold via an auction in March. The FF 91 can find its own parking space and park itself there. For the autonomous functions, the car has 10 cameras on the front and back, 13 radars, 12 ultrasonic sensors and a 3D LIDAR sensor, which uses lasers to determine the distance to objects. Faraday Future was not doing well financially for long, but the first copy of the Faraday Future FF 91 was delivered in August 2023. Faraday Future’s FF 91 2.0 Futurist Alliance costs the equivalent of €288,960 and is a sports car limited to 300 units worldwide. The car has three electric motors with a total of 1,050 hp. A 142-kWh battery should provide a range of 613 kilometers. In 2.3 seconds, the 5.25-meter-long SUV goes from a standstill to 96 km/h (60 mph).
Fiat
Fiat has decided to drastically reduce the group’s average CO2 emissions on the way to the ultimate goal of zero emissions. Fiat already presented the basis for what the car of the future could be in Geneva in 2019, with the new Fiat Centoventi. An electric concept car that recalls the design of the most compact crossovers. The Centoventi focuses on electric and sustainable zero-emission mobility; with the first feature being the platform that can accommodate up to four battery packs. Each module offers a range of 100 km, with the possibility of placing a fifth battery between the front and rear seats. In 2020, the iconic electric Fiat 500 made its debut. The latest addition to Connexxion Taxi Services is the 100% electric Fiat Scudo/ Ulysse (75kwh) taxi. Although its range of 320 km is not particularly impressive, the cute little Italian supermini has a lot of charm and is great to drive around town. It’s also cheaper than rivals such as the Peugeot E-208 and BYD Dolphin.
Fisher
Ford
Geely/Link
Geely Holding Group is a leading mobility company based in Hangzhou, China. Geely Holding focuses on innovation and sustainable mobility solutions. Today, the company owns, manages and invests in several brands: Geely Auto, Lynk & Co, ZEEKR, Geometry, Volvo Cars, Polestar, Lotus, London Electric Vehicle Company, Farizon Auto, RADAR AUTO and Cao Mobility. ZEEKR is the group’s newest luxury EV brand. The company aims to shape the future of transportation with advanced technology and a customer-centric approach. A banking consortium is investing 890 million euros in the production of the new Polestar 2, 3 and 4. Models 5 and 6 will be added in the long term.
China Europe Vehicle Technology AB (CEVT) is the European R&D center for ZEEKR. The company was founded in 2013 with the goal of creating a revolutionary vehicle architecture called CMA. This architecture is based on full scalability, and a wide range of drive systems and technology solutions. The CMA platform is now in use in more than 2 million vehicles worldwide.
CEVT has become a center known for innovative mobility solutions. It most recently developed the all-electric modular SEA-M architecture, purpose-built for shared autonomous use. In 2022, ZEEKR and Waymo jointly launched the first vehicle for this platform.
ZEEKR’s European R&D centre is located in the Lindholmen neighbourhood of Gothenburg, Sweden. This is the automotive technology hub of Sweden. Prices for ZEEKR’s start at €44,990 for the compact X ‘urban SUV’. The 001 shooting brake starts at €59,490. The price of the impressive FR version is not yet known.
The production of Volvo’s EX30 and EX90 is being moved from China to Belgium. In doing so, the Swedish car manufacturer is preparing for the upcoming decision of the European Union to increase import tariffs for Chinese manufacturers of electric cars. The Chinese Zhejiang Geely Holding Group initially wanted to stop production because of EU levies.
Ghostly Norba
Geesinknorba makes electric garbage trucks and was granted a moratorium on payments in mid-November 2023.
General Motors
General Motors plans to invest 35 percent more in electric and self-driving vehicles over the next three years and is allocating approximately 23 billion dollars (19.3 billion euros) to the plans through 2023. GM plans to launch thirty electric models worldwide by 2025, ten more than it originally planned. In five years, GM wants to sell more than a million electric cars in China and the United States. General Motors (GM) is waiting longer to open a second production line for the electric Silverado.
Genesis
The Genesis GV60 has already won several awards and accolades thanks to its 516 km range, 239 kW fast charging system (10 to 80% in just 18 minutes) and 486 hp. Acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h is done in just 4 seconds via a 10-second boost function, and drivers can also activate a ‘drift mode’ that switches the car to rear-wheel drive. The design is completely unique, from the LED headlights to the fastback bodywork. Prices start at just over €50,000, although a used 2022 with under 20,000 km can be had for around €40,000.
Gogoro
In 2016, the Gogoro smart scooter would come to Amsterdam at the request of the Municipality. Gogoro promised to deliver electric scooters with interchangeable battery packs and is working with the Amsterdam Smart City Experience Lab to realize battery swapping stations in petrol stations and shops. In Taipei, Taiwan, the project is going well and more than 2000 of these scooters have been sold.
Havelaar
Havelaar in Canada has built and presented a fully electric Bison E-Pickup at the EMC show in Markham, Ontario. The pickup was built in collaboration with the University of Toronto (UofT). Together they launched the UofT Havelaar Electric Vehicle Research Centre (UTHEV) in 2016 with the aim of developing electric drives. According to the start-up, the electric pickup truck has a fully electric drive and a range of at least 300 kilometers. When the pickup will go into production and at what price is not yet known.
HiPhi
The strikingly designed EVs, including the X and Y electric SUVs with gullwing doors and the HiPhi Z , which seemed to be a success with its many angles, folds and remarkable lines. HiPhi had already launched its models in Norway and Germany, among other countries , but further European expansion no longer seems to be an option. In February it became clear that things were not going well for HiPhi. The company then announced that it would close the gates of its factory in China for six months. Human Horizons is said to have been looking for a joint venture partner, but apparently did not succeed. The last new model was the HiPhi A .
Honda
Honda invests €60 billion in electrification by 2031. Honda and General Motors intended to jointly produce a cheap electric car, but these plans have been shelved. They will now continue to develop in this area separately. The collaboration for hydrogen-powered cars and self-driving cars will continue. An intended collaboration with Nissan also failed. The Ny1 is the only Honda model that is fully electric. The Ny1 is available in 2 versions and is 4.39 meters long. and has a range of 412 km. The Honda Ny1 costs 48,750 euros. The upholstery of the seats and steering wheel is made of plastic/artificial leather. Fast charging of the 78 kWh version from 10 to 80% is slow and takes no less than 45 minutes. The Ny1 has front-wheel drive and 361 liters of trunk space. The most expensive version of 52,820 euros has a panoramic roof, a Pioneer sound system, an electric tailgate and parking assistance. By 2031, 60 billion euros will be invested in the electrification strategy. This involves investments in software, research and development, and setting up supply chains in key markets such as the United States, Canada and Japan. Honda aims to sell only electric cars by 2040. By 2030, Honda will launch seven new electric models globally, CEO Toshihiro Mibe said during a business plan update in Tokyo. The company will reduce its workforce in China, due to declining sales in the country. However, Mibe said the company has no plans to give up the Chinese market. Honda will sell two new electric models in China. By the end of 2026, Honda will also introduce an electric car with a swappable battery in Japan. Honda had aimed to have an EV sales share of 30 percent by 2030. That target is going to 20 percent. To still meet the sales targets, that 10 percent must be filled with hybrids. The mission is to sell 2.2 million hybrids per year by 2030. Last year, Honda sold 868,000 hybrid cars.
Hongqi
The Hongqi EH7 sedan is coming to the Netherlands. The only Hongqi model that was available until now, the E-HS9. The Hongqi EH7 is almost five meters long and can therefore be compared well with a Volkswagen ID7. Hongqi therefore calls it a D-segmenter with serious performance. There is a distance of three meters between the front and rear axle, but the sedan also has a battery pack of 85 or 111 kWh. The version with the ‘small’ battery has one engine and rear-wheel drive, the EH7 with 111 kWh gets two electric motors, four-wheel drive, 619 hp and a range of approximately 700 kilometers. 0-100 goes in 3.5 seconds. The specifications of the rear-wheel drive and the prices will follow in the third quarter of this year and from that moment the car can also be ordered.
Huawei
Huawei not only makes phones but also wants to sell an electric car together with Chery Automobile. The Luxeed S7 is expected to get the latest batteries from Catl. The model is supposed to compete with the Tesla Model S.
Hyundai
JAC
Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group Corp (JAC) has started delivering sodium-ion battery electric vehicles. Yiwei, a new brand of JAC focusing on the EV market, delivered the world’s first sodium-ion battery EVs in Anqing, Anhui Province on January 5, 2024. The model is a new variant of Yiwei 3, the first model of the Yiwei brand, and uses 32140 sodium-ion cylindrical cells from battery manufacturer Hina Battery. Each battery cell has a capacity of 12 Ah and an energy density of over 140 Wh/kg. These new cells use a copper-base layer-like oxide technology route. The sodium-ion battery-equipped Yiwei model has a battery capacity of 23.2 kWh and a CLTC range of 230 km, with an electricity consumption of about 10 kWh per 100 km. The battery also supports faster charging speeds, from 10 percent to 80 percent in 20 minutes and from 30 percent to 80 percent in 15 minutes, which is double the charging speed of current regular LFP batteries. Also, less power is lost with these battery cells in cold temperatures. The disadvantage is that sodium batteries are more explosive in combination with water.
Jaguar
Parent company Jaguar Land Rover launched a four-wheel drive electric Jaguar i-Pace k in Los Angeles with a 90 kWh battery and a cW value of 0.29. At the unveiling in March 2018, Jaguar said the car’s range was determined at 543 kilometers based on the NEDC test. But the WLTP range was only 480 kilometers. A difference of 63 kilometers. In four years, only electric Jaguars will roll off the production line and the first electric Land Rover will appear in 2024. In 2039, the company should be completely CO2 neutral. The first step in that process is to no longer make petrol or diesel Jaguars from 2025. Land Rover will make the switch in 2030. The first electric Land Rover came on the market in 2024. The Jaguar i-Pace has been available since 2018 and was built in Austria by Magna Steyr. In December 2019, the i-Pace received software adjustments that slightly increased its range. The car runs on two engines of 200 hp each; that brings the total to 400 hp. Part of the technology of the Jaguar i-Pace was developed in the Formula E racing class. In 2018, a collaboration with Waymo was announced in which 20,000 Jaguar i-Paces were used to test technology for self-driving cars. The first copies are now almost seven years old but are already ending up in the scrapyard. The Jaguar I-Pace was named European Car of the Year in 2019 and also won the World Car of the Year election. In 2018, Jaguar Nederland registered 3,526 copies. But then came the downfall. This was partly due to the technology and partly to the reliability. There have been at least five recalls so far that were related to battery problems. By the end of 2024, Jaguar had to buy back 2,760 cars from American owners. Even after several software updates, they are struggling with batteries that get too hot, causing some to even catch fire. Cars that ended up in the scrapyard were also bought back in the United Kingdom. The Jaguar I-Pace went from 3,526 sales in 2018 to just 770 in 2019, 466 in 2020 and 18 in 2021. The absolute low point came in 2022, when only eight people bought one. A new Jaguar I-Pace costs €69,995. A used car from 2019 with around 110,000 km on the clock can be bought for just €23,000. You’ll then get a range of 300 miles (487 km), 0-60 mph in under 5 seconds and it will charge from empty to 80% in around 50 minutes using a 100kW charger.
KIA
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39.2 kWh : 273 km range, from approx. €38,000.
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64.8 kWh : 452 km range, 204 hp, from approx. €48,000 (used 2020 models with 60,000 km from €20,000).
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Battery : 64.8 kWh, range up to 460 km.
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Power : 204 hp, 0-100 km/h in 7.8 seconds.
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Charging speed : 10-80% in 45 minutes (max. 72 kW).
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Prices : from €39,995 (Edition Advanced from €44,995). Used examples (approx. 13,000 km) start at around €30,000.
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GT-Line and GT-Line S : two-motor four-wheel drive, range up to 504 km.
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Seating : Six seats, with swivel chairs in the second row for a luxurious, lounge-like feel.
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Price : Significantly lower than rivals, although this varies by market.
The Korean marque’s electric crossover is nicer to drive and more stylish inside than the technically related Hyundai Ioniq 5. It can also drive further on a single charge. It can drive further on a single charge too, with the single-motor RWD variant offering a range of up to 360 miles (580 km). Like the Ioniq 5, the EV6 can be charged at up to 238kW, meaning it’ll take around 20 minutes between stops for a 10-80% charge. The cheaper rear-wheel-drive model is the most appealing option, though the all-wheel-drive car is quicker to 62mph (100km/h). And if performance is more important, there’s the EV6 GT model with 641bhp (448kW).
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Platform : e-GMP (like the EV6).
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Battery options : Two battery packs expected, specifications not yet fully known.
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Interior : dual display panel for infotainment and dashboard.
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Price : from approx. €33,000.
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Competitors : Peugeot e-2008, Opel Mokka-e, Volvo EX30, Smart #1, Fiat 600e and Jeep Avenger.
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Spielraum Glow Cabin : a luxury “picnic bus” with refrigerator, microwave, wine cellar and customizable MoodUp panels, aimed at day trips.
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Spielraum Studio : a mobile office with smart mirrors, coffee maker and storage space for entrepreneurs.
Leap motor
Dacia and the Chinese Leapmotor already offer electric cars under 20,000 euros. The T03 is available from € 19,950 or from € 299 per month via Private Lease. The C10 is available from € 39,050 or from € 211 net additional tax per month
Lightyear
The Dutch Lightyear came with the first production model on June 9, 2022: the Lightyear 0. Atlas Technologies BV was supposed to make a maximum of 946 copies with 650 employees. However, the division has since gone bankrupt and a newly restarted division that was supposed to build the Lightyear Two has stopped, because it requires an investment of approximately 1 billion euros. The new model should have cost approximately € 30,000 and should have been ready for production in 2025. Now only solar panels are manufactured for other car brands.
Lynk & Co
Lynk & Co was founded in October 2016 by Geely, the parent company of Swedish Volvo and several other brands. Volvo took a thirty percent stake in the brand. In 2017, Lynk produced the first cars in China. In September 2020, they also entered the European market. Lynk provides the cars via a mobility service for which the customer purchases a car via a monthly subscription. The car can be shared with others, who pay the subscription holder via an associated application. In October 2021, Lynk & Co sold around 540,000 cars worldwide, they say. The car has a limited electric range and cannot be charged quickly. So for the available 80 km, charging takes 4 hours. Lybk works together with Geely. Volvo is almost completely withdrawing its hands from the brand. Volvo is selling its 30 percent share in Lynk & Co to Zeekr. Zeekr is also a brand owned by Geely Holding. That transaction yields Volvo the equivalent of more than 700 million euros. 70 percent of this will be paid directly by Zeekr in the first quarter of 2025, the remaining 30 percent will follow a year later. Zeekr will also acquire 20 percent of Geely Holding’s shares in Lynk & Co. Zeekr will soon own 51 percent of Lynk & Co, 49 percent is owned by Geely Auto. According to Volvo, the divestment of its stake in Lynk & Co is related to the fact that Lynk & Co ‘is entering a new phase of development, which includes a new ownership structure for the company’.
Lordstown
Lordstown has started production of its electric pickup truck called the Endurance. Nearly three years after the first sketch of the Lordstown Endurance, an American-made electric pickup truck, was revealed, the brand has started production. Lordstown has assembled the first two units as part of an initial run of 500 units, the brand hopes to have the last one rolling off the assembly line before summer 2023.
Lucid
Electric car maker Lucid Motors is going public on the New York Stock Exchange. Founded in 2007, Lucid is led by Peter Rawlinson, a former Tesla engineer. Lucid is set to begin production of a luxury sedan, the Lucid Air, in the second half of 2021. The California-based company will build the cars at its factory in Arizona. Lucid currently has about 2,000 employees and plans to add another 3,000 by the end of the year.
MG
The Chinese MG ZS has a high safety score in crash tests, but also a low price between 20 and 25,000 euros and that for a richly equipped, fully electric SUV. This is not an original MG as we know it, but MG is one of the brands of the Chinese car giant SAIC (Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation) The MG 2 ZS EV comes with a 5-year or 150,000 km warranty on the car. The battery pack has an 8-year or 150,000 km warranty. In addition, there is a 10-year warranty against rusting through from the inside. The SE and Trophy still offer a considerable range, but the Trophy variants go a step further and offer more technology such as wireless phone chargers, 360-degree cameras and a larger battery. The Trophy goes from 350 to 434 km range and SE Long Range 452 km. Prices for a new Trophy start at around £29,000, while nearly new cars with 8,000 miles will set you back around £22,000. The larger ZS EV SUV starts at around £26,000 for the 51.1kWh SE model, which MG says can do 198 miles, but spend a little extra for the SE Long Range and you’ll get a 72.6kWh battery that’s said to have a range of 271 miles. Charging the Long Range variant from empty to 80% capacity via a 100kW fast charger takes just 42 minutes. Prices for a used ZS Long Range with 5,500 miles start at around £22,000.
MG Comet
MG Comet is the cheapest electric car in India but it also has a water resistant and not water proof battery. For about 9,000 euros you get about 50 hp, 110 Nm and 230 kilometers of range. The battery is 17.3 kWh and reaches about 100 km per hour. Charging from 0 to 80 percent takes 5.5 hours and at the socket at home even 7 hours. The MG Comet has a McPherson suspension at the front and multilink at the rear. Inside a 10.25-inch screen with Android Auto and Apple Carplay, parking sensors and a camera.
Maxus
The Chinese Maxus supplies the eDeliver 7. Maxus has been active in the Netherlands for years and is known for the electric vans eDeliver 3 and eDeliver 9. There is one in between; the Maxus eDeliver 7. A van of about the size of, for example, the Ford Transit Custom and Citroën Jumpy. The Maxus starts at €39,990 (excl. VAT) for the eDeliver 7 with the 77-kWh battery pack. The range is up to 320 km with a full battery, although Maxus emphasizes that you can drive 485 km in the city according to the WLTP cycle. The version with an 88-kWh battery pack, which costs at least €42,590 (excl.), can drive up to 365 km in the combined WLTP cycle and 542 km in the city. The Maxus eDeliver 7 comes in various lengths and heights. The shortest is the almost 5-meter long L1, which is only available in the H1 height (1.99 m). Then there is the 5.36 m long L2, which is available as an H1 and also as an extra high L2 (2.39 m). The Maxus eDeliver 7 offers 5.9 to 8.7 cubic meters of loading space, can carry up to 1,200 kilos of cargo and can tow up to 1,500 kilos.
Mazda
Mazda has unveiled the Iconic SP, an electric sports coupe, at the Japan Mobility show. In addition to an electric motor, the Iconic also has a rotary engine that runs on hydrogen. Mazda has kept the center of gravity as low as possible. “The weight distribution of approximately 50:50 ensures excellent driving performance. The car weighs only 1450 kilos due to the small battery pack. The Iconic SP has a long hood with small headlights, is 4.18 meters long and has 370 hp. It accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds and has a new, bright color called Viola Reds. The Mazda EZ-6 was only announced for China at the time, but is now also coming to Europe. Whether it will be called Mazda 6 or EZ-6 in the Netherlands is not yet known. The car is built by a joint venture between Changdan and Mazda. The all-new Mazda6e offers a choice of two battery configurations. The standard 68.8 kWh battery offers a range of 479 km¹ and with the 80 kWh battery you can drive 552 km.
Mercedes
An electric concept car from Mercedes-Benz has driven 1,008 kilometers without recharging. This was done with a battery that is comparable in capacity to current models. The car completed the journey in just under 12 hours and still had a range of 140 kilometers upon arrival. The car also drove for a long time at speeds of up to 140 km/h on the German autobahn. The Vision EQXX is equipped with an aerodynamic profile and is made of lighter materials, has improved braking energy recovery, a lighter battery, solar panels on the roof to supply systems with power and a drive system with little energy loss. The car consumed 8.7 kilowatt hours per 100 kilometers. The electric EQS S-Class, the current electric top model from Mercedes-Benz for more than 100,000 euros, consumes between 16 and 17 kilowatt hours per 100 km on paper. In real conditions, this is often more. The range is 780 km according to the WLTP standard. Mercedes-Benz will launch electric sedans and SUVs in the coming years and is accelerating the introduction of ten new models. Mercedes-Benz is shortening the timeline for the rollout of ten electric cars by three years and wants to become the market leader in 2022. Mercedes-Benz wants to launch an electric variant for each model in 2022. At least fifty different hybrid and fully electric Mercedes cars must then be available. The Smart will become fully electric. Mercedes customers continue to opt for larger cars with larger engines, which means the company cannot meet the emission requirements. Formula 1 champion Mercedes-Benz announced that it would also participate in Formula E with an electric variant from 2018, but will withdraw again in 2022. Nyck de Vries became world champion as a racing driver. The big question is why Mercedes is doing this. Just like for the rest of the world, electric cars seem to have the future in racing. “Mercedes wants to focus on one thing and they have chosen Formula 1. Mercedes does have the goal of operating fully electric by the end of this decade and applying those developments in the top class, Formula 1. The withdrawal of Mercedes is a new blow to Formula E, because other major car brands such as BMW and Audi have done the same. Due to the departure of Audi, BMW and Mercedes, Formula E is in danger of withering away. The American electric car manufacturer Rivian is abandoning plans to start joint production of electric vans in Europe with Mercedes-Benz. Rivian’s decision comes three months after both car manufacturers had reached an agreement to share costs and scale up production. Rivian posted a larger-than-expected loss in the first quarter, while revenue was better than expected. The loss increased from 1.35 to 1.45 billion dollars in the reporting period, or 1.48 dollars loss per share.At an adjusted level, there was a loss of 1.24 dollars. Mercedes-Benz postpones electrification target by at least five years due to disappointing sales. Profits fell by 21% in the past quarter and sales fell by 7.4%. As long as there is demand, Mercedes will continue to make hybrid vehicles and vehicles with combustion engines ‘well beyond 2030’. Due to the malaise, Daimler Financial Services wants to get rid of leasing company Athlon and put it up for sale in January 2025. Athlon was bought in 2016 fromRabobank for 1.1 billion euros. A significant drop in profit is expected for 2025. In 2024, operating profit already fell by 30%, while the profit margin on car sales fell from 12.6% to 8.1%. The number of Mercedes electric cars sold fell by almost a quarter last year compared to 2023. In the important Chinese car market, sales shrank by 8.5%: twice as fast as in the rest of the world. Like other European car manufacturers, Mercedes is struggling with declining demand in important markets such as Europe and China. The transition to electric cars is going slowly. Despite major investments, EV sales figures are lagging behind expectations. To improve profitability, Mercedes wants to reduce production costs by 10% by 2027. In addition, the company is discontinuing less profitable entry-level models such as the A-Class and is focusing on its luxury vehicles. Donald Trump is considering imposing 25% import duties on imported cars starting in April. This could have major consequences for the car market, especially for Mercedes, which exports about 63% of its cars to the US. Fewer passenger cars were sold last year, partly due to weaker sales in the important Chinese market. The company also sold far fewer fully electric cars. Global sales of passenger cars, including the luxury brands Maybach and AMG, fell by 3 percent to almost 2 million compared to a year earlier. Chinese car sales also shrank by 7 percent. Sales also fell in Europe, including the German home market. However, gains were achieved in North America and elsewhere in the world. When it comes to fully electric cars, sales shrank by almost a quarter. This is partly due to fierce competition in Europe from cheaper Chinese car brands. The Stuttgart-based company also reported that sales of vans fell by 9 percent to just over 405,000 units. The Mercedes EQA 300 can drive around 431 km on a single charge. There are a few options available, such as the 190 hp EQA 250+ starting at around €50,000 which Mercedes says is good for 519 km, the 230 hp EQA 300 starting at €53,000 and the 295 hp EQA 350 is said to return 421 km. A used EQA 250+ with around 16,000 km will set you back €41,000, while a nearly new EQA 350 with 29,000 km will set you back around €35,000.
Microlino
Due to declining sales figures, Mercedes wants to continue with combustion engines. As long as there is demand, the company will continue to make hybrid vehicles and vehicles with combustion engines ‘well beyond 2030’. The smallest electrically powered car is the Microlino. The two-seater car can only go 90 km per hour and has a range of only 200 km. The Micolino is 2.7 meters by 1.6 and is therefore even smaller than a Smart and costs around 12,000 euros.
Mini
The electric Mini convertible from BMW came on the market in a limited edition of 999 units. The first electric high 2-series got one electric motor on the front axle and one on the rear axle. Together they provide a power of 313 hp. The torque is 494 Nm. The new Mini Cooper (S)E is fully electric. The three-door Mini is on a ‘dedicated’ EV platform, developed in collaboration with a Chinese partner. The ‘clamshell’ bonnet gets tighter folds and loses the U-shaped notch directly in front of the windshield. In addition, there are new headlights and of course the front bumper is also being tackled.
Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross PHEV is a plug-in hybrid SUV equipped with the Twin-motor PHEV system and four-wheel drive. It has an electric range of 45 km and a towing capacity of 1,500 kg. The new generation Outlander PHEV will be released in 2024. Prices are not yet known.
Nio
On August 14, 2018, Chinese car company NIO filed an official request to go public on the American stock exchange. The company managed to raise a total of 1.8 billion dollars from investors. The ES8 is a sporty SUV that is just over five meters long and is powered by two electric motors, which together produce 653 hp and 840 Nm. The four-wheel drive SUV with air suspension can go from a standstill to 100 km/h in 4.4 seconds. The battery pack is 70 kWh and has an assumed range of 355 kilometers. The ES8 is an electric SUV and a successor to the electric racer EP9. NIO has opted to build 1,100 (!) Power Swap Stations, swap stations where the ES8 can exchange its empty batteries for full ones in three minutes. There are now seven Power Swap Stations in the Netherlands, the most recent in Arnhem, located on the A12. This location gives users the opportunity to easily drive to Germany and vice versa. Within 5 minutes, users can swap their battery. A NIO Power Swap Station (PSS) is the size of a double garage and can perform up to 312 ‘swaps’ per day. The PSS charges up to 13 batteries simultaneously with a capacity of 20 to 80 kW. With each swap, the condition of the battery and the electrical system are carefully checked to ensure that both the car and the battery are in optimal condition. In addition to Arnhem, there are Power Swap Stations in Dordrecht, Apeldoorn, Den Hoorn, Harmelen, Tilburg or Utrecht. NIO will also provide 1,200 charging stations that give the ES8 a range of 100 kilometers after ten minutes of charging. The ES8 is made entirely of aluminum and the interior is upholstered in leather. The seven-seater is equipped with tablets and a ‘lounge seat’. The ES8 has 23 sensors, cameras and radar systems. Thanks to subsidies, the ES8 will be available from 57,500 euros. Nio will start delivering three models in 2022: the ET7, EL7 and ET5. ET stands for sedan and EL for SUV. The Nio EL7 is a mid-sized SUV with five seats and two electric motors (409 hp in the rear and 245 hp in the front). It accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds. The cheapest version has a range of 394 km and the Long Range edition has a 100 kWh battery, good for 513 km of range. The ET5 is a four-wheel drive compact sedan with a total of 480 hp, with which Nio competes with the Tesla Model 3. Nio offers a choice of nine colors for the exterior and six for the interior of the ET5. The basic model has a 75 kWh battery, but the official range according to the WLTP test is not yet available. There will also be an option for a 150 kWh battery.
The Onvo L60, an electric SUV from Nio, is a new brand. Onvo – which stands for OnVoyage and is called Ledao in China – is a brand with which Nio claims to focus primarily on ‘families’. The Onvo L60, like the Nio, has ET9 900V architecture and a particularly low drag coefficient of only 0.229 Cw. According to preliminary data, the Onvo L60 uses an average of only 12.1 kWh per 100 kilometers. There will be a variant with what Onvo calls an Ultra Long Range Battery, a package that should give the L60 an electric range of more than 1,000 kilometers. This is probably the 150 kWh battery that parent brand Nio also has on the shelves. There will also be versions with a range of 555 and 730 kilometers. Note: both the average consumption and the range figures have been determined according to the CLTC method. So they are not WLTP figures. Like Nio’s cars, the Onvo L60 should also benefit from battery swap technology. At 4.83 meters long, the Onvo L60 is about 8 centimeters longer than a Tesla Model Y. The wheelbase is 2.95 meters. Nio’s Firefly has a 41.2 kWh battery, which is good for a range of 300 kilometers. The power is 143 hp, with which you sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.3 seconds. Fast charging is possible with 100 kW. The interior is bare, but according to Firefly itself, the interior is premium, with premium materials and a premium “digital experience”. The Firefly can now be ordered from just under 30 grand (€29,900). Note: you then get a First Edition with 18 inch rims, seat and steering wheel heating and a reversing camera.
Nissan
The Nissian Sakura is a city car with a starting price of 16,500 euros and was developed together with Mitsubishi. It is the best-selling electric car in Japan and accounts for more than half of all electric cars sold in the country so far this year. Nissan Motor aims to sell around 1 million hybrid and fully electric vehicles annually by 2022 and has launched a new mid-range electric car in China. Nissan also wants to develop an affordable electric SUV together with Renault and the Chinese Dongfeng. A total of eight fully electric models are to be launched on the market over the next five years, including a model based on the IMx concept car. The Infiniti came on the market in 2021 and Nissan also wants to have the ProPILOT technology with driver assistance systems on 20 models in 20 countries in five years. Nissan wants to invest around 7 billion euros in the sale of electric cars in China over the next five years and become the largest supplier of electrically powered cars in the country. The investment should result in the release of twenty new electric models, including the Ariya. Nissan has partnerships with the Chinese Dongfeng and the French Renault for the Chinese market. In 2017, 1.5 million electric cars were already sold. Nissan wants to increase the limited range of 150 km and is now replacing the battery pack in the Leaf with a heavier version, which extends the range to 196.8 km. An advantage of the Leaf is the optional fast charger with which you can drive an additional 100 kilometers within half an hour. At the fast charger, the battery is 80 percent full in 20 minutes, at a public charging station (refueling takes 4 to 8 hours. 10,000 Nissan Leafs had to be returned for a software update after problems with the cruise control and short circuits were found. In total, Nissan had to recall almost 1.4 million cars worldwide due to technical defects. This mainly concerned the Note, Kicks, Serena and the Leaf. With a range of up to 536 km in the new Arrya, there is a choice between three types and two battery packs (Advance 63 or Engage 87 kWh) and two-wheel or four-wheel drive. Price range between 48,000 and 72,000 euros.
Connexxion tested 100 electric Nissan E-NV200 Evalias as taxis for AOV and student transport in Amsterdam for a one-year pilot in 2015. The Evalias were charged at Connexxion’s two business locations, each with 24 charging stations, including 4 fast chargers. The subsidized taxis were leased for one year and 35,000 kilometers. Nissan has competition from Hyundai Ionic, the BMW i3, Kia Soul, Opel Amera-E, Volkswagen E-Golf and the Renault ZOE. In addition, Hyundai introduced an electric version of the Kona, while Kia introduced an electric version of the Niro. The latest acquisition of Connexxion Taxi Services is the 100% electric Fiat Scudo/ Ulysse (75kwh) taxi. Nissan is urgently looking for a new shareholder, now that long-term partner Renault is reducing its stake in the ailing Japanese car manufacturer. They have twelve to fourteen months to survive. The alliance with Renault dates back to 1999, when the French carmaker saved Nissan from imminent bankruptcy. For a long time, Renault held around 43 percent of the Japanese company’s shares. That has now been reduced to just under 36 percent. Last year, Renault announced that it would eventually reduce that stake to 15 percent. Nissan wants a stable long-term shareholder such as a bank or insurer to take over part of Renault’s current shareholding. However, Nissan is struggling with declining car sales in important markets such as China and the United States. In addition, profits have plummeted due to rising costs. Nissan previously announced that it would cut 9,000 jobs worldwide, or around 7 percent of its workforce. Nissan is struggling with a crisis after a failed merger and a 6.4 percent share price drop in 2024 and will cut another 11,000 jobs worldwide. This brings the total job cuts to around 20,000, or 15 percent of its global workforce. Weak sales figures in the United States and China led to a sharp drop in net sales last year, and the situation for Nissan has only worsened since November. The company is struggling with, among other things, an outdated range. In April, the company warned that the net loss in the fiscal year ending in March could rise to 750 billion yen, the equivalent of more than 4.5 billion euros. According to the latest reports, the group also wants to reduce its production in the US. Nissan is also working on a more intensive collaboration with Honda in the field of electric vehicles and software technology. The company would also not rule out that Honda will buy some of Nissan’s shares. “All options” are said to be considered. The alliance with Renault has already come under severe pressure in recent years after the demise of former leader Carlos Ghosn. Ghosn was CEO of both Renault and Nissan and chairman of the alliance of the groups. In 2018, he was ousted as CEO and arrested in Japan for alleged financial misconduct at Nissan. At the end of 2019, he spectacularly escaped from Japan and fled to Lebanon via Turkey. Nissan is now in a deep crisis. Dealers are selling cars at a loss, production has slowed down and the company recently cut thousands of jobs and sold a third of its shares to Mitsubishi. However, experts fear that it is too late. A new report suggests that the car manufacturer’s days are numbered. In an interview with the Financial Times, two anonymous Nissan executives said the company had “12 to 14 months” to survive. According to the executives, this will be difficult. Falling sales in the US and Japan had Nissan already forced to cut more than 9,000 jobs, while at the same time reducing production by almost 20 percent. Nissan posted a loss of 9.3 billion yen, or about 60 million euros. A planned partnership with Honda also failed. Nissan is now trying to attract Tesla as a strategic investor. Tesla is said to have already expressed interest in acquiring Nissan factories in the United States. Those factories could help boost domestic production in response to Donald Trump’s plans to impose tariffs on the auto industry. Nissan expects its loss in the past fiscal year to have widened to between 700 billion and 750 billion yen (4.3 billion to 4.6 billion euros). That is much more than the Japanese carmaker previously expected and well below analysts’ expectations. Nissan has struggled in recent years with increased competition and an outdated range of cars, which has led to many being sold at discounts. Nissan previously said it expected a loss of 80 billion yen. In the fiscal year ending March, Nissan had to make large write-downs on factories in North America, Latin America, Europe and Japan. The costs associated with a major restructuring are also higher than previously estimated, the company said in its profit warning. In November, the carmaker announced it would cut 9,000 jobs. In order to remain competitive with fast-growing Chinese electric carmakers and Tesla, Nissan explored a merger with rival Honda, but those negotiations failed. It led to the departure of Makoto Uchida as CEO of Nissan. He previously warned that it would be difficult for Nissan to survive without a partnership with another major company and Toyota is said to be willing to do so. In the meantime, 20,000 jobs will be cut and seven factories will close – including two in Japan and one in Thailand. There will also be no new battery factory in Japan for the time being. The new Nissan Micra has been introduced as an electric version based on the Renault 5, and marks the sixth generation of the model. With an exclusive design developed in London, the car shares its platform, powertrain and interior with the R5, with only the bodywork making it the main difference. It will be one of four new electric models Nissan will launch by 2027, joining future versions of the Leaf, Juke and a compact car based on the new Twingo. Inside, the Micra looks almost identical to the Renault 5, with dual 10.1-inch screens, carryover controls and a Google-powered multimedia system. Dimensions are similar too, with limited rear space and a 326-litre boot.
Two powertrain options will be offered: one with a 40 kWh battery and a range of up to 309 km (191 miles), and another with 52 kWh and up to 405 km (251 miles) of range, both with fast charging from 15% to 80% in around 30 minutes. The Micra name evokes nostalgia for many drivers, as it was the first car for many in the past four decades. After a period of declining sales and the end of production in 2023, Nissan is now pushing ahead with an electrified repositioning, while retaining the simple and stylish essence that made the model popular.
The new Micra is expected to hit the market in late 2025, with prices starting at $30,800.
Opel
Pope Francis received an Electric Opel Ampera-e as a promotional stunt from Opel. The Ampera-e has a range of 520 km (according to NEDC) and that is 100 km more than that of other electric cars in its segment. The Ampera-e will cost from 34,000 euros in the Netherlands. Opel states that the Ampera-e range according to the WLTP test is 380 km but that they themselves were able to drive 417 km from London to Paris, after which there was still 80 km of range left. In 2024, every Opel must have an electric or hybrid version. In 2020, there are already four. The new Corsa will be fully electric. The new Opel Mokka-e is a fully electric compact SUV that distinguishes itself by its striking design, a large range and a low net additional tax for business drivers and will be available on the Dutch market from March. In 2024, Opel wants to have an electrified version of every model. This year, the counter will already be at nine models. The Opel Rocks-e is the cheapest electric car in the Netherlands, but it does not go faster than 45 kilometers per hour, which is of course more than enough in Amsterdam. The Opel Rocks-e is a 100% electric CityCar, which you can drive from the age of 16. According to Opel, the maximum range is 75 kilometers. In reality, the range will be slightly lower. The battery is 100% charged in 4 hours and 20 minutes. The most affordable version, called Electro, can be purchased for 8,699 euros or leased from 99 euros per month. The Opel Rocks-e Electric Tekno or Electric Klub, two models with slightly more options, can both be purchased for 9,499 euros and leased from 109 euros per month. A similar model for a similar price is the Citroën Ami, which was unveiled in 2020. It was initially even cheaper, but the option of a private lease for 20 euros per month is no longer available in the Netherlands.
Ora
The Chinese Ora has the Funky Cat that looks a bit like the Volkswagen Beetle and is a brand of China’s largest car manufacturer, Great Wall. Since 2018, it has had a joint venture with BMW for the development of electric cars, for which a huge factory has been built.
Peugeot
The new E-3008 a ‘Fastback SUV’ will be available in versions with three different electric powertrains, including a Long Range variant with a range of 700 kilometers. The SUV is built on the platform of parent company Stellantis, the STLA Medium. The wheelbase is 2.74 meters and the dimensions are similar to those of the previous 3008, as is the luggage space of 520 liters.
Polestar
Polestar was founded in 1996. In 2015, Volvo, then part of the Chinese Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, acquired Polestar. In order to further finance Polestar’s developments, the car brand was listed on the Nasdaq in 2022 via a stock exchange vehicle (SPAC). Polestar was separated from Volvo and entered the market as an independent brand with 900 million euros in bank support, with Geely as owner. The first model, the Polestar 1, was a hybrid coupé, based on the Volvo S90 with a range of 150 km. The Polestar was 48 percent owned by Volvo and 52% by the Geely group, the largest car manufacturer in China, where the factory in Chenzou is also located. The first car rolled off the production line in 2019. After the Polestar 1, the models Polestar 2 (35,000 euros) and Polestar 3 followed. Model 2 is a model that is comparable to the Tesla Model 3. The Polar 3 is an SUV. Volvo is reducing its stake in Polestar. The financing of Polestar weighs too heavily on Volvo’s business interests. Polestar immediately cut 450 jobs. That is 15% of its total workforce. ‘Thanks to cost control measures and higher margins and cash flow, Polestar has reduced the expected external financing requirement to approximately 1.3 billion dollars. Geely, Volvo’s Chinese parent company, will take over Volvo’s stake and provide further financing. Volvo will still guarantee the credit that expires in 2028. Polestar needs an additional $1 billion this year to survive as an independent brand. The stock market listing has not been successful, partly due to the negative sentiment on the stock exchange, after which Volvo, together with parent company Geely, had to bear a large part of the costs. Polestar’s share price has fallen by 62% in the past year. Since its IPO, the share has fallen by 83%. In addition, demand for electric cars is stagnating, partly due to the phasing out of subsidy schemes. Volvo will continue to collaborate with Polestar in the areas of research and development, aftersales and commercial activities. Polestar will publish its annual figures at the end of February 2024. In the first nine months of last year, Polestar sold almost 42,000 cars, an increase of 37% compared to the first nine months of 2022. In the Netherlands, far fewer Polestars were sold in 2023: 157 units compared to 554 in 2022. Polestar’s total turnover last year up to and including September 30 amounted to more than 1.8 billion dollars. This was offset by an equal amount in costs, consisting of R&D, operational and sales costs. Volvo and Geely also collaborate in the Lynk & Co joint venture. The annual loss, adjusted for taxes and other factors, amounted to almost 1.5 billion dollars. A year earlier, the company had already plunged some 1.3 billion dollars into the red. The annual figures should actually have been released in April,but Polestar was forced to postpone the publication of the annual report due to errors in the accounting. In the meantime, the company has reviewed the value of all its assets and the company is making a write-down of 450 million dollars on that basis.Due to disappointing demand for electric cars, Polestar made a net loss of 1.09 billion euros in 2023. A significant loss was also made in the second quarter of 2024. The Volvo spin-off from Geely had a turnover in the past period that was 17 percent lower at almost 575 million dollars. Polestar recorded a loss of 4.2 million dollars in the second quarter. Adjusted for taxes, there was an operating loss of more than 242 million dollars. This is admittedly slightly less loss than in the same period last year (when it was around 270 million dollars). The stock market value has fallen by more than 90 percent since the spin-off from Volvo Car two years ago. Polestar sold more than 13 thousand fewer cars and was forced to charge higher discounts to prevent sales from falling even further. In the Netherlands, 1,058 Polestars were registered up to and including July, almost ten percent less than in 2023. The company itself is still confident of a stronger second half of the year. Current CEO Thomas Ingenlath must leave and will be replaced by former Opel CEO Michael Lohscheller . The Polestar 7 must be produced in Europe. It will be a sister model of the Volvo EX30 and therefore also of the Zeekr X, Lynk & Co 02 and Smart #1. Polestar wants to use one platform architecture for all its models from the introduction of the 7. All new Polestars that appear from 2027 will therefore probably be based on a variant of the SEA platform. The Polestar 4 and the already announced Polestar 5 and 6 will also use SEA hardware. The Polestar 3 is based on SPA2 technology, the Polestar 2 is enthroned on the CMA platform. The Polestar 5 is set to go on sale in the second half of 2025. Polestar aims to sell 30-35 percent more cars annually through to 2027 than it did in the previous year. It’s a big ambition. The brand also wants to increase its European sales base from 70 to 130 units. The Polestar 2 strikes a balance between luxury and power, with a wealth of standard equipment and optional extras. The base 69kWh model starts at €45,000, and Polestar claims it’ll get you around 482km (300 miles) on a single charge. Despite having just one motor, it still produces 272bhp and 361lb ft (0-60km/h) in 6.2 seconds (0-60km/h) and goes on to a top speed of 127km/h (79mph). Used 2022 69kWh cars with around 10,000km (6,200 miles) will start at €35,000 (£32,000).
Porsche
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Dimensions : Length 4,963 mm, width 1,966 mm, height 1,390 mm, wheelbase 2,900 mm.
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Weight : 2,400 kg.
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Luggage space : 446 litres (Sport Turismo, not 2,400 litres, which is unrealistic ).
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Seats : 4.
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Performance : 560 kW (761 hp), 0-100 km/h in 2.8 seconds, top speed 260 km/h, max. torque 1,050 Nm.
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Battery and range :
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Standard (Performance Battery) : 93.4 kWh (83.7 kWh usable), range 335 km (winter, 22.9 kWh/100 km) to 445 km (summer, 18.8 kWh/100 km).
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Performance Battery Plus : 105 kWh, range up to 679 km, fast charging (320 kW) from 10-80% in 18 minutes.
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Handling : Thanks to a low center of gravity, all-wheel drive and excellent grip, the Taycan offers unparalleled precision and agility in corners, comparable to the Audi e-tron GT.
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Job cuts : 1,900 jobs will be lost by 2029 in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen and Weissach, in addition to 1,500 temporary contracts expiring . This concerns 15% of the 24,000 employees, through voluntary schemes and natural attrition, with a job guarantee until 2030.
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Production restriction : Maximum 250,000 cars per year due to geopolitical tensions, such as a looming trade war with the US.
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Leadership changes : The CFO and sales director are being replaced .
Proterra
Proterra is an independent unit of the Volvo Group. In the US, the electric bus manufacturer and battery manufacturer achieved a range of 415 kilometers with a prototype of an electric bus. The bus was equipped with eight batteries with 257 kilowatt hours during the test with the “Catalyst extended range” and reached an average speed of 50 kilometers per hour. A downside of the XL version is the longer charging time of 90 minutes to fully charge the batteries again. Proterra managed to raise 55 million dollars with an investment round, but later went bankrupt and was acquired by Volvo. Proterra, a company that develops battery systems in addition to buses, went bankrupt in October 2023. The bankruptcy filing came as a surprise to many. Proterra was launched in 2004 as a bus company for electric transport, raised millions from lenders such as Daimler and closed deals with numerous cities. (As of August 2023, the company had delivered more than 1,000 electric transit buses, including 199 new transit buses and 14 pre-owned buses in 2022.) In 2015, Proterra diversified its operations and decided to develop its own battery technology and powertrains. It eventually morphed into a three-unit company: battery systems called Powered, its Transit unit, and a charging infrastructure business called Energy. Software services rounded out the mix. The company’s battery systems business unit helped expand the company beyond buses to include delivery trucks, off-highway equipment used in construction and mining, and even Class 8 semi-trucks. Since then, it has installed more than 100 megawatts of heavy-duty EV charging infrastructure to support commercial fleets across North America. Things seemed to be going so well that in 2021, it went public through a merger with a special purpose acquisition company in a deal valued at $1.6 billion. Deals with transit agencies, which relied on federal and state funding, were slow to close and budgets were tight. Inflation rose in the meantime, further eroding margins. Contracts signed in 2021 were priced lower than what production costs ultimately realized in 2022. Supply chain constraints led to delays so severe that Proterra ultimately had to pay penalties to contract supplier TPI Composites. Proterra said in the filing that it was able to renegotiate the TPI contract to mitigate the penalties to some extent, but it still faced liabilities from its inability to accept agreed-upon minimums for bus bodies. Proterra and TPI also faced penalties for late delivery of buses to their customers. Proterra still plans to continue as a company.
Qbuzz
Rob van Holten and Leon Struijk envisioned a green bus company that puts the driver’s craftsmanship first and thus improves customer service. Together with the NS, they started Qbuzz in 2008. After a stormy start, Qbuzz grew in a few years into the Qbuzz of today. Qbuzz drivers in the Drechtsteden are suffering from the cold: the heaters in their electric buses do not work or hardly work. On 1 December 2019, Qbuzz BV received Step 1 on the Social Entrepreneurship Performance Ladder (PSO), a quality mark in the Netherlands that shows how much an organization contributes to a vulnerable labor market position. Some time ago, Qbuzz was again awarded the tender for receiving public bus transport in Groningen and Drenthe, which means that they can remain a concession holder in that region until the end of 2029. The bankruptcy of the Belgian bus manufacturer Van Hool has meant that diesel buses have to drive longer in part of South Holland. Transport company Qbuzz has found an alternative supplier in the Chinese Yutong, but the first plug-in buses from that company will not arrive until next year. Van Hool was supposed to supply 112 electric buses, which will take over public transport around Alphen aan den Rijn, Gouda, Leiden and Katwijk from Arriva at the end of this year. However, the company went bankrupt this spring and after the takeover by VDL, the production of public transport buses was stopped. Qbuzz is now looking for a solution for the electric fleet in China, at Yutong. Buses from that manufacturer are not yet in service in the Netherlands. According to the province of South Holland, electric buses from the Chinese manufacturer are already in use in Scandinavia and Great Britain, among other places. “We checked references there and they support the image that Yutong’s products are of good quality and function normally in the European climate,” the province said in a letter to the Provincial Council. However, the first fifty electric buses from China will not arrive until the first half of next year. If they meet expectations, another 62 buses will be ordered from Yutong. Until then, diesel buses will be in operation. Because, according to the province of South Holland – the concession granter – there is force majeure, Qbuzz will be given permission for this and no fines. The province imposes a condition on the alternative supplier that the buses supplied are equivalent in specification and quality to the product that Van Hool would supply. “Justice must be done to how the bus fleet was assessed in the Qbuzz tender: after all, this contributed to Qbuzz winning the tender,” writes the province. Qbuzz states that the Yutong buses are equivalent to the product that Van Hool would supply. “The province then called in independent equipment experts to assess whether this is indeed the case. Qbuzz needs a total of 252 new buses to provide public transport in this area, which covers eighteen municipalities.The order is divided between two suppliers. According to the province, the 140 buses that have been ordered from Iveco will arrive on time. At the moment, 90 percent of the buses in this public transport area run on diesel. The 23 electric buses that have been running in Leiden since 2019 will be included in the next concession. This is valid for thirteen years (2024-2037) and has a market value of 1 billion euros.
Quant
A pre-production model of the Quant F presented in Geneva in early March has a carbon fiber monocoque body and seats four people. The Quant F has 1,090 hp when accelerating, a range of 800 km and can charge as quickly as a gasoline car and has a self-developed two-speed automatic transmission suitable for high-speed driving. The range is 800 km and the top speed is 300 km per hour with permanent all-wheel drive that automatically switches to rear-wheel drive only at speeds of 80 km/h. Once crash testing is completed, the Quant F could go into production. In 2013, engineer La Vecchia founded the company nanoFlowcell AG. He wants to put externally charged positive and negative metal salt solution fluids in tanks and then feed them through a membrane to a fuel cell. The fluids do not mix but exchange protons through the membrane, causing a current (of electrons) to flow between the two sides of the cell. After frequent use, the tanks can be drained and refilled with fresh activated fluid. Future “Quant” cars can hold almost two hundred liters of fluid. La Vecchia wants to charge the active fluids extremely strongly by means of ‘nano-structures’ and ‘quantum chemistry’. In 2014, Quant presented the E-sportlimousine prototype and in 2015 the improved F-sportlimousine and a smaller Quantino model. The “Quants” have gullwing doors and an electric motor on each wheel, with the front electric motors being switchable. The F version can develop up to 735 volts with 250 liter tanks. The Quantino 2+2 has tanks of 175 liters, and four electric motors of 25 kW each and is less than four meters long. The Quant E is being tested on the road and could in principle be ready for production this year.
Renault
Renault has a new Scenic E-Tech that is fully electric. The model was chosen as Car of the Year 2024 from 28 candidates. The wheelbase has been increased: from 2,702 millimeters to 2,780 millimeters. This makes it ten centimeters longer than the electric Megane. The new Scenic has a choice of 19 or 20 inch wheels. 90 percent of the parts, such as the leather upholstery and the glass roof, are recyclable. This also applies to the battery. When the battery no longer reaches the level to provide the car with a range, it can be used in refrigeration units, machines and in airport logistics. There are two different electric motors for the new Scenic. One delivers 170 hp and 280 Nm, the other 220 hp and 300 Nm. The first engine provides a 0-100 time of 9.3 seconds. The top speed with this engine is 150 km/h. The version with the more powerful engine goes to 100 km/h in 8.4 seconds and stops accelerating at 170 km/h. The batteries are available in two options: 60 kWh for a range of 420 kilometers and 87 kWh for a range of 620 kilometers. Charging is possible up to 130 kW. The Zoe is Renault’s second electric family car. The first was the Fluence, which did not yet have a separate space for a battery pack, so they had to go in the trunk. The Zoe is smaller than the Fluence and costs from 20,990 euros excluding the battery pack. You have to rent this with it, including roadside assistance and a lifetime warranty. The range is 150 kilometers in practice. The Zoe does have a fast-charging option, but with a special type of plug, which means that not all fast-charging stations are suitable. A charge on the street charging station takes no more than 3 hours, provided that the charging station is equipped with the specialist technology of the Renault. In practice, you would otherwise be standing at the pole for 6 hours. Renault does not supply a cable to charge on a normal socket. Fast charging only takes an hour. These are available at the Renault dealers that sell Zoes. You are then dependent on opening hours. Renault also has an electric Twizy, the kangoo ZE (range 120 km) and the E4 available. Renault has announced with Nissan-Mitshubishi that it will introduce twelve new electric models in the next five years. This will make the group’s fleet thirty percent electric in one fell swoop. Renault-Nissan Mitshubishi sold more cars than any other manufacturer in the first half of 2017. The vast majority of the income has been invested in various new technologies in the field of driving. For example, the group is very interested in autonomous driving. It wants to launch so-called robotaxis on the market. This should become an autonomous service for passenger transport. The group also has to develop similar services for transport. The company is convinced that more and more countries will ban petrol and diesel. This can already be seen in England, France, Scotland, China, India and Mexico.The group wants to respond to this and thus develop a favorable competitive position. Renault is working with Valeo on a new generation of electric motors. The E7A engine should be more compact and economical and will be linked to an 800 volt on-board system. Series production should start at the end of 2027. The new electric Renault Twingo is expected in 2026 and will cost less than 20,000 euros excluding subsidies. You can then lease the Twingo for less than 100 euros per month. The R4 E-Tech 100% electric will make its debut at the Paris Motor Show on October 14. Renault and Citroën have announced plans for electric models under 20,000 euros, with releases planned for 2026 and 2025 respectively. Renault is not bringing subsidiary Ampere to the stock exchange due to the slowdown in growth with electric cars. A historically high operating profit of 4.3 billion euros was made and turnover increased by 7.4%. In 2024, Renault launched its electric R5 E-Tech and, despite declining EV demand in Germany, France and Italy, managed to get through 2024 without a profit warning. The Megane E-Tech offers a range of 450 km in the basic version with 60 kWh and 225 hp. Standard features include 130kW fast charging functionality, rear parking assistance, traffic sign recognition and a heated steering wheel. For a new one, you will be cheaper at €39,990, although used examples from 2023 with only 8,000 km can also be found for around €30,000. The new Trafic is the first van to have 800V technology. The new Renault Trafic was developed together with Volvo Trucks. Charging can be done in 15 minutes to 80% in less than 20 minutes. In terms of batteries, there is a choice between a Standard Range and a Long Range. The range is 350 and 450 km respectively. The Long Range has the largest range of all electric commercial vehicles. Only the ID. Buzz comes close, with a range of 425 km. Most other vans are around 300 km WLTP. The power is 150 kW, or 204 hp. The torque is 345 Nm. The Trafic is equipped with V2L technology. This means that you can connect electrical devices to your van.A historically high operating profit of €4.3 billion was made and sales increased by 7.4%. In 2024, Renault launched its electric R5 E-Tech and, despite the reduced EV demand in Germany, France and Italy, managed to get through 2024 without a profit warning. The Megane E-Tech offers a range of 450 km in the basic version with 60 kWh and 225 hp. Standard features include 130 kW fast charging functionality, rear parking assistance, traffic sign recognition and a heated steering wheel. For a new one, you will be cheaper at €39,990, although used examples from 2023 with only 8,000 km can also be found for around €30,000. The new Trafic is the first van to have 800V technology. The new Renault Trafic was developed together with Volvo Trucks. Charging can take 15 minutes to 80% in less than 20 minutes. In terms of batteries, there is a choice between a Standard Range and a Long Range. The range is 350 and 450 km respectively. The Long Range has the largest range of all electric commercial vehicles. Only the ID. Buzz comes close, with a range of 425 km. Most other vans are around 300 km WLTP. The power is 150 kW, or 204 hp. The torque is 345 Nm. The Trafic is equipped with V2L technology. This means that you can connect electrical devices to your van.A historically high operating profit of €4.3 billion was made and sales increased by 7.4%. In 2024, Renault launched its electric R5 E-Tech and, despite the reduced EV demand in Germany, France and Italy, managed to get through 2024 without a profit warning. The Megane E-Tech offers a range of 450 km in the basic version with 60 kWh and 225 hp. Standard features include 130 kW fast charging functionality, rear parking assistance, traffic sign recognition and a heated steering wheel. For a new one, you will be cheaper at €39,990, although used examples from 2023 with only 8,000 km can also be found for around €30,000. The new Trafic is the first van to have 800V technology. The new Renault Trafic was developed together with Volvo Trucks. Charging can take 15 minutes to 80% in less than 20 minutes. In terms of batteries, there is a choice between a Standard Range and a Long Range. The range is 350 and 450 km respectively. The Long Range has the largest range of all electric commercial vehicles. Only the ID. Buzz comes close, with a range of 425 km. Most other vans are around 300 km WLTP. The power is 150 kW, or 204 hp. The torque is 345 Nm. The Trafic is equipped with V2L technology. This means that you can connect electrical devices to your van.
Rivian
Amazon currently uses around three thousand electric vans for deliveries, including in the Netherlands. Amazon previously ordered 100,000 electric vans from electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian, of which Amazon has an 18 percent stake. The company also wants to buy more than 1,500 electric trucks for use in Europe in the coming years. It has not yet been announced which company will supply the electric trucks. Amazon will also invest in infrastructure for electric driving, by installing thousands of charging points in Europe. It will also build hundreds of special fast chargers, with which the electric trucks should be able to charge in 2 hours.
Amazon also wants to invest in ‘micro mobility centers’ in European cities. The intention is to double the number of these small distribution centers. Amazon now has such centers in more than twenty cities. From these locations, orders can be delivered by electric bicycles or by delivery people on foot. According to the company, the centers ensure that fewer vans have to be on the road, ‘which reduces traffic congestion in city centers and improves air quality’. Amazon aims to be climate neutral by 2040. The American Rivian of Jeff Beos wants to focus on both private and business markets. Amazon has already bought thousands of electric vans from Rivian. This should be expanded to a fleet of 100,000 by 2030. But Amazon also owns about 20 percent of Rivian’s shares. The American manufacturer of electric pick-ups and SUVs increased the prices of future models by up to 20% at the beginning of March 2022. The electric pickup truck, the R1T, saw a 17 percent price increase, while the R1S SUV saw a 20 percent price increase. The increase is due to soaring inflation, higher raw material prices and a chip shortage. So far, only about 1,000 vehicles have been delivered. Prices for orders already placed were also set to increase, except for customers who are in the final stages of the checkout process, which led to cancellations. Rivian buyers can opt for a ‘standard battery’ with a range that is about 90 kilometers shorter than the originally promised variant, now called the ‘large pack’, but can now also opt for a configuration with two electric motors instead of four. As a result, buyers now have to pay about the same for a Rivian with two electric motors and a smaller battery as they would originally pay for a car with four electric motors and more range. Many buyers were also put off by this. The company’s IPO in late 2021 was the sixth-largest ever in the US. Rivian has abandoned plans with carmaker Mercedes-Benz to jointly produce electric vans in Europe. Rivian’s decision comes three months after the two automakers reached an agreement to share costs and scale up production.
Self
In addition to Gianan smart cars, Green World Mobility BV also sells the Selvo, of which several models are available. The special cargo versions can be customized. Green World Mobility has the most common parts in stock. In the event of malfunctions, we read the car with extremely advanced diagnostic equipment.
Seres
In China, Seres is in the top five of the more expensive brands. The smallest model, the Seres 3, is anything but premium, but costs only 33,990 euros. The Seres 3 was also the type with which the brand came to the Netherlands in 2021. The car can charge 3-phase. In addition, it has 163 hp and goes from 0 to 100 in 8.9 seconds. It should travel 331 km on one charge. The Seres 5 and 7 are a lot more worth buying and larger. The Seres 5 is a fully electric SUV that you can also order with a range extender. You can buy this with 300 hp and a range of 500 kilometers for around 50,000 euros. Then there is a version with 586 hp and a 0-100 time of 3.7 seconds. You can recognize the version with the range extender by the grille. This one has a range of 1,000 kilometers thanks to a 1.5-liter petrol engine and a 40-kWh battery. The Seres 5 looks a lot more premium on the inside than the Seres 3. For around 55,000 euros you can buy the Seres 7. This is the flagship of the brand and it gets the same range extender. This SUV is available with seven seats and it looks very decent on the inside. It is a lot cheaper than, for example, a Nio EL7, which costs 75,000 euros.
Skoda
The electric Skoda Enyaq iV is one of the most successful electric cars in the Netherlands and the Czech car brand announces an upgrade for the Enyaq iV models with a 77 kWh battery pack. These models are also called the ’80’. The Skoda Enyaq iV is built on the MEB platform of the Volkswagen Group. This MEB platform is currently getting a number of upgrades. It gets a new electric motor for the rear axle, which is more powerful and more efficient. A different battery chemistry for the 77 kWh battery pack, which gives it a higher DC charging speed
Improvements to the MEB architecture include the new electric motor with a capacity of 210 kW, a lot more than the 150 kW that the Skoda Enyaq iV is currently equipped with. The RS version of the Skoda Enyaq iV now even has a capacity of 250 kW. In addition to the higher capacity, the engine is also more efficient, which means that the range has increased considerably. It is now a maximum of 565 kilometers. The Enyaq iV 60 models with the smaller 58 kWh battery pack retain their range of approximately 400 kilometers. The improvements only concern models with the 77 kWh battery because it has been given a new battery chemistry. The capacity is unchanged, but it can be charged faster. In addition, the battery now also has a pre-heating function. This allows the battery to be charged at the optimal temperature before charging starts.
Smart
The Smart #1 Pro is a city car with the battery pack of the new Electric Drive with 17.6 kWh. The Smart #1 Pro costs € 37,395. The car has a smaller LFP battery of 49 kWh. with a range of up to 310 kilometers and a DC charging speed of 130 kW so that it is charged to 80 percent SoC within half an hour when driving longer distances. The AC charging of the Smart #1 Pro goes as usual at a speed of 11 kW. The Smart #1 Pro has a peak power of 200 kW (272 hp).
SsangYong
The Chinese SsangYong has the electric Torres EVX. The KGM Torres EVX is the first result of the collaboration between KGM and BYD. The brand supplies a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery and KGM does the rest. The same type of battery with 60.5 kWh is in the BYD Atto 3. The battery capacity of the KGM is slightly larger with 73.4 kWh. With that you can go 462 kilometers. The price of the KGM Torres EVX starts at 41,250 euros and with subsidy you will spend 38,300 euros. The more luxurious Platinum version costs 45,550 euros, for which you will just not receive a subsidy. This version has some extras in the cabin such as luxury front seats and a heated steering wheel. The top version, the Titanium, costs at least 49,550 euros. This one has 20-inch wheels instead of 18-inch and when parking a 360-degree camera films the surroundings. The KGM gets a seven-year warranty in the Netherlands and a ten-year or 1,000,000-kilometer warranty on the BYD battery.
Stellantis
Stellantis NV (NYSE: STLA / Euronext Milan: STLAM / Euronext Paris: STLAP) is one of the world’s leading automotive manufacturers and mobility providers. Our legendary and iconic brands embody the passion of our visionary founders and today’s customers in our innovative products and services, including Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Citroën, Dodge, DS Automobiles, Fiat, Jeep®, Lancia, Maserati, Opel, Peugeot, Ram, Vauxhall, Free2move and Leasys. Strengthened by our diversity, we are leading the way the world moves – with the ambition to become the largest sustainable mobility technology company. Stellantis will collaborate with Catl and use Chinese LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) batteries in their vehicles. With its longer lifespan and high thermal stability, LFP technology will enable Stellantis to offer high-quality, sustainable and affordable electric vehicles in passenger cars, crossovers and SUVs in the B and C segments. Stellantis NV (NYSE:STLA) has followed suit with German automakers in announcing a revision to its financial guidance, cutting its adjusted profit margin for the year to between 5.5% and 7.0%. Stellantis, which was formed through the merger of Fiat Chrysler (NYSE: STLA ) and PSA Group and is a manufacturer of Fiat, Chrysler and Peugeot, among others, is stepping down as CEO Carlos Tavares, effective immediately. A successor will be named in the first half of 2025. The company’s board of directors, chaired by John Elkann, has accepted Carlos Tavares’ resignation. According to board member Henri de Castries, the decision is the result of “differences in viewpoints” between the board and the CEO. Tavares, one of the most respected executives in the auto industry, came under fire after Stellantis issued a profit warning for its 2024 results. The company soon announced that Tavares would not seek another term as CEO and would retire at the end of his current term in early 2026. Tavares, who has described the current challenges facing the auto industry as a “Darwinian period,” has led Stellantis since its founding in early 2021, when Fiat Chrysler merged with Peugeot owner PSA. His outspoken style has often landed him in conflict with, among others, U.S. labor unions and the Italian government.
Suzuki
Suzuki’s latest electric concept car is the eWX, measuring 3.40 meters long, 1.48 meters wide and 1.62 meters tall. The eWX is an ultra-compact car with a range of 230 kilometers and will remain in Japan.
Tesla
Elon Musk ’s Tesla stopped selling Model S and Model X models after a subsidy scheme in Hong Kong was discontinued. Sales plummeted in April and May 2023 after measures to boost electric car sales were halted. In November 2017, Tesla released a prototype of the Tesla Semi truck that could go into production in 2019 and would have a range of 800 kilometers at maximum load. Charging could be done in thirty minutes for a distance of over 600 kilometers. The truck will have a semi-autonomous driving system, whereby the truck automatically stays in its lane and can change lanes. The truck can accelerate to 100 kilometers in 5 seconds and the drive can last 1.5 million kilometers. The parent company of Pepsi, Lay’s and Lipton has already ordered 100 of the Semi. Retail chain Wal-Mart and food distributor Sysco also ordered the Semi. Pepsi received the first copy in December 2023.
In 2024, all Cybertrucks were recalled due to problems with the accelerator pedal. MisterGreen and NLE decided to form a purchasing combination to reserve the Tesla Model 3. The figures for the 1st quarter of 2024 were downright bad and in terms of sales even one of the worst quarters in years. Some 387,000 cars were delivered and 433,000 rolled off the production line. In the same quarter a year earlier, there were 422,000 and 440,000 respectively. The quarterly turnover fell by 2 million dollars to 21.3 billion dollars. Net profit more than halved to 1.1 billion dollars. At Tesla, global sales fell by more than 20% in the first quarter of 2024 and 10% of the staff is being laid off. At the Chinese Byd, things didn’t go much better. In the first quarter of 2024, they sold just 300,114 BEVs, compared to the 525,409 they sold in the last three months of last year. Tesla shares are down 29% so far this year, while BYD shares are down almost 6%. The price of used electric cars is falling rapidly, as leasing companies scramble to find buyers for a growing number of company cars whose contracts are expiring. Finally, Tesla is also in a slump, having sold fewer than 387,000 cars in the first quarter of 2024, significantly lower than in the first quarter of last year. In May 2024, Tesla sold 10,582 units of the Model Y in Europe, a whopping 49% lower than in the same month in 2023. So their popularity has waned considerably. In 2024, the Model Y was still the fearless number one of the European sales charts, but this year things don’t look good so far.Tesla has been working on the ‘Redwood’ project for a few years now, which should result in the Model Q. The Q will be 13 feet long, 28 inches shorter than the Model 3, which is good for 300 miles, and will still have a standard 15-inch touchscreen, but if you want the Enhanced Autopilot feature, which allows you to navigate on autopilot, change lanes automatically, and summon and call smartly, you’ll have to pay a little extra. Prices start at around $45,000, while used cars with less than 12,000 miles can be had for around $35,000. Buyers will have a choice of a 53- or 75-kilowatt battery. Because the car is smaller, it is 30 percent lighter and has a (not known) greater range. Investors were promised 310 miles on a full charge, but it’s unclear for which variant. In America, a price of around $25,000 is expected. But Tesla’s Travis Axelrod said that’s the bottom price. At the start, it is still assumed that 30,000 dollars will be built. The Q would be built in China. It is not clear whether this will continue now that the trade war between America, Europe and China is imposing increasingly higher import duties. Tesla saw the number of registrations in Europe fall by 33 percent and is left with an unsaleable stock of 50,000 cars. In the first quarter of 2024, 433,371 cars were produced, but only 386,810 of them were sold. The cars were stored in packaging at various locations. Although there are also many Tesla Model 3s that are for sale for around 16,000 euros, although the odometer of these is also quite high and they do not pass the MOT . The Model 3 of that year also had to comply with this last year and in no less than a quarter of the cases (23%) this resulted in a failure. The problems occur particularly when it comes to brakes, steering, lighting and suspension/damping. The Model 3 has recently undergone a mid-life update, with the new version receiving a refreshed front, a revised interior and a slimmed-down model line. The Long Range with dual motor remains the cream of the crop and now offers a range of up to 678 km for 55,000 euros. On the new car market, it can be seen that Tesla is doing quite badly. Earlier this month, sales figures were released showing that sales of new Teslas have collapsed throughout Europe. For example, sales in the United Kingdom collapsed by 18.2 percent in January compared to a year earlier, in France by 63 percent and in the Netherlands by more than 42 percent. Spain takes the crown. There, sales collapsed by no less than 75 percent. Tesla dropped to 11th place. Tesla sales plummeted by 49 percent to 7,165 units.
TOGG
In addition to an SUV, the Turkish car brand TOGG also has an electric sedan and a so-called four-door coupé version of that model. These models are at the top of the C-segment and are approximately the size of the SKODA Octavia. At least two more TOGG models are to be added by 2030. TOGG wants to build 1 million electric cars in the next eight years. Exact technical data are not yet known, but the TOGG will probably get a 150 kW (204 hp) electric motor and will be able to travel a maximum of 500 kilometers on a battery landing. The battery pack is one from Siro, a partnership between TOGG and the Chinese Farasis Energy. That company is a partner of Mercedes-Benz. Construction of a battery factory on the site of the car factory will start soon. Togg wants to enter the European Union this year, starting in Germany. Previously, the car company was aiming for 2025, but that has now been brought forward to the third quarter of 2024. Togg, (Türkiye’nin Otomobili Girişim Grubu) was founded in 2018 by five large Turkish companies with the support of the government in Ankara to provide Turkey with its own independent car manufacturer. In 2019, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan unveiled the first model. In 2022, the company opened a factory in Gebze (a suburb of Istanbul) with a capacity of 175,000 cars per year. The first model, the battery-electric SUV T10X, was then launched in Turkey in March last year. Togg is now among the top 10 best-selling brands on the Turkish domestic market. The T10X is due to be launched in Germany later this year. In Turkey, the Togg costs around 40,000 euros. The group has many start-up problems with production.
Toyota
Toyota offers the Toyota BZ4x1 , the Proace Electric, the Toyota proace verso electric and the Proace city. The bZ4x looks unfinished with its plastic panels, but it does have a range of 511 km. Buyers can choose from three trim levels: Pure, Motion and Vision, all front-wheel drive and all equipped with a 209 hp electric motor. Prices start at €42,990 for a new car, but if you don’t mind a used 2022 with under 10,000 km, you can pick one up for as little as €35,000. The latest electric Toyota Hi Lux is currently only available as a concept version, but it is a 5-metre long pickup that can be admired at the EPU in Tokyo. The new Mirai pushes the boundaries of hydrogen power. The new hydrogen-powered Mirai goes further than its predecessor, with a 30% longer range. Toyota is teaming up with Portuguese bus manufacturer CaetanoBus on zero-emission city buses. The Louwman Group is the first national distributor in Europe of the electric e.City Gold and the hydrogen bus H2.Ciry Gold. The co-branding partnership between Toyota and CaetanoBus applies to the battery-electric city bus e.City Gold and the hydrogen-electric fuel cell city bus H2.City Gold. In the US, hydrogen is not getting off the ground. InsideEVs posted an article describing how Toyota’s hydrogen future is ‘crumbling’. The cause is the disappearance of hydrogen filling stations and alleged false promises from salespeople. The number of hydrogen filling stations in the state of California is shrinking, the residual value of hydrogen cars is plummeting and the filling stations that do exist apparently regularly do not work. Sometimes the supply of hydrogen runs out or because the stuff has to be tapped cold, the filler nozzle is frozen. Owners have to drive a long way for a filling station only to find that they cannot refuel. So in the US, refueling is suddenly the biggest argument against the hydrogen car. And that is why there are now apparently lawsuits against Toyota over the Mirai. According to lawyer Jason Ingber, salespeople at Toyota dealers make false promises about user-friendliness, which means that people are suddenly stuck with a car that is of little use to them. The range is also said to be disappointing in reality. Toyota will join Lexus, Rolls-Royce, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Jaguar, Land Rover, Nissan Rivian, Volvo Polestar and BMW in switching to Tesla Charging Connectors (NACS) by 2025. Lexus has introduced a package of upgrades for the UX 300e, the compact luxury crossover launched two years ago as Lexus’s first all-electric model. In the most significant development, a new battery system increases the range by more than 40% to 450km – enough to travel from Brussels to Frankfurt or Nice to Florence in a single trip. Meanwhile, detailed revisions to the body and chassis enhance the superior driving experience and refinement that have become hallmarks of the Lexus UX family. The UX 300e also gains a new and improved multimedia system, one of the top priorities for premium car buyers; a more comprehensive advanced safety system; and is now offered with a wider choice of trim details and an additional exterior colour.
The first production model launched under Lexus’ electrification strategy, the UX 300e, has attracted more than 10,000 buyers globally since its launch in 2020, almost half of which are in Europe. Toyota Motor Corporation plans to invest an additional $8 billion and create around 3,000 jobs at its electric vehicle battery plant in North Carolina, with the aim of offering electrified options for all of its models. By 2025, Toyota’s total investment in the North Carolina plant will reach a whopping $13.9 billion. The expansion will also increase the total number of employees at the plant to more than 5,000. The North Carolina facility, which will be operational in 2025, represents Toyota’s first automotive battery plant globally. Equipped with six battery production lines, the plant will support the production of hybrid vehicles such as the popular Prius, as well as battery-electric vehicles. Toyota has placed a $1.5 billion order with LG Energy Solution to support its battery plant in Lansing, Michigan. The battery order follows the departure of General Motors, which recently sold its $1 billion stake in the plant, leaving LG scrambling to find new customers. Five new electric models will be launched on the European market by the end of 2026. These include three SUV models by the end of 2025: the compact Urban Cruiser, an electric version of the mid-size CH-R+ and an updated version of the bZ4X, Toyota’s first electric model. Three other electric vehicles will follow by the end of 2026. Lexus, the group’s premium brand, will launch three electric cars in 2025, including a new version of the RZ SUV.
Tribe
Tribus wants to launch electric Fiat Ducato taxi buses this year with the help of a young tech company in Hamburg, Germany, called Emovum. Emovum has been working on electrifying vehicles for three years.
VDL see DAF
In 2017, VDL launched an electric city distribution truck under its own name. VDL already supplied electric buses. Subsidiary Enabling Transport Solutions (ETS) is developing the driveline with electric motor and batteries itself, for which its own assembly line is being set up. Other components are purchased from DAF. Production was done in the VDL Bus Chassis factory in Eindhoven. The company went bankrupt in 2024
Vinfast
Vietnamese VinFast makes and sells electric SUVs and opened a showroom in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague. VinFast had big plans worldwide but intends to close the showrooms in the Netherlands again. In 2024, 35 cars were sold, of which 5 were delivered in 2025. Vinfast closed its doors in Amsterdam first and it seems that the two remaining showrooms in our country will also be closed. May 9, 2025 was announced as the closing date for the Vinfast Showrooms in Europe. Well, no. Vinfast is not stopping shipping cars to Europe. They are only stopping direct sales. Instead of opening stores themselves and selling directly to customers, they want to work with dealers. You can still buy a Vinfast in our country, but then from a dealer. In California, all of their own stores have already been closed and they have switched to the dealer concept. According to VinFast, it was wise to open multiple head offices. VinFast launched the VF8 and VF9, two electric SUVs: the VF8 is available (excluding battery rental) from €46,450 and the 383 hp version with a WLTP range of 420 km. The VF9 is available from €63,250 with 408 hp and a range of 438 km. Battery rental costs €120 per month for the VF8 (at least 82 kWh), for the VF9 (at least 92 kWh). In total, this costs another €150 per month. The VF8 EVs are shipped from VinFast’s factory in northern Vietnam. Currently, the largest overseas market is the United States, where VinFast previously shipped around 2,100 VF8 EVs and started delivering the larger VF9 SUV by the end of 2023. In the first half of 2023, VinFast delivered 11,315 electric vehicles, the majority of which were in Vietnam.
Volkswagen/Traton/Scania
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ID.3 : A compact hatchback, built in Zwickau, Dresden and Wolfsburg. Available batteries:
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58 kWh : 426 km range, from €36,900.
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77 kWh (Pro S) : 558 km range, second-hand (2022, 65,000 km) from €25,000.
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ID.4 : A spacious SUV, range up to 520 km. Orders dropped from 75,000 (2022) to 20,000 (2023) due to a shortage of electric motors from Kassel.
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ID.5 : A sporty SUV coupé, range up to 520 km.
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ID.7 Pro Business and ID.7 Tourer : With 77 kWh (605 km range) or 86 kWh (685 km) battery, fast charging up to 175 kW. The Tourer offers 605-1,714 litres of luggage space.
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ID.Buzz : A retro-inspired electric bus, range up to 472 km, fast charging up to 200 kW, luggage space of 1,211 litres (up to 16 suitcases). Ideal for five to seven passengers.
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ID.Every1 (future) : An affordable EV starting at €20,000, with 250 km range, aimed at competing with Dacia, Renault and Chinese brands. Expected launch in 2027.
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ID.2 (future) : A compact hatchback on the MEB Entry platform, starting at around €25,000, expected in 2025.
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Skoda Epiq and VW equivalent : Compact electric crossovers, produced in Pamplona, Spain, on the MEB Entry platform.
Volta Trucks
Bankrupt Volta Trucks has made a fresh start with the help of investment fund Luxor Capital. All British ‘business and assets’ have been acquired. The former Volta Trucks will now continue as Volta Commercial Vehicles Limited. Volta Trucks went bankrupt because battery supplier Proterra previously went bankrupt. The Volvo Group took over the activities of Proterra Inc. and Proterra Operating Company after it was previously declared bankrupt. Volvo became the new owner for 196 million euros. The transaction between Proterra Inc. and Proterra Operating Company as sellers and Volvo is still subject to approval by the bankruptcy court in the US. In addition, the closing of the transaction, which is expected in early 2024, is subject to approval of the merger and certain other conditions. The assets to be acquired include a development center for battery modules and packs in California and an assembly plant in South Carolina. With this acquisition, Volvo Group will, according to the company, complement and accelerate its current, and future, battery electric roadmap. Logically, it could mean a lot for Volvo’s future with electric trucks in the United States. The former Volta Trucks now continues as Volta Commercial Vehicles Limited. In April 2024, Kendrion also decided to stop all automotive activities. The entire division was sold for a relatively low amount of 65 million euros to the American Solero.
Volvo
Volvo has announced a plan to cut around 3,000 employees, mainly in Sweden but also in other regions where the company operates.
The layoffs correspond to 15% of the carmaker’s global workforce and are part of a reorganization to save around USD 1.8 billion. The workforce reductions follow a decline in demand for electric vehicles, a segment that Volvo had pledged to fully focus on by 2030. Volvo Chairman Håkan Samuelsson stressed that the car industry is facing significant challenges in its external environment, which requires measures to improve cash flow and reduce structural costs. The company’s restructuring is expected to cost $150 million, with the financial impact visible in the second quarter of 2025 and running through 2026. Also in the way is a bill in the United States, passed by the Republican-dominated House of Representatives, that would eliminate key subsidies for electric vehicles, such as purchase and production tax credits, incentives for installing charging stations and incentives for mining and battery production. The proposal also includes an annual levy on electric vehicle owners, which would be a major setback for the industry if signed by President Donald Trump.
Volvo is accelerating its transition to fully electric vehicles with the new Volvo ES90 flagship and a growing range of EVs . The brand aims to offer only electric models by 2030 .
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Drive options :
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Single Motor (rear-wheel drive) : 333 hp, 88 kWh battery, 650 km range, 0-100 km/h in 6.9 seconds.
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Twin Motor (four-wheel drive) : 449 hp, 102 kWh battery, 700 km range, 0-100 km/h in 5.5 seconds.
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Twin Motor Performance : 680 hp, 102 kWh battery, 700 km range, 0-100 km/h in 4 seconds.
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Charging technology : For the first time, Volvo uses an 800-volt architecture, with a maximum charging speed of 350 kW, good for 300 km of range in 10 minutes.
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Lidar Scanner : A conspicuous, non – functional Lidar scanner on the roof for future autonomous functions.
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Prices :
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Core and Plus (rear-wheel drive): from €70,000, the same as the Audi A6 e-tron.
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Ultra (four-wheel drive): from €80,995, including active air suspension, ventilated seats and a dimmable panoramic roof.
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Plus Twin Motor Performance : €91,495, with options such as extra tinted glass and Chrome Pack.
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Availability : Expected delivery end of 2025.
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EX90 : A premium SUV with seven seats and a range of up to 590 km.
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EX30 : A compact SUV, named Car of the Year by The Sun and Small SUV/Crossover of the Year (News UK Motor Awards ). Up to 280 miles range , 50 % faster charging time and new safety systems. A software fault (screen switches to test mode) led to a recall of 72,000 EX30s.
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C40 Recharge : A fully electric premium SUV.
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XC40 Recharge : A compact SUV with electric drive.
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FL and FE Electric : Renewed medium-duty electric trucks for urban distribution, with a refreshed design and enhanced features.
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Electrification : Volvo received a €420 million loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB) for software development, lighter vehicles and resource-efficient production methods. The total transition will cost €924 million, partly financed through bonds.
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Production relocation : EX30 production is moving from China to Ghent, Belgium, to avoid European import tariffs . Volvo is hiring 350 skilled technical workers for the project .
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Energy Solutions : Volvo is investigating applications such as vehicles as home batteries.
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Electric vans : Renault Group, Volvo Group and CMA CGM form a joint venture for a new generation of electric vans on a Software Defined Vehicle platform. Both groups invest €300 million over three years, CMA CGM adds € 120 million via PULSE for carbon-free logistics.
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Lynk & Co : Volvo is selling its 30% stake in Lynk & Co to Zeekr (both Geely brands) for over €700 million. Zeekr will get 51% of Lynk & Co, Geely Auto will retain 49%. This reflects Lynk & Co’s new development phase.
Xiaomi
Smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi now also has an electric SU7 sedan car in the expensive segment and plans to become one of the world’s top 5 electric car manufacturers. Their cars should be comparable to Porsche and Tesla. The SU-7 comes in two versions. The “cheaper” version has a range of 668 km and the more expensive 800 km. For comparison, the range of the Tesla Model S is 650 km. The cars are produced by the BAIC Group. Xiaomi wants to invest 10 billion dollars in the project in the coming decades and have 200,000 cars produced annually. Xiaomi’s biggest competitor is BYD. The founder Lei Juni asks potential customers of the SU7 to also look at other brands. “If you are really in a hurry to buy a car, other domestic new electric cars are all good, such as the Luxeed S7, Nio ET5, Xpeng P7. The phone brand has the cars made by the state-owned company BAIC. The entry-level model gets one electric motor that produces 300 hp. Then there are the Pro and the Max with two motors that produce 674 hp. The Pro has a top speed of 210 km/h, the Max goes up to 265 km/h. In addition to the versions, you can also choose from two battery packs. One comes from BYD and the other from CATL. No prices have been announced yet for the SU7. At the beginning of this year, (local) prices between 30,000 and 50,000 euros were circulating on the internet. Because 1,548 hp is too much power, they had reduced the power over-the-air to 948 hp for the SU7 Ultra. If you still want the full power as a customer, you must first prove that you are ready for it after the purchase. You must do a lap on a selected circuit to qualify for the full 1,548 hp. Not surprisingly, this resulted in a storm of criticism from customers. At the same time, the launch control has also been limited with the update. After complaints from customers, they rolled back the update.
Xpeng
Xpeng Motors is a Chinese manufacturer of electric cars. The company was founded in 2014 and its headquarters are located in Guangzhou. After the P5 and the P7, there is now the Xpeng G9 All Wheel Drive Performance and it costs 73,188 euros as standard, including a 93 kWh battery with a range of approximately 460 km (520 km WLTP). It is striking that an 800 Volt architecture is used. This means that you can charge with 300 kW. The SUV has seat heating, cooling and massage for all four seats, huge screens, navigation, adaptive cruise control, a glass panoramic roof, a power outlet, leather upholstery, streaming of audio and video. Additional available options are nappa leather seats and a Dynaudio system, electrically foldable tow bar and more expensive paint. The SUV goes to 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds thanks to 550 hp and 717 Nm of torque. You can tow 1,500 kilos with it. The G9 AWD Performance uses a dual-chamber air suspension system for more comfort. In the lowered position, the system can even extend the driving range of the G9. The 3D multimedia system projects the real world onto the central touchscreen of the G9 and provides direct feedback for the best driving experience. The G9 uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chipset to power the Xmart OS on the digital dashboard and on the central touchscreen that consists of two large 15-inch screens. The slimmed-down standard version costs 57,990.00
Seaweed
ZE= Zero, the starting point for infinite possibilities, E= Evolving the Electric Era, KR= Krypton, a rare fuel that generates light through electrification. ZEEKR will open a showroom at Rokin 164 in Amsterdam in December 2023. The city already houses the ZEEKR Europe headquarters and the new retail space proudly strengthens the brand’s presence in the Dutch capital. The luxury showroom is located in the former Vroom & Dreesman building. Visitors can configure and order their vehicles on 4k touch screens and product experts will be on hand to demonstrate the vehicles’ in-vehicle technologies, such as augmented reality head-up displays, 5G connectivity and AI voice assistants. ZEEKR’s one-stop-shop offering provides customers with everything from financing, insurance, installation of a home wallbox2 and public charging solutions to vehicle maintenance and extended warranties. The store is also designed as a relaxing, exclusive space for customers, where they can spend time in a dedicated lounge, order craft coffee via a ZEEKR app and browse collections of ZEEKR merchandise and co-branded goods. The first ZEEKR vehicles destined for customers in the Netherlands and Sweden will be delivered before the end of December, with Germany next early next year. ZEEKR will expand its presence to most countries in Western Europe by 2026. Prices start from €59,490.00. Volvo is almost completely pulling its hands of the brand. Volvo is selling its 30 percent stake in Lynk & Co to Zeekr. Zeekr is also a brand owned by Geely Holding. The Zeekr 7X outperforms the minimalist Tesla Model Y in terms of interior design and finish. The use of materials (textile with artificial leather or nappa leather) is good and the build quality feels solid. The electrically adjustable seats are heated and ventilated, and those who select the Comfort Pack in the top version also get massage seats and electric front and rear doors.