Long waiting times, delayed energy projects and grid congestion
The waiting time for new or heavier power connections in the Netherlands has increased to more than 20,000 applicants. Grid operator Liander reports that, for example, fifty new-build homes in Wognum will not be able to get a power connection for the time being due to a shortage of capacity on the electricity grid. Projects in Noord-Brabant are also experiencing significant delays. The growing shortage of grid capacity is slowing down housing construction, business activities and energy transition.
As many as 200,000 homes could be left without power in the future due to grid overload. Grid operators fear that peak power consumption will increase so quickly that the grid in the so-called FGU region (Flevopolder, Gelderland and Utrecht) will simply not be able to cope at times.
In April, Tennet announced that several projects in North Brabant and Limburg would also take longer than planned. The expansion of the high-voltage grid in the provinces of Gelderland, Utrecht and the Flevopolder has now come to a complete standstill. As a result, large energy consumers such as shops, companies, supermarkets and schools will have to wait years longer for a new or heavier connection.
The expansion was originally planned for 2029, but grid operator Tennet is now assuming 2033. If there are more setbacks, this could even be 2035. The placement of a high-voltage substation in Utrecht-Noord does not seem to be possible. At present, the high-voltage grid in the provinces of Utrecht, Gelderland and Flevoland is still one whole. Due to the increased demand for electricity, Tennet wants to divide it into four parts. This is only possible once a new high-voltage substation has been placed in Utrecht-Noord.
Tennet has been trying to find a suitable location for this station for some time, but is running into several problems. For example, Utrecht is a densely populated province, and some residents are starting objection procedures against the placement of such a high-voltage station. There is great pressure on the electricity grid, and in many places the electricity grid has to double, sometimes even triple.
The delay means that large consumers in particular will have to wait longer, but residents may also feel the consequences indirectly. For example, because they will have to wait longer for a new supermarket. Producers of wind and solar power will also have to wait longer for a connection in the provinces. Barracks and military projects will probably suffer less because of a special new law that does make things possible for this.
Around The Hague and Rotterdam, the development of sustainable electricity via solar and wind is coming to a standstill. The 21 municipalities affiliated with the Rotterdam The Hague Energy Region had agreed to generate between 2.8 and 3.2 terawatt hours (TWh) of energy by 2030, but that target is not being met. The current score is 1.77 TWh, the region reports in a progress report. In order to achieve the target within five years, at least 58 wind turbines or approximately 1,400 hectares of solar parks must be added. However, the number of planned projects is far from sufficient for the required 1 TWh. According to a spokesperson, only a third of these are “in the pipeline”. The collective, which also includes the province of South Holland and four water boards, is calling on the government to quickly make a decision on legislation for collective heating networks. The ambition is to have connected some 330,000 homes and 2,500 hectares of greenhouse horticulture to heating networks in The Hague, Rotterdam and surrounding municipalities by 2035, which are partly fed by residual heat from the port of Rotterdam. At present, 112,000 homes and 800 hectares of greenhouse horticulture in this area have a connection. The province has filed a case with the Council of State against several municipalities that do not adhere to agreements on the realisation of wind energy. South Holland is also investigating the possibilities of nuclear energy, but that is something for the long term.
Essent, Eneco, Vattenfall and grid operators Liander, Enexis and Stedin want to tempt 35,000 households in 21 districts with discounts to purchase home batteries and charge cars during less busy hours. These are districts where the power grid is at the edge of its capacity, the discounts amount to 500 euros or more. This is to prevent disruptions. Together they hope to relieve the pressure in these districts and neighbourhoods by tempting consumers to purchase a home battery, for example. In the first week of July, 35,000 customers in these districts will receive an e-mail with an offer. For example, anyone who charges their car at night instead of at the end of the afternoon will receive an extra discount.
What also did not go well/does not go well
The Consumers’ Association and the Consumers’ Energy Claim Foundation are going to initiate civil proceedings against Essent, Eneco, Vattenfall, Budget Energie, ENGIE and Greenchoice, due to possible unlawful increases in their variable energy rates. The six energy suppliers are said to have increased the prices of their variable contracts in 2022, without adhering to the statutory notice period of 30 days and customers were often only informed afterwards, which is contrary to the law.
Consumers would have been massively disadvantaged by this method, to the tune of hundreds of euros per household. In total, hundreds of thousands of customers would have suffered damage as a result. The Consumers’ Association calls on affected consumers to join the claim. The energy companies state that they acted within the rules and that there was force majeure due to the energy crisis.
This is not the first time that concerns have been raised about the transparency and working methods of energy suppliers, particularly during the 2022 energy crisis, when gas and electricity prices rose sharply due to geopolitical tensions and uncertainty on the energy market. The lawsuit is being heard by the Amsterdam District Court. The Consumers’ Association hopes that this case will set a precedent so that energy suppliers will deal with price increases more transparently and fairly in the future.
About 80% of solar panels contain PFAS, mainly in the backsheet, the back layer that protects against UV radiation, moisture and other environmental factors. PFAS ensure durability and a long lifespan (25-30 years). With an estimated 60 million solar panels in Europe (and many more worldwide), this represents a significant amount of PFAS. In addition, PFAS are used in other components of the energy transition , such as batteries, wind turbines and hydrogen technologies. The ban will lead to a significant delay in the energy transition. Even if it is phased.
Discarded solar panels (estimated to be 500,000 in the Netherlands within 5 years) pose a risk due to PFAS and antimony emissions when shredded or incinerated. Current recycling processes are inadequate , and there is no solution yet for the safe processing of PFAS-containing panels. A ban could exacerbate this problem if existing panels are not handled properly.
Capacity problems affect entire regions
In North Brabant, companies and housing developers can only count on more space on the grid after 2028. The delivery of the high-voltage substation in Waalwijk has been postponed due to late delivery of transformers. Projects in Moerdijk, Halsteren, Oirschot and Wijchen are also experiencing delays. In West Brabant, the new Geertruidenberg high-voltage substation should provide some relief from the end of 2026. In South Holland, the capacity is fully utilised, with waiting times of up to ten years. Stedin will use emergency generators during peak periods, such as Christmas 2024 in Walcheren.
Emergency measures also had to be taken in The Hague. The government, the province, the municipality, the transport company HTM and the Central Government Real Estate Agency have signed an agreement with caretaker minister Sophie Hermans of Climate. For example, the thousands of civil servants in the city promise not to charge their electric cars during the evening rush hour and city transport company HTM is investigating whether power can be stored during quiet hours, so that trams can run on it when it is busy.
Cables are too thin and the number of distribution stations is too small. According to the grid operators, it is already barely possible to supply everyone with electricity during peak times. Grid operator Stedin says it needs until 2033 to expand the power grid. Until then, the solution lies in the so-called flex capacity. “This means that large consumers, such as public transport, companies and governments, will better coordinate when they use electricity,” according to the grid operator. “For example, by using less electricity during busy times or sharing electricity during quiet times.”
This not only means that electric cars will be charged outside of rush hour, but also that all ministries and other government buildings will be checked for lighting, coffee machines and other power guzzlers. Just as is already happening in some business parks, the building managers in The Hague will be in contact with each other about who uses or needs a lot of power and when.
HTM started making ‘surplus’ power from the overhead lines available for charging stations for electric cars a year ago. The carrier now wants to see if that power can also be stored, for example in large batteries.
Grid operators Stedin and Tennet are meanwhile investing 300 million euros in the expansion of the Hague grid. For example, a new electricity substation is planned for one in three streets and two new main distribution stations with eleven kilometres of cables are to be built in The Hague.
“But that takes time,” says Stedin. “It is not easy in a city where the space underground is already overcrowded with cables and pipes.” Together with the municipality, a special task force has been set up to investigate whether the permit procedures for all those stations and cables can be accelerated.
Cabinet intervenes with guarantees for TenneT and accelerated procedures
In order to prevent the electricity grid from continuing to be a brake on economic development and sustainability, the government is making guarantees available to TenneT Nederland. This will allow the grid operator to attract loans with the same AAA credit rating as the state, without the need for direct capital contributions. Two financing routes are being considered for the German branch of TenneT: an IPO or a private share issue. The final choice will be announced before the summer of 2025.
The Spring Memorandum 2025 includes all financial measures. As a backup, a reserve has been made in the national budget in case private financing for TenneT Germany does not yield enough.
Investments and debt restructuring
TenneT is working on a new financing structure, in which the Dutch and German branches will separately raise debt. Existing bondholders are asked to agree to a one-off debt transfer to TenneT Netherlands. Over the next ten years, approximately 90 billion euros in investments are needed to strengthen the Dutch grid. By 2040 , this amount will be increased to approximately 200 billion euros, according to an analysis by PwC Minister Hermans (Climate and Green Growth) is investigating a so-called flexible backstop, with which smart devices such as charging stations, heat pumps and solar panels can temporarily reduce their consumption in the event of impending overload. The proposal is part of the National Grid Congestion Action Program (LAN). Medical equipment is exempt from this. Grid operators and the PowerWeb Institute of TU Delft support the plan, the results of which are expected at the end of 2025.
Economic damage and grid losses
Due to grid congestion, the Netherlands suffers 10 to 40 billion euros in economic damage each year. In 2024, the costs for grid expansion amounted to 2.5 billion euros, which has significantly increased grid tariffs compared to neighbouring countries. This puts pressure on the competitive position of Dutch industry.
Stagnant energy production and negative electricity prices
Solar and wind farms are increasingly being asked to temporarily stop their production due to grid overload. In 2024, there were 532 hours with extremely low or even negative electricity prices. As a result, sustainable energy producers are missing out on income, while the energy transition should actually be accelerated.
Data centers: growing pressure on electricity and water
The Netherlands has over 200 data centers, which together account for 3.3% of the national electricity consumption. Their energy consumption will more than double by 2030, mainly due to the rise of AI applications. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the global consumption of data centers could amount to 945 terawatt hours, more than the annual consumption of Japan. Water consumption is also a point of concern: in the PWN area this is now 0.6% of the total drinking water consumption. In 2024, AI was estimated to be responsible for around 11 to 20 percent of the global electricity consumption of data centers. Previous forecasts by the International Energy Agency (IAE) and Netbeheer Nederland show that the electricity consumption of data centers will also increase enormously in the future due to AI. Electricity consumption is increasing enormously because more and more people and companies are using AI applications such as ChatGPT and by the end of 2025 it could amount to up to half of the global electricity consumption of data centers. Compared to the estimated energy consumption of AI systems, this resulted in a power consumption of 11 to 20 percent of the total of data centers worldwide. Netbeheer Nederland expects a huge increase in the power consumption of data centers: an increase of around 40 to 70 percent in 2050 compared to the current electricity consumption in the Netherlands. Partly due to the increased demand. The IEA calculated in April that data centers were responsible for around 1.5 percent of global energy consumption in 2024, 415 terawatt hours. The agency expects this to double to 945 terawatt hours in 2030. For comparison: that is slightly more than the current electricity consumption of all of Japan. The main driver of this increase is AI. Google is now investing 600 million euros in a fourth data center in the Netherlands, which runs on wind energy from the North Sea through a collaboration with Eneco and Shell. So far, the company has invested 3.8 billion euros in the Netherlands.
Europe is almost completely dependent on Russia for nuclear energy
The planned nuclear power plants in Borssele, which are due to become operational around 2035, will be further hampered by tightened sanctions against Russia’s Rosatom. Europe is almost entirely dependent on Russia for the recycling of used uranium, which is essential for the nuclear fuel chain. Although the Netherlands enriches uranium via Urenco in Almelo and does not use Russian fuel directly, disruption by sanctions could lead to shortages, delays and higher costs (estimated construction costs: 10-20 billion euros). Rosatom dominates the global market for enriched uranium with 35% of the total and channels money to Russia, which also occupies the Zaporizhzhia plant in Ukraine, via its Dutch subsidiary Uranium One (222 million euros profit in 2022). This raises ethical concerns that could weaken support for nuclear energy. Alternatives, such as uranium from Canada or Western fuel rods, are available, but expensive and time-consuming. Urenco’s capacity expansion and a British recycling plant (after 2030) offer solutions, but not in the short term. The Netherlands can build up stocks, but geopolitical tensions and price increases remain risks for the energy transition and the realization of the plants.
Given these problems, the government seems to be taking additional measures for solar and wind energy. The Netherlands wants fully sustainable energy by 2050, with plans for 70 GW of offshore wind by 2050 and growth in solar energy The Netherlands 2024 – Analysis – IEA. In 2023, 48% of electricity already came from renewable sources, with a peak of 57% in July. The government is therefore investing in accelerating permits for wind farms and solar projects, and is stimulating energy storage to compensate for variability. This fits in with the broader strategy to tackle energy shortages and grid congestion, especially now that nuclear energy is experiencing delays.
Netting arrangement €7.25 per year instead of €340
Solar panel owners feel misled and are preparing mass claims. Lawyer Oscar van Oorschot (salderingsclaim.nl) represents 150,000 households, claiming that the government has misled them. Lawyer Roelof de Nekker is investigating contractual netting agreements with suppliers. Bonuses of up to €230 per year should stimulate households to use more electricity during off-peak hours. Some are investing in solar panels for the energy transition, despite lower returns.
Significantly higher energy bill
The construction of infrastructure for wind farms in the North Sea can lead to a significantly higher energy bill for the Dutch. Over the next 15 years, no less than 88 billion euros will be needed for the construction of cables and platforms. The energy companies do not receive any subsidies for the construction of wind farms. The investments are necessary to achieve the climate goals and generate sufficient sustainable electricity, but the costs of the investments are directly reflected in the energy bills of households and companies.
With the current expansion of the power grid, fixed costs on the energy bill will increase significantly in the coming years. Last year, an average household already paid 400 euros per year for the use of the electricity grid. In the coming 15 years, this threatens to increase to 1100 euros in 2040. In 2033, three quarters of all electricity in the Netherlands will come from offshore wind. National grid operator Tennet has just finished laying the cables and platforms for the wind farms that are still relatively close to the Dutch coast. These are alternating current cables and transformer platforms of 700 megawatts.
It is the enormous crane and installation vessels of, among others, the Dutch offshore companies Heerema, Van Oord, Boskalis and Allseas, that install the wind turbines, cables and platforms in the North Sea. The latter has just been placed 53 kilometers off the coast of Egmond aan Zee. The platform Hollandse Kust West Beta will collect the power from the 53 wind turbines that the German RWE and the French TotalEnergies will place here. The 15 megawatt wind turbines will produce enough electricity for a million households in 2028.
Via the transformer platform, the current travels through thick cables over the seabed to the distribution centre in Wijk aan Zee, next to the Tata steel factories. Now that the infrastructure for the seven wind farms in the areas Borssele, Hollandse Kust Noord, Zuid and West is ready, Tennet has completed the ‘relatively simple’ part of the work. The new wind farms in the areas IJmuiden Ver, Nederwiek, Ten Noorden van de Waddeneilanden and Doordewind are much larger and are much further from the coast. Too far to use alternating current and too large for the current transformer platforms. In order to bridge distances of 100 kilometres or more, the grid operator is switching to direct current cables and is having 2GW (gigawatt) platforms built in Singapore.
It involves new technology, longer cables, larger platforms and this makes it much more expensive. If nothing changes in the method of financing, the costs of this will also end up on the energy bills of households and companies in the coming years. It is the government that investigates the seabed in the Netherlands, designates locations and installs the electricity cables and platforms. This is coordinated by the Ministry of Climate and Green Growth. National grid operator Tennet is 100 percent owned by the Ministry of Finance.
Tennet has already ordered the cables, platforms and the rental of installation vessels for the coming eight years. However, not all wind farms have been put out to tender yet. There are concerns about the progress of offshore wind. This is because the interest of energy companies in building large wind farms is decreasing. The costs are increasing and the demand for electricity from industry is lagging behind. Many companies therefore consider the risks to be too high. The Netherlands is therefore investigating the British system of ‘contract for difference’, which means that the government steps in when electricity prices are low. When energy prices are high, the government skims off the profit. Tennet boss Manon van Beek has been advocating this method of financing for some time to prevent her company from installing cables and platforms worth tens of billions that will not be used later.
In the meantime, the government seems to want to postpone the financing of the costs for cables and platforms. This should prevent households from getting into trouble in the coming years, due to excessively high fixed costs on their energy bill. It remains uncertain whether sufficient power can always be supplied after 2030. TenneT has also warned about this in recent years because the demand for electricity is increasing, traditional power generation is disappearing and renewable energy sources do not always produce constant power.
TenneT therefore calls for urgent research into the best ways to have something in reserve at times of shortages. TenneT also advocates research into ways to stimulate energy storage in batteries, for example. Security of supply is good if there is a maximum of 4 hours of annual shortages for demand. After 2030, TenneT expects that this standard will be far exceeded, with 12.6 hours of shortages in 2033 and 9.2 hours of shortages in 2035, which will mainly occur in the winter months. There is also a greater risk that shortages will occur too often in 2030. A number of relatively old gas-fired power stations may then no longer be profitable enough and will have to close.
TenneT is hopeful about the possibilities of electricity storage. New contracts in which customers promise to be flexible in their use of the power grid in exchange for a discount, ensure that entrepreneurs are more inclined to invest in batteries. The technological possibilities for electricity storage have also improved and already widely used battery technology is becoming cheaper. However, the development of possibilities for energy storage over several days would be the most effective way to tackle shortages. This is still in its infancy. TenneT warns that these solutions could raise difficult social issues, among other things because they probably take up a lot of space and could encounter local resistance.
International developments: nuclear energy versus coal
In the US, companies like Google, Microsoft and Amazon are switching to nuclear power for their data centers. In contrast to this push for sustainability, former President Donald Trump is actually pushing for a revival of the American coal industry. In early 2025, he signed an executive order that will roll back restrictions on coal mining. At a White House rally, Trump said that “the beautiful, clean coal industry” must be preserved — a line that runs counter to the policies of his predecessor Joe Biden and international climate goals.
Acceleration through new legislation
In order to realize infrastructure projects faster, Minister Hermans sent a bill to the Council of State on February 7, 2025. The aim is to shorten procedures for network expansion by an average of one and a half years. This is made possible by a toleration obligation and the designation of network projects as social interest.
Faults
Solar panel suppliers and installers are falling like flies
Grid congestion
Donald Trump wants to get rid of solar parks and wind turbines and wants more space in the North Sea for oil exploration and for the wind turbines to be removed
BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, is leaving the climate club “Net Zero Asset Managers” in which investment companies unite. The investors who are members of this club have committed themselves to the international agreements to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Apart from BlackRock, the largest American banks have previously left a similar club. Banks and asset managers have been under pressure from more conservative investors for some time. BlackRock’s decision cannot be viewed separately from Trump’s presidency.
PVV, NSC, VVD and BBB want to phase out the National Growth Fund. The agreements of rounds 1 to 3 are being met. This is good news for the solar energy and battery sector, because in the third round of the fund, hundreds of millions of euros in subsidies were awarded to plans for the domestic production of solar panels and batteries. In addition, in an earlier round, subsidies were already allocated for scaling up the production of green hydrogen.
A windmill is maintained and inspected once a year. Annual maintenance is therefore necessary to keep the mills operational. Such maintenance of a windmill takes an average of four days. During those four days, four maintenance technicians work full-time on the mill. When the working day is over, the maintenance technicians sail back to the mainland. There are thousands of liters of oil in a windmill. A windmill at sea contains approximately 2000 liters of ‘gear oil’ and 500 liters of hydraulic oil. The oil is normally changed every seven years – unless there is a leak or other problem of course. The technicians do replace the filters in the engine room of the mill annually, which often causes small oil leaks. There are various methods for replacing oil, such as pumping it up from a tank on a boat at sea. Another method is manually pumping oil from an 800 liter tank that hangs in the air from a crane. This is of course never without risk. A greater risk is a possible collision with a rudderless ship. On 20 April 2025, at around 07:00, supply ship Glomar Venture , sailing under the flag of Panama, collided with a windmill in the North Sea near Callantsoog . Two crew members were injured and taken to hospital. A third crew member went to hospital later.
A wind turbine lasts an average of 20-25 years. Then they are buried or very occasionally partly reused in other constructions, but there is no large-scale, efficient solution for their recycling yet. It takes at least 8 to 15 years for the financial investment of a wind turbine to be ‘earned back’, depending on subsidies (which come from the taxpayer), energy prices and maintenance costs. Wind turbine blades also lose around 640 grams of particulate matter per turbine per year due to erosion (by rain, hail, wind, etc.), with a lower limit of 150 grams. The leading edge in particular erodes. and the amount depends on turbine size, location and weather conditions. Because wind turbine blades are often made of glass fibre with epoxy resin in which 30-40% of the epoxy usually contains BPA. Erosion releases micro- and nanoplastics, including these worrying BPA particles. Drinking water may contain a maximum of 0.1 micrograms of BPA per litre.
The 399 wind turbines on Thorton Bank consume 1,500 litres of diesel annually for maintenance, which needs to be replaced every three to seven years
On 31 January 2022, when storm Corrie passed over the Netherlands, a collision occurred on the North Sea between the bulk carrier Julietta D and the chemical tanker Pechora Star. After the collision, the Julietta D was completely rudderless. The drifting Julietta D hit the base of a future wind turbine and then the foundation of a transformer station that had yet to be installed. The chemical tanker posed a major risk in the incident. The management of shipping safety on an increasingly crowded North Sea poses the necessary risks for which parliamentary questions were asked, to which the caretaker cabinet responded with a report stating that the government is currently failing to manage shipping safety risks in relation to the placement of fixed objects in the North Sea. The Safety Board also concluded that the manoeuvring problems of a large group of ships had not been highlighted in the approach to shipping safety until now.
In order to achieve the 2030 climate goals, wind farms are being built in the North Sea. The electricity from these future wind farms must be connected to the high-voltage grid on land. The government has made 210 million euros available to invest in the quality of life in the regions where the electricity comes ashore. The regions in which investments are being made are the Northern Netherlands (Eemshaven), Zeeland (Borsele), Rotterdam (Maasvlakte), the North Sea Canal area and the surroundings of Moerdijk and Geertruidenberg. Money is also available for the energy agreement (NEA) via NLII to achieve the government objectives regarding wind energy. On behalf of the EU, the pension funds are going to invest more in energy projects and regional infrastructure projects. They have already invested 14 percent of their total assets of around 960 billion in the Netherlands, of which 12.7 billion euros in Dutch mortgages and 1 billion euros in small and medium-sized enterprises. The government’s ambition is to increase that 14% by 1% per year. PGGM is investing 50 percent (625 million euros) in the new German offshore wind farm Baltic 2 together with investor Macquarie Capital. PGGM had already invested around 900 million euros in green energy and also invested in a wind farm in the Irish Sea and a number of onshore parks. Baltic 2 is being built by energy company EnBW, which holds the other (more than) 50 percent of the shares. ABP was also recently persuaded to get involved in wind farms. In total, around 195 billion euros will be needed to get the network up to date.
The Limburg Energy Fund (LEF) invested 1.5 million euros in Solarge, the Weert-based manufacturer of lightweight, circular and PFAS-free solar panels. Due to the lightweight aspect, no less than 40 percent more roofs in the Netherlands are eligible for solar panels. Roofs that cannot bear the weight of the ‘classic’ panels can bear the weight of the Solarge panels. Moreover, they are non-toxic and recyclable at the end of their life cycle. With the investment, the LEF joins the shareholder structure of Solarge. The investment of the LEF will be used for the further scaling up of the current production location in Weert and the intended construction of a second production facility. First closing of the investment round in which the LEF participated took place in April 2024. The private professional (impact) investor Phase2.earth has also joined the shareholder structure of Solarge. Solarge was founded in 2018 by Jan Vesseur, Huib van den Heuvel and Gerard de Leede and has been producing lightweight solar panels since 2023, which are intended as a sustainable solution for places where conventional solar panels are not an option or an inferior option due to weight. An earlier investment of 3 million euros came from impact funds Fase2.aarde and Orchard Participations, together with existing investors such as Daan van der Vorm and Sytse Bouwer. The LEF was established by the Province of Limburg and is managed by Polestar Capital. The LEF is an impact fund and classifies as a dark green fund (Article 9 fund) under the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR). The fund ensures the realization of promising Limburg projects in the circular economy, energy saving, sustainable energy generation or asbestos removal. The LEF provides the project with part of the financing for this in the form of risk capital or a (subordinated) loan. LEF is a financing fund and does not provide subsidies: this allows more sustainable projects to be realized. This fund is made possible in part by the Province of Limburg, the European Investment Bank and the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI).
Also lightweight are the ultra-thin solar cells developed by the University of Oxford in the form of foil (photovoltaic solar cells), with the same efficiency as existing solar panels. They are, as it were, a number of layers of solar cells on top of each other, while the material remains flexible. Each solar cell is very sensitive and converts certain parts of the solar spectrum into electricity very efficiently. This makes it possible to achieve the high efficiency. The new solar cells are approximately around the micrometer, while the standard silicon cell is more than 100 micrometers thick. The new cells are therefore a factor of 100 thinner. This means they can be placed on and over anything. This can be done on roofs, facades, noise barriers or on cars to increase the range of the battery. The materials used for the new cells are cheaper than silicon. It will take decades before the foil solar cell will be used, ‘certainly also in a multi-layer structure’. These solar cells are currently already being used on silicon and efficiencies of around 35 percent have already been achieved in the lab.
The heat pump will not be made mandatory in a new programme agreement after all. There were plans to oblige homeowners to purchase a heat pump from 2026 when they replace their heating boiler. As a result, sales of heat pumps, like those of solar panels, have fallen sharply in the first half of this year. In the first six months, 47,000 units were sold, which is almost half the 88,000 a year earlier. The procedures for granting a permit for an energy project are currently very time-consuming. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate (EZK) wants to speed this up. With a proposal for amended regulations, the legal procedure for national and regional energy projects can be accelerated by up to 1.5 years.
Emergency measures
After years of subsidizing and encouraging the installation of solar panels, it has now reached the point where grid operators are offering money to temporarily switch off solar panels. Grid operator Stedin and energy supplier Eneco feel the need to relieve the pressure on the electricity grid by scaling down. Eneco is also withdrawing from the bid for a next offshore wind farm. According to the company, it is no longer financially feasible “in its current form”. The Danish Ørsted is also withdrawing from the project and sees more opportunities in other countries.
On the Zeeland islands of Tholen, Sint Philipsland and Schouwen-Duiveland, the number of solar panels has increased so rapidly that more electricity is often generated than is consumed, leading to outages and voltage problems on the power grid. Owners of solar panels who are prepared to temporarily switch off their panels will receive compensation equal to the delivery rate, plus a bonus. This can amount to at least 40 cents per kilowatt hour. So far, only 13 homeowners have registered, and there are few participants.
Expanding and strengthening the electricity grid to enable the energy transition is proving difficult for grid operators. Stedin and Eneco started switching off solar panels on 22 August 2024. Customers will receive an email one day in advance with the date, time and compensation for the next time it is profitable to switch off the solar panels. Currently, consumers have to do this manually, but in the long term this process will be automated.
Eneco announced earlier this year that it will temporarily switch off solar panels of business customers with more than 100 panels from 1 July 2025. This should help prevent the electricity grid from becoming overloaded. Despite these measures, it remains difficult to get sufficient capacity on the grid in the Netherlands.
Although there is currently strong growth in renewable energy generation, the challenges remain significant. In August 2024, 57 percent of electricity generated came from renewable sources, despite the fact that solar and wind farms regularly had to be temporarily shut down. In 2023, this share was 49 percent, and solar panels provided 42 percent of renewable energy production.
However, switching off solar panels via the switch in the meter cupboard is not without risks. This can damage the inverters of the solar panel system, because a sudden stop during high power can damage the inverter. The switch itself can also break down when it is in use while the panels are supplying full power, which can have consequences in a real emergency.
Despite these operational issues and health concerns, Climate Minister Sophie Hermans (VVD) continues to stick to her plans to place wind turbines closer to homes and to continue to provide subsidies for renewable energy. This course is often criticized because the green ambitions are sometimes pushed at the expense of the health of local residents.
Peak times on the electricity grid currently occur mostly between 06:00 and 09:00 and between 16:00 and 20:00. Outside of this “peak” there is still capacity available. Grid operators are trying to make the electricity grid more manageable by flexible scaling down and encouraging large consumers to surrender capacity.
In the first half of 2024, no less than half as many solar panels were installed than in the same period in 2023. The number of new installations in the first six months of 2024 amounted to 188,000. In some regions, where new homes are being built, the homes cannot be connected to the electricity grid because the capacity of the grid is already fully utilized. This problem is increasingly being encountered nationwide, which is raising the alarm among provinces and construction companies.
Energy companies try to encourage consumers to use more of their own generated solar power, but the high feed-in costs sometimes make it more advantageous to switch off solar panels than to keep them on. More than half of the industrial estates no longer have the capacity for additional power consumption, and in some regions companies have to wait up to six or seven years for a connection.
Tennet, the national grid operator, has indicated that the Netherlands could face a shortage of electricity after 2030. It is already warning of possible power outages of 14 hours. This is partly because the Netherlands wants to move away from gas and drive electrically in the coming years, which will further increase the pressure on the grid. The consequences of grid congestion are already noticeable in almost all sectors.
There is still limited room for new large-scale solar and wind projects. Solar and wind farms increasingly have to be shut down, and sales of heat pumps fell drastically in the first half of 2024. Dutch sales of new heat pumps, including air conditioners, fell last year. According to Statistics Netherlands (CBS), 393,000 units were sold last year. That is a decrease of 14 percent compared to a year earlier. This is due to the announced discontinuation of the renovation standard and the absence of incentives for electricity compared to natural gas. Market demand for heat pumps has collapsed, particularly in the existing housing market. In addition, the average feed-in tariff for households with solar panels has almost halved in the past year. In April 2025, the average tariff is only 4.84 cents per kilowatt hour, and some suppliers have even completely eliminated this tariff or reduced it to 1 cent.
Off-peak hours
Eneco will start offering the annual contract with new off-peak hours in August 2025. Customers who sign the contract will then receive a 30 percent discount on the electricity price, excluding VAT and energy tax. This rate applies from 22:00 to 05:00 and between 10:00 and 17:00.
Eneco is not the first to do so. Last year, Greenchoice started with a lower electricity rate during the day. Budget Energie even offers free electricity hours during the day, but only on weekends and in the summer, when solar panels generate the most electricity, and there is therefore a large supply of electricity. Eneco is the first of the three major suppliers (with Vattenfall and Essent) to introduce a discount during the day.
The growing number of windmills and solar panels ensures that the purchase price of electricity for energy suppliers often approaches or even falls below zero euros. These low electricity prices at sunny moments are not only in the summer but also in some winter months, as has been noticed in recent years . That is why energy suppliers choose to set off-peak rates during the day.
Incidentally, an energy contract with night-time off-peak hours has existed for decades and various suppliers offer it. Electricity was cheaper because companies were closed at night. So there was less demand for electricity than during the day and therefore the prices were lower. But now there is suddenly also a lot of extra supply of electricity when the sun is shining.
Contracts with off-peak rates for the night lost some of their popularity due to the arrival of alternatives. Such as a contract with dynamic energy prices, where prices are aligned with the supply and demand for electricity in the country every day and every hour.
Eneco therefore calls the new VoordeelMomenten contract with the discount “a refresh” of the old variant with off-peak hours. “The normal electricity rate applies during peak hours and that is fixed for a year,” says Eneco spokesperson Rianne de Voogt.
According to the supplier, a household with a heat pump and an electric car with its own charging station can save a lot on the annual bill. These devices consume a lot of power and that energy consumption can easily be shifted to the more favorable off-peak hours. In the calculation example, Eneco bases itself on the average annual consumption of a sustainable household. The company sees a maximum saving of 233 euros there.
A household without a charging station or heat pump has a lower power consumption and can save much less by moving power to discounted hours; approximately 30 euros per year according to Eneco. In the graph below you can see the difference between homes in how much power can be moved to outside peak hours.
Daytime off-peak prices may help against the overcrowded power grid, which almost all of the Netherlands is struggling with. Especially during peak hours in the morning and afternoon, power consumption can be postponed. This can be done by doing laundry or charging the electric car at another time.
Around noon, there is just enough electricity and space available on the grid. With the off-peak rates, customers save on their consumption and turn on fewer devices during peak hours. “More measures to reduce congestion on the grid are still needed, but this lightens the load a bit,” says De Boer.
Eneco does write on the site that dynamic contracts have an even more explicit electricity price that can be very favourable for part of the day. Especially for people who can easily charge their car when the sun is shining, a dynamic contract can provide more savings. In this case, households pay the current electricity price every hour and benefit the most from low or negative rates.
“But some of our customers find dynamic prices too risky. There is always a chance of extreme price peaks,” says Eneco spokesperson De Voogt. “The new contract with fixed prices and off-peak hours is therefore a good solution.”
Energy expert De Boer also emphasizes that fixed and variable contracts are generally less advantageous than a dynamic contract. “You always pay a little more for the certainty that your electricity price cannot simply change.”
Home batteries
In principle, you can even disconnect from the grid if you install your own battery in addition to sufficient solar panels, but this requires a well-thought-out plan, sufficient investment in equipment and coordination with the grid operator. You must be completely self-sufficient in your energy needs. A battery with solar panels or other generating resources must have sufficient capacity to supply your household with electricity all year round, even in winter or when there is little sun. There is no law that obliges you to remain connected to the electricity grid. You can have your connection to the grid removed, but you must officially arrange this with your grid operator. Please note that removing the connection entails costs, and reconnecting it later can also be expensive. If you disconnect from the grid, you no longer pay grid management costs, but you are fully responsible for your own energy supply. The grid often functions as a backup. Without a grid connection, your system must be extremely reliable, possibly with a backup generator. In some cases, a permit may be required for large battery systems or other energy generation installations, depending on your municipality.
If you go off-grid, you can no longer use the net metering scheme, where you feed excess power back into the grid. Battery systems must meet safety standards (for example, fire safety).
Independence from the power grid means that owners of solar panels can provide for their own power needs completely, or only have to rely minimally on the power grid. This independence is the most important reason for owners of solar panels to purchase a home battery. For a third (33%) of Dutch people with solar panels, independence from the power grid is the most important reason to purchase a home battery, above commercial reasons such as trading on the energy market (11%). With this trading, larger home batteries can be earned back, but bigger is not always better for a home battery. A third of solar panel owners want to be independent of the power grid at all costs. Making energy consumption more sustainable (24%), preparing for a future in which own energy generation is central (13%) and trading on the imbalance market (11%) were also mentioned as reasons for independence, but less important. The high feed-in costs are also an important reason for owners of solar panels to want to leave their energy supplier. The majority (55%) of solar panel owners say they find it unfair that energy suppliers charge feed-in costs. Only 22 percent think it is fair. Trust in the government has also disappeared when it comes to compensation such as subsidies or other regulations. Only 5 percent of solar panel owners have confidence in the government when it comes to energy. More than half (52%) of Dutch solar panel owners say they are considering leaving their energy supplier because of those feed-in costs. Almost a third of these people (29%) have always been loyal to their current supplier and have never switched. A quarter of solar panel owners in the Netherlands want to help combat grid congestion with a home battery. The power grid is becoming increasingly overloaded now that we are moving away from fossil fuels, and previous governments were insufficiently prepared for this. That is why grid operators are now catching up by reinforcing the power grid, which is already at risk of becoming overloaded next year. That is why the government started a campaign last week asking Dutch people to use less energy in the afternoon and evening.
Sales of home batteries skyrocketed in 2024. Households are estimated to have more than three times as much battery capacity as in 2023. A home battery costs between 5,000 and 12,000 euros, including tax and installation and depending on the type and storage capacity. Providers promise high returns and short payback periods of between three and seven years. At the same time, more and more organizations are warning about the unfeasibility of these promises. The payback period depends on whether you have solar panels and what the ratio is between the power you generate and your electricity consumption. Whether you have a dynamic or fixed energy contract and the costs of a home battery also play a role. A lot has to go right to earn back your home battery within five to ten years. “An optimal situation would be, for example, when a household has solar panels, there is no longer a net metering scheme, there are favorable grid rates and the household uses relatively a lot of electricity due to the presence of a heat pump and its own charging station for an electric car.”
Home batteries store sustainably generated electricity, such as solar energy, but they are not only green. Making such a battery costs a lot of energy and raw materials, depending on the type of battery. Most home batteries are lithium batteries, usually of the LFP type (lithium iron phosphate). It is precisely these variants that cause the most damage. It costs a lot of energy to mine these important raw materials and process them into batteries.
Grid operator Stedi indicates that the growing popularity of home batteries can lead to additional peak loads on the grid . Home batteries are also less lucrative than is suggested. There are currently around 1600 households in the Netherlands with an officially registered home battery, but that number is increasing rapidly due to the discontinuation of the net metering scheme. Commercial suppliers such as Zonneplan and Tibber have sold hundreds or even thousands of batteries in recent months. Energy companies charge costs for returning electricity. Grid operator Stedi indicates that the growing popularity of home batteries can lead to additional peak loads on the grid. Home batteries are also less lucrative than is suggested. There are currently around 1600 households in the Netherlands with an officially registered home battery, but that number is increasing rapidly due to the discontinuation of the net metering scheme. Commercial suppliers such as Zonneplan and Tibber have sold hundreds or even thousands of batteries in recent months. Energy companies charge costs for returning electricity.
Home batteries, which cost thousands of euros each, do not earn themselves back by a long shot. The batteries store electricity when there is a surplus and supply it back when shortages arise and prices rise. You do not even need to have solar panels yourself to trade on the energy market. You earn by charging the battery via the normal power grid and then supplying it when that yields the greatest financial benefit. However, this income for private individuals will probably decrease again in the future due to the rise of large industrial battery owners who will compete on the energy market. In addition, households will pay income tax on the electricity they supply. Grid operators are not all enthusiastic about home batteries either. If a district has many large batteries that charge or discharge at the same times, this leads to an additional grid load. After all, the transformer houses in the district have to process all that electricity to and from batteries.
In 10 to 20 percent of the time, home batteries will lead to higher peaks on the electricity grid, so that the full grid becomes even fuller and that the grid operator will have even greater problems.
Agreements have now been made with parties that manage many large batteries. However, there is still something agreed for the use of home batteries. That is why Zonneplan announced a trial with Liander. The grid operator will pay Zonneplan customers when they do not use their home batteries when there is a risk of local overload of the electricity grid. Despite the sustainability and greening of our energy system, the energy bill of the Netherlands will rise sharply in the coming decades. According to research carried out by experts from PwC’s Energy Transition Think Tank, the costs will increase by 92% to 43 billion euros per year in 2030. A sharp increase compared to 22 billion euros in 2020. In 2040, the costs will increase further to 56 billion euros per year.
Grid operator TenneT has taken measures to keep the national electricity grid in balance. Cause: the arrival of parties that respond quickly to price incentives on the so-called imbalance market, such as with smart home batteries. The expectation is that it will become increasingly difficult to earn money quickly via this route. “You have 0.0 guarantee to earn back such a battery in six years. It sounds good: earning money with a smart home battery by charging and discharging very quickly. However, it leads to headaches at TenneT, because this rapid response has negative consequences for the balance quality of the electricity grid. It is all about the imbalance market. That is very different from the regular energy market for consumers. There the price, for example 30 cents per kilowatt hour, is fixed for a few months or a few years. Those who opt for a dynamic contract get a different price every hour, but know the prices a day in advance. Sometimes you pay 5 cents, another time 50 cents. On the imbalance market the prices vary per quarter and those prices can be much higher or lower. The information is passed on with a delay of a few minutes. Consumers are not directly active on this market, but indirectly they are with a smart home battery. These batteries are controlled by suppliers such as Zonneplan (Nexus), Tibber (Homevolt), NextEnergy (Huawei) or Frank Energie (SolarEdge). Because electricity prices can be much higher or lower on the imbalance market, you can theoretically make money quickly. Sometimes, for example, you get one euro per kilowatt hour for supplying and a little later one euro per kilowatt hour for consuming. How is that possible? Very simply put, this compensation is paid out because you help to balance the electricity grid. This is when suddenly more or less energy is generated than expected, for example because the wind is stronger or weaker than was predicted the day before. As mentioned, consumers do not do this themselves. Suppliers of smart batteries do this by controlling batteries in people’s homes. According to the company, Zonneplan customers earned 1195 euros in this way in the past 6 months. In theory, such a home battery (purchase price of around 7000 euros) can be earned back in a few years. However, there are no guarantees. There are more and more parties that ‘help’ to restore the balance. It is not just about home batteries, but also battery parks. Solar parks can also quickly switch off at negative prices. The current practice is that price incentives are responded to so quickly that a surplus often turns into a shortage within fifteen minutes or vice versa. This goes from +600 megawatts to -1000 megawatts. That is a lot of quickly reacting power. This fluctuation is seen as very undesirable by the grid operator. If this fluctuation occurs, then in technical terms it is called control state 2. In such a situation, parties must pay for the unwanted fluctuation. To prevent this ‘fine’, batteries will charge or discharge very quickly within this fifteen minutes to end up with a balance of 0. TenneT is done with this kind of practice. The grid operator has been seeing unwanted fluctuations in the ‘ national power imbalance ‘ for ‘quite some time’, and has previously called for purchasing or supplying less power. This yielded too little. “We have noticed that some suppliers do not listen to this instruction”, says spokesperson Jorrit de Jong of TenneT. As a result, a new measure has been introduced. Participants in the imbalance market will now receive information about the current balance situation less quickly. Instead of every two minutes, now every five minutes. The hope is that this will result in less rapid responses. The frequency of the electricity grid can fluctuate too much. That is dangerous. This can cause very large disruptions. Sensitive devices can also be affected. The grid operator does not know exactly which party or parties are ignoring the instructions. The amount of electricity in this market is very small”, adds Anton Tijdink, electricity market expert at TenneT. “That is why I am concerned about the stories that you can make a lot of money with home batteries. Anyone who wants to make money with the smart purchase and sale of electricity should see resolving imbalance as the icing on the cake.
53% of Dutch electricity is now generated from renewable sources . More wind farms have been built at sea and more turbines have also been added on land, especially in Flevoland. Outdated smaller turbines have been replaced by larger ones with more power. The amount of solar energy also increased, although the sun shone slightly less than normal. Because more solar panels were installed, electricity production increased. Less than 10 percent of electricity from renewable sources is generated with biomass. As a result, electricity production from coal fell by almost 40 percent, as did the production of electricity from natural gas (35%). Electricity consumption increased by 5 percent in the past six months. This means that consumption is slightly below the pre-corona level. In 2030, 70 percent of electricity must come from sustainable sources. In 2023, 17 percent of all energy was sustainable.
BP is scrapping a target to increase renewable energy production 20-fold by 2030 and refocusing on fossil fuels, part of a strategic shift announced Wednesday to ease investor concerns about its earnings. BP shares have underperformed their peers in recent years and the oil major has already abandoned its goal of cutting oil and gas production by 2030.
Ukraine has rejected the transit of Russian gas and has not renewed an expired contract. Russia was prepared to continue the supply, but the EU supported Ukraine in stopping the transit. As a result, gas prices will rise sharply again. Moldova has a huge debt for gas (€700 million) to Gazprom and refuses to pay. Moldova still has to pay a debt of around €750 million, but Moldova says the debt is no more than €8.5 million. In addition to Moldova, Hungary, Slovakia and Austria are also still dependent on Russian natural gas. Like Moldova, they could in principle also receive Russian gas via pipelines that do not run through Ukraine.
32 percent of vehicles used for target group transport are zero-emission. In 2023, that number was still 18 percent
EWT
Dutch wind turbine manufacturer Emergya Wind Technologies (EWT) has finally had to give up the fight after years of financial setbacks. The company, known for its medium-sized wind turbines and once optimistically looking forward to a leading role in the energy transition, was declared bankrupt last week. Remarkably, EWT did not lack financial support: oil billionaire Marcel van Poecke pumped millions into the ailing company last year, to no avail.
BayWa has grown strongly in recent years, due to the expansion of the agricultural division with energy activities such as solar panels and building materials. In 2022, turnover rose to 27 billion euros. The German agricultural conglomerate BayWa, which is in serious financial trouble, is now receiving a support package of 547 million euros from Bayerische Raiffeisen Beteiligungs-AG and Raiffeisen Agrar Invest. In addition, repayments have been suspended until the end of September 2024, so that the preparation of a restructuring plan could be completed. In the first half of the year, Baywa again suffered a substantial loss of 290 million euros. The banks made bridging loans worth 272 million euros available and provided subordinated shareholder loans worth a total of 125 million euros. The collapse of the market for solar panels, housing construction and a large amount of debt have caused the group to get into trouble. Partly due to falling prices in the agricultural sector, turnover fell last year to just under 24 billion euros. The debt burden rose to 5.5 billion euros. In the Netherlands, the company has activities focused on solar panels and various companies that are active in agriculture. Cefetra is located in Rotterdam, which supplies raw materials to the animal feed sector and the food and fuel industry. This company is part of the Cefetra Group, which generated 5.3 billion euros in turnover for BayWa last year. Agricultural machinery company Abemec in Veghel is part of the Agrimec Holding. BayWa’s agricultural machinery division generated a turnover of more than 2.2 billion euros last year. Agricultural machinery is an exception, because turnover actually increased there. Baywa’s management expects that the banks will give the company more time and money to solve the problems. The Board of Directors assumes that the signatures of the most important lending banks for the extension of the so-called standstill agreements until the end of the year will become available in the coming days. At the same time, an existing agreement for a bridging loan will be increased by approximately half a billion euros and also extended until the end of the year. This would secure Baywa’s financing until the end of the year and lay the foundation for a further long-term financing solution. There is a debt mountain of more than five billion euros.
Hill & Smith PLC
Hill & Smith PLC, a supplier of infrastructure products based in Solihull, West Midlands, has acquired Trident Industries LLC for $46 million in cash, including an initial payment of $13.5 million and deferred cash consideration of up to $32.5 million based on Trident’s revenues over the next five years. Based in Illinois, and with its existing management team staying on, Trident is a designer and supplier of composite utility poles, serving utilities in North America and the Caribbean. In 2023, Trident reported an adjusted profit of $5.7 million on $23.3 million in revenues.
LG Energy Solution
Toyota has placed a $1.5 billion order with LG Energy Solution to bolster its battery plant in Lansing, Michigan. The battery order comes after General Motors recently sold its $1 billion stake in the plant, leaving LG scrambling to find new customers. Toyota will likely move an existing order at another LG plant in Michigan this spring. LG, the world’s third-largest EV battery maker, is cutting back on investments as automakers scale back their EV plans and U.S. subsidies reevaluate. The state of Michigan is working to transfer $186 million in subsidies to LG. LG Energy Solution planned a $1.7 billion expansion in 2022 that would create 1,200 jobs by 2025. The project at the company’s Holland site, about 155 miles (249 kilometers) northwest of Detroit, received $56.5 million in state subsidies and a 20-year tax break worth $132.6 million. CEO Quentin Messer Jr. of the Michigan Economic Development Corp., chairman of the Michigan Strategic Fund, said the expansion would increase the plant’s capacity to produce battery components fivefold. In its request for funding, LG Energy Solution threatened facilities in the southeastern U.S. and possibly Poland and China. LG makes large lithium-ion polymer battery cells and packs for electric vehicles and other applications. GM recently ended a joint-venture partnership with General Motors that would have built three U.S. battery factories in Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee. LG Energy Solution, formerly known as LG Chem Michigan, employs nearly 1,500 people in Michigan, including more than 1,300 in Holland on Lake Michigan. The company plans to build several new buildings totaling 1.4 million square feet on vacant land it already owns. Then-President Barack Obama attended the 2010 groundbreaking for the plant, which was supported by a $151 million federal stimulus grant. Production began in 2013. In 2023, 170 workers were laid off at the Holland, Michigan, facility. LG Energy Solution has been adjusting its operations to accommodate slower-than-expected demand. Revenue fell 6% in Q3 compared to the previous quarter. Executives also predicted a slow final quarter of 2024.
Northvolt
The plant was supposed to strengthen the economic structure in the region and create thousands of jobs. Peter Carlsson resigned as CEO a day after the company filed for bankruptcy protection in the United States. Carlsson had been at the helm of the company since its foundation in 2016 and had raised millions in investments. The shareholders, including Volkswagen, BMW and Goldman Sachs, voted against the liquidation of the company and in favor of continuing the restructuring process at the extraordinary shareholders’ meeting in Stockholm. Without that vote, there would have been no more production, no cash flow and the end of the story would have been long ago. The company will cease production in June. In March, the administrator still hoped that the ailing company could continue production while a buyer was sought. But in the meantime, there was only one customer left, truck manufacturer Scania. That was not sustainable in the long term, so production is now gradually being phased out. The administrator is still trying to find a buyer. Northvolt had previously been forced to lay off half of its workforce, with approximately 1,700 people remaining employed during the bankruptcy process. At the end of March 2025, the administrator reached an agreement in principle with key stakeholders to obtain financial guarantees for a scaled-down continuation of operations. This meant that some operations, mainly at the Northvolt Ett factory in Skellefteå, would be temporarily continued, albeit on a smaller scale.
On May 22, 2025, it was announced that battery production at the Northvolt Ett factory in Skellefteå would be completely halted by the end of June 2025 if no buyer was found, but despite this, negotiations continued with potential buyers for several parts of the business, such as Northvolt Labs in Västerås and the recycling arm Revolt.
Scania has been in talks with investors, including the Swedish government and the European Commission, since June 2025 to form a consortium to acquire Northvolt Labs in Västerås. This research centre is seen as crucial for maintaining battery expertise in Europe. A sale of this unit seems close.
On June 24, 2025, the trustee received an indicative offer from a foreign party for Northvolt’s activities in Sweden, specifically for the Skellefteå factory and the R&D center in Västerås.
Northvolt Germany and Northvolt North America have not filed for bankruptcy and remain operational. In Germany, construction is even continuing on the factory in Heide, partly thanks to a loan of 600 million euros, partly covered by the German government. This suggests that these parts could possibly continue to exist separately from the Swedish branch or play a role in a broader restart.
The possibility of a restart for specific parts, such as Northvolt Labs and possibly the recycling branch, still exists, but the core business (the Skellefteå plant) is under severe pressure due to the planned production stop as of June 30, 2025. The recent indicative offer offers some hope, but without concrete agreements the future remains uncertain. The challenges remain high due to high costs, competition from China and a decreasing demand for EV batteries.
Steg
ABP, governments and ING are investing around 6 billion in the green Stegra steel factory and in the construction of large wind farms in Boden, Northern Sweden, which are needed to produce hydrogen. The factory is still under construction, but BMW, Volkswagen and IKEA have already ordered tons of steel from Stegra. In addition to ABP, governments and ING are also investing in the sustainable project. Never before has a complete steel factory been built that runs on hydrogen. Battery manufacturer Northvolt, which is largely backed by the same investors, had to be rescued with additional capital. The first steel should roll off the production line in 2026. The method should reduce CO2 emissions by 95 percent. In the north of Sweden there is a surplus of green energy to produce hydrogen. There are many fast-flowing rivers and hydroelectric power stations. In addition, there is plenty of space for wind farms. These conditions make this an ideal location for this. This is very important for the climate, because the steel sector is a huge polluter. The local Sami are strongly opposed because their land is being taken away and because the construction is at the expense of untouched nature. Indigenous peoples such as the Sami will no longer be able to continue herding reindeer.
Stellantis
French-Italian carmaker Stellantis and Chinese battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd on Tuesday announced a 4.1 billion euro ($4.3 billion) investment to establish a joint venture that will build a large-scale lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery factory in Zaragoza, Spain. CATL, the world’s largest maker of electric vehicle batteries, already has two operational factories in Germany and Hungary. The facility, expected to start production in late 2026, could reach a capacity of 40,000 GWh by then, which industry experts say could power an average of 700,000 cars per day. The 50-50 joint venture between CATL and Stellantis will bolster the latter’s LFP portfolio in Europe, allowing the carmaker to offer more affordable battery-electric passenger cars. In November 2023, Stellantis and CATL signed a non-binding agreement for the local supply of LFP battery cells and modules for electric vehicle production in Europe. They also entered into a long-term collaboration to create a bold technology roadmap to support Stellantis’ advanced battery electric vehicles and identify opportunities to further strengthen the battery value chain. Chinese battery manufacturers account for 65.5 percent of total global EV battery installations, CATL for 36.8 percent. Stellantis is already investing €100 million in the development of an affordable battery for the electric Fiat 500, but also announced that production of the gasoline-powered Fiat Panda in southern Italy will be extended until 2030. Battery maker Automotive Cells Company (ACC), whose stakes include automakers Stellantis and Mercedes-Benz, has paused construction of two other battery factories. ACC had planned to build three battery factories in Europe for a total of €7 billion. Work has now been halted at Kaiserslautern in southwestern Germany and Termoli on Italy’s eastern coast. ACC has yet to decide what to do with its third plant, in the German state of Saarland. Northvolt is also in serious trouble. 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 was created through the merger of Fiat Chrysler (NYSE: STLA) and PSA Group and is a manufacturer of Fiat, Chrysler and Peugeot, among others. The company is bidding farewell to CEO Carlos Tavares with immediate effect. A successor will be appointed in the first half of 2025. The company’s board of directors, chaired by John Elkann, has accepted the resignation of Carlos Tavares. According to board member Henri de Castries, the decision is the result of “difference in positions” between the board and the CEO. Tavares, one of the most respected executives in the auto industry, began to face criticism after Stellantis issued a profit warning for its 2024 results. Shortly afterwards, the company announced that Tavares would not seek a new term as CEO and would retire at the end of his current term in early 2026. Tavares, who liked to describe the current challenges in the auto industry as a “Darwinian period”, has led Stellantis since its founding in early 2021, when Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot owner PSA merged. His outspoken style often brought him into conflict, including with American unions and the Italian government.
Tesla
The financing of a new Tesla storage system for green energy in the North Sea port has been completed. Tesla’s mega batteries can charge and discharge several times a day. This makes it possible to store the green energy from the Borssele I and II wind farms and use it at a later time. It is a solution for the unpredictability of wind and solar energy, one of the major pain points in the energy transition. Companies in particular often need a constant supply of energy for their production systems.
The project by the Dutch Lion Storage, part of Return, will be located on the site of a former coal-fired power station in Vlissingen. This will connect it to the sixty-kilometre-long port area of Vlissingen and Ghent. The Australian investment fund Macquarie Group and the Belgian infrastructure investor Tinc. are investing in the project together with various banks and existing investors of Return. Together, the parties are investing 350 million euros in the project, which is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2027.
Despite the shortage on the power grid, the energy storage system can be connected to Tennet’s high-voltage substation, because it takes over the connection from the old coal-fired power station. The capacity of the project, called Mufasa, corresponds to the power consumption of more than 200,000 households. This is reported by energy supplier Eneco, which will control the system daily. Mufasa is not the first project from Lion Storage. In 2020, it delivered a storage system in the area of Lelystad. The batteries there can supply five thousand households with electricity. Several of the company’s batteries are also already in Vlissingen. Lion Storage merged with Return, a financial holding company, in 2023. More than 60 million euros of the total investment in Mufasa comes from Tinc, which supports the investment with a revolving credit facility of 200 million euros.
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 share price to a high of around 60 euros in 2021. Until China developed battery manufacturers such as CATL with an LFP battery suitable for cars, consisting of the abundant and therefore much cheaper iron and phosphate. Tesla, Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz were convinced. 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.
Electric cars, trucks and buses
233 states, banks, companies and truck manufacturers are supporting a Dutch initiative for clean heavy road traffic. That is almost double compared to last year. For example, Maersk has joined. Two new countries are also participating: Mozambique and Ethiopia. Trucks and buses are important for the transport of goods and people, but they also cause a lot of pollution. Despite the fact that trucks and buses represent only about 4% of road traffic worldwide, they consume more than 1/3 of the fuels and emit about 70% of the nitrogen of all road traffic.
In 2023, more business kilometers were driven electrically than on diesel, thanks to the leasing companies. Almost a quarter of all business kilometers in 2023 were driven with an electric car . This amounts to 5.9 billion kilometers that were driven fully electrically. That is almost double the 3.6 billion kilometers that business diesel cars drove in 2023. This group of cars also includes diesel hybrids. An average company car drove 20,500 kilometers in a year. Electric cars went slightly less far with 20,300 kilometers, while diesel cars covered more distance on average with 24,800 kilometers on the counter. Due to the increase, the market share of electric has also become a lot larger. More electric models have been purchased in Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Germany, among others. The increase in the eastern neighbors is particularly striking. There, the electric segment has recently been severely squeezed, due to the reduction of subsidies.
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 opted for a model that can run entirely or partially on electricity. 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 with an emission class of 4 or lower were registered in the Netherlands. This is almost a quarter (23 percent) of all vans. These vehicles are not allowed to enter the zero-emission zone (ZE zone) from 1 January 2025. As of 1 April, the municipality of Groningen will gradually introduce the new zero-emission zone for commercial vehicles and trucks. By January 2030, the city centre must be completely free of exhaust fumes from commercial vehicles. Several municipalities already introduced such a zone on 1 January. These vans may then only 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 that was still 39 percent (363 thousand). Sales of electric cars in Europe plummeted in August, ACEA notes. The European automotive industry organisation counted 92,627 registrations for fully electric cars. That is almost 44 percent less than in the same month last year.
This year, Audi will lose 1,400 jobs, 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, management has been unable to find a successor for the Audi A3, A1, e-tron and Q8 e-tron variants that are currently rolling off the production line.
HiPhi of the strikingly designed EVs, including the X and Y electric SUVs with gullwing doors and the HiPhi Z with its many angles, folds and remarkable lines. HiPhi had already launched its models in Norway and Germany, among other places , 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 hunting for a joint venture partner, but apparently did not succeed. The last new model was the HiPhi A .
Because second-hand electric cars are difficult to sell, the lease rates for these cars are rising. Prices have even doubled in the past three years. Leasing companies play a crucial role in Europe in the energy transition, as 60% of new cars are leased. For electric cars, the share is estimated at 80%.
The lease price is calculated on the basis of the residual value after an average lease period of three years. So if the returns are lower, the lease prices have to go up. Price reductions and a cheap Chinese supply also affect the residual value. The resale value of second-hand electric cars in Germany was 24% below the pre-pandemic level at the beginning of July and 30% lower in Great Britain.That stands in stark contrast to used gasoline models, which remained about 15 percent more expensive in both markets. Hertz reported depreciation of about $150 million on the roughly 20,000 electric vehicles it had to sell at heavily discounted prices, and 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 percent of Arval’s fleet of 1.7 million vehicles is electric. However, they too have already been forced to raise prices due to lower residual values. Some carmakers are giving leasing companies extra cash compensation to offset the losses. In Germany, leasing of electric cars has nevertheless increased dramatically over the past three years. However, sales of electric cars fell by 16.4 percent in the first half of 2024 after the government abolished subsidies for consumers 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, this fell to 14.4% in the first half of the year, as sales of electric vehicles rose by only 1.3%. Transport & Environment (T&E) in Brussels wants to require large European commercial vehicle 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 fall even further. 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. Volkswagen now plans to close three factories in Germany due to increasing competition from Chinese manufacturers of electric vehicles. Other measures to “future-proof” the company include ending a labor agreement with unions that has been in place since 1994. Volkswagen is considering cutting up to 30,000 jobs in Germany over time, which would represent almost a quarter of all jobs in the country. “The European automotive industry is in a very demanding and serious situation,” said Oliver Blume, CEO of Volkswagen Group. “The economic conditions have become even tougher and new competitors are entering the European market. Germany in particular is falling further behind in terms of competitiveness as a production location.” Volkswagen, which launched a €10 billion ($11.1 billion) cost-cutting measure at the end of last year, is losing market share in China, its largest market. In the first half of the year, deliveries to customers in that country fell by 7% compared to the same period in 2023. The group’s operating profit fell by 11.4% to €10.1 billion ($11.2 billion).The German government is considering state aid. The European Commission has previously approved German state aid to Northvolt, a Swedish battery manufacturer. Germany was also allowed by the EU to provide 5 billion euros to chipmaker TSMC and partners for the construction of a factory in Dresden. The aid to Volkswagen is also expected to be approved by the EU. Volkswagen is also reportedly planning to close a Chinese factory of the SAIC-Volkswagen joint venture because there is not enough demand. The factory in question is that of SAIC-VW, the oldest of Volkswagen’s three joint ventures in China. The factory in Nanjing has a capacity of 360,000 cars per year. It currently produces Skoda Kamiq, Superb andVolkswagen Passat produced that is very different from the model we know in Europe. So this time it is not about the closure of an EV factory, but of a factory that builds cars with combustion engines. The 1 billion fine for the emissions fraud is also still weighing heavily on the Volkswagen Group. In the first two days after the fraud became known, Volkswagen’s stock market value fell by 27 billion euros. Volkswagen asked its employees for a 10% pay cut on October 30, 2024. According to them, this was the only way to save jobs and remain competitive. It was the first official confirmation of the cost-saving measures that VW wants to implement. In the meantime, CEOs of the most important suppliers to the German automotive industry and metal union IG Metall have asked the government for help because of the worrying situation in the industry. The companies mention a ‘dramatic’ underutilization of production capacity. Both Germany, France, Italy and the Czech Republic want to at least get rid of the CO2 fines and support stimulation again with European subsidies
The disappointing performance in China comes as the company loses out to local EV brands, particularly BYD. These brands also pose a growing threat to its European operations. E4 already had planned reductions in factory, supply chain and labor costs, and necessary organizational steps have already been taken. The new electric Volkswagen ID 3 will be built at the Zwickau and Dresden plants from April and at the carmaker’s main plant in Wolfsburg from autumn 2023. Volkswagen’s cost-cutting plans have met with fierce resistance from union representatives, who hold almost half of the seats on the company’s supervisory board, which appoints top executives. IG Metall, one of Germany’s most powerful unions, on Monday blamed mismanagement for the company’s shortcomings and vowed to fight to save jobs. “This approach is not only short-sighted, but also extremely dangerous: it risks destroying the heart of Volkswagen. According to its latest earnings report, Volkswagen has almost 683,000 employees worldwide, including some 295,000 in Germany. Thomas Schaefer, CEO of Volkswagen Passenger Cars, said the company remains committed to Germany “as a business location.” “The situation is extremely tense and cannot be resolved with simple cost-cutting measures,” Volkswagen said. From January to August, 63,467 used electric cars were sold, 72 percent more than in the same period last year. Hybrid models are also doing well again. The new European Commission remains on track to achieve zero-emission car sales by 2035, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote in the political guidelinesfor her new term of office. Driving on petrol or diesel will become even more expensive in the coming years. From 2027, there will be a European levy on these fuels, on top of the excise duties that are already charged. Next year, there will be a purchase tax on fossil vans for the first time, while electric models will remain exempt. The European car industry can expect around 15 billion euros in fines if the demand for electric cars does not pick up soon. Manufacturers will have to deal with stricter requirements for the CO2 emissions of new cars from 2025. But due to the slow demand for electric cars, the new targets may not be met in time. At present, manufacturers’ new cars sold are allowed to emit an average of 116 grams of CO2 per kilometre. From next year, that ceiling will drop to 94 grams per kilometre. Exceeding the limits can lead to fines of 95 euros per gram of excess, multiplied by the number of vehicles sold. Such fines can quickly run into hundreds of millions of euros for large car manufacturers. In 2025, cars must emit less than 95 grams of CO2, about ten percent less than in 2023. A possible revision of the rules will take place in 2027, but the car manufacturers think that is too late. They are urging the European Commission to bring it forward to 2026. The ACEA now hopes in Brussels to achieve that the emission rules are postponed by two years. The Swiss Zero Point Holding BV, one of Lightyear’s largest investors, has provided more than 10 million euros in new financing. The former solar car manufacturer wants to use that money to expand its team of experts and technicians, with whom the company now develops solar systems for vehicles. The new financing round is the largest since then. Lightyear then announced that it would no longer focus on the production of solar cars for the time being, but on making solar panels for electric vehicles. In October last year it became clear that Lightyear had definitively put its dream of building a solar car on hold. Founder Lex Hoefsloot left the board at the beginning of this year. That was shortly after Lightyear found a Dutch and a South Korean investor for the development of solar films in December last year. These films can be used by other manufacturers on EVs. The budgetary loss of motor vehicle tax for electric cars is considerably higher for the government than previously estimated. The government now wants to reduce the rate reduction to 25 percent from 2026 to 2029, to 0 percent from 2030. From then on, you will pay more motor vehicle tax with an emission-free passenger car than with a car with a combustion engine, since the battery brings hundreds of kilos of extra weight with it.
The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management is working on a bill that should make it possible to drive heavier, sustainably powered vehicles with a regular B driving license. This proposal amends the Driving License Regulations and focuses on vehicles that are primarily powered by electricity or other alternative fuels, with a maximum weight of 4,250 kilograms. With this measure, the ministry wants to make it more attractive for companies to make their vehicles more sustainable, without the additional costs and scarcity of drivers with a C driving license, which is often required for vehicles over 3,500 kilograms.
The buses around Roosendaal will not be running on electricity at the start of the new concession in West Brabant next summer . Due to the overload on the power grid, the buses cannot yet be charged in the new depot. The first few years will therefore have to be driven in the old-fashioned way with diesel buses. The province of Noord-Brabant has set electric driving as one of the most important conditions in the new West Brabant concession. Grid operator Enexis can process applications with priority, but Arriva is not eligible for this. Arriva is a ‘normal’ company and must therefore join the queue for a power connection. But no transport was not an option at all, so the province has asked Arriva to come up with a plan in which electrification in Roosendaal is temporarily waived. In practice, this will mean that the approximately 50 buses that depart from the depot on Schotsbossenstraat will run on diesel in the first years of the concession. More than 200 buses will be on the road in the entire West Brabant concession. Of these, approximately 130 will be electric at the start of the concession. In a packed court on December 11, 2024, public transport companies, telecom providers, data centers, waste processors and general practitioners asked for priority in getting a connection to the overcrowded electricity grid. Due to the long waiting lists, everyone wants to get to the front of the line. Electric trucks and buses
Step by step, all trucks and buses will be replaced by electric variants. In 2040, all new trucks should be electric and in 2050, all trucks that still ran on petrol or diesel should also be replaced by more sustainable trucks. State Secretary Van Weyenberg of Infrastructure and Water Management called it a good start last year and hoped that more countries would join. This also happened: countries such as Uruguay, Turkey, Finland and the United Kingdom joined. In the Netherlands, freight forwarder Simon Loos has ordered 75 e-trucks, doubling their electric fleet and transport company DSV ordered 300, of which about twenty will be driving in the Netherlands within six months. From 1 January 2025, only zero-emission commercial vehicles that are electric or run on hydrogen will be allowed in 14 large municipalities. However, a transitional arrangement applies until 2030 and exemptions and waivers are possible. Some vans and trucks that were purchased earlier will be allowed to enter the city centre for longer. The cleaner the vehicle, the longer they are permitted. From 2030, the centre of The Hague will be completely banned from non-electric transport. Wheelchair-accessible classic cars and vans and trucks will be exempted based on the vehicle’s registration number and do not need to be applied for separately. This is necessary for an exemption. This is a long list of exceptions with dates, emission classes, lifting capacities and ages of the vehicles. Such as when you have a not-too-old van, camper or truck that you only use privately and not for business; when you have ordered an electric car that has not yet been delivered; if you have a special vehicle such as a fairground or circus wagon. Vehicles that cannot be made emission-free, such as heavy transport, are also entitled to an exemption. It is also possible to apply for a day exemption. This may be a maximum of twelve per year, per municipality and must be applied for a maximum of ninety days in advance. The costs for an exemption are between 30 and 100 euros, depending on the type of exemption. At a central counter in Amsterdam of the RDW, the exemptions and waivers should actually be issued for all municipalities that introduce a zero-emission zone. Such a central counter should prevent a proliferation of exemptions and each municipality having a different arrangement. However, the RDW has not yet succeeded in setting up a counter in time. That is why the Municipality of Amsterdam has offered to temporarily act as a central counter, so that entrepreneurs can apply for an exemption in time, with which they can go to all municipalities. The new cabinet is not a fan of zero-emission zones. The main points of the agreement state that the cabinet will continue to support the purchase of electric vehicles,but also keeps an eye on the ‘fossil drivers’. At the same time, the subsidies will stop as of 2025. The House of Representatives wants trucks and vans with combustion engines to be allowed into city centres for the time being. Many municipalities want to introduce a zero-emission zone for these vehicles from 1 January 2025. The various municipalities are continuing with the introduction of zero-emission zones for the time being, but will not issue fines in the first year. There are no concrete plans to also introduce a zero-emission zone for passenger cars with a diesel and petrol engine.
Under the planned rules, the cleanest diesel buses would be allowed to enter city centres legally until 1 January 2028. To accommodate entrepreneurs, the State Secretary postponed this rule by one year . The municipal authorities of 14 large municipalities saw this very differently. Together they have reached a decision. The new measures “give entrepreneurs more time and space to switch to an electric commercial vehicle”, writes the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management.
Two measures have been agreed:
- Each municipality will set a fine-free period of at least six months. If there is local reason to do so, a municipality is free to use a longer period”. The Hague wanted a fine-free period of 4 months, but that will not happen.
- A legislative amendment process is being started to allow vans with emission class 6 to remain in the environmental zones for one more year. “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 have to rack their brains about the electricity problems in the cities.
Despite the plans of the government parties to investigate how the introduction of zero-emission zones can be postponed, the four major cities are definitely continuing on the path they have taken. They emphasise that ultimately they, and not the government, will decide whether or not to introduce the environmental zones. Fifteen municipalities want to introduce a zero-emission zone as of 1 January. They have been working on the preparation of the zero-emission zone that is due to come into effect in 2025 since 2014. In Amsterdam, the planned zone was recently reduced. Initially, the entire area within the A10 Ring Road was to be off-limits to new company vans and trucks that are not zero-emission. That area is now limited to within the city centre ring road. Entrepreneurs, parcel deliverers and couriers have already purchased considerably more vans under pressure in the first months of this year.
It is estimated that more than 1.6 billion euros will be raised from 2026 to 2030 with a truck levy. The levy is intended for innovation and sustainability, according to the minister. One of the spearheads of the sustainability plans is the Zero-Emission Trucks Purchase Subsidy Scheme (AanZET). The aim of this scheme is to encourage companies to switch to zero-emission trucks, such as fully electric trucks. AanZET has been a great success since its launch. For example, on 1 October this year, €22 million was still available for the purchase of these vehicles. But as with previous openings, this budget was completely exhausted within a few days. In total, more than half of the total budget for the truck levy, approximately 980 million euros, will be spent on this subsidy scheme in the coming years. The ministry has announced five important measures to support the transition of the transport sector. In addition to the purchase subsidies, funds are also being made available for the construction of charging infrastructure for electric trucks and hydrogen filling stations. In addition, a significant portion of the budget is invested in research into innovations, such as technologies that enable trucks to charge while driving. This would not only increase the range of trucks, but also greatly improve the efficiency of long-distance transport. Furthermore, attention is paid to measures that should improve efficiency in logistics, such as optimizing routes and reducing empty kilometers.
The municipality of Rotterdam and carriers had signed a declaration of intent, stating that the Rotterdam city centre could only be supplied with electric vehicles in 2020. The participants in the Green Deal are Bidvest DeliXL, G. Van der Heijden Distributie, Getru Bedrijven, Klok Containers, Post Kogeko and Roadrunner Koerier. The municipality of Rotterdam does state that for the time being no additional and mandatory measures will be taken to ban more polluting diesel and petrol engines in the city centre. Rotterdam has had an environmental zone since 2007, which means that dirty trucks and vans are no longer allowed in the city centre. The 2020 intention has now been postponed to 2025.
Seventeen CEOs of companies in the Amsterdam Zuidas signed the Declaration of Intent for Electric Taxi Consumption during the CEO breakfast of Green Business Club Zuidas. In return, the Municipality of Amsterdam will install four fast charging points for electric transport on the Strawinskylaan, with which a taxi can be charged for 80% in twenty minutes. The Mobility as a Service (MAAS) platform, which has so far failed, was supposed to link the total mobility offer of bicycles, trains, shared cars, cars, taxis and other means of transport in a flexible way. There are various consultations within the MaaS Programme, such as the OGO, the PLO and the MaaS service providers consultation. Those involved in these consultations indicate that continuing these consultations on the same basis after the end of the programme does not make sense.
Less than half a percent of trucks in the Netherlands are electric, while for passenger cars this is just under 4 percent. CO2 emissions from trucks must also have fallen by 45 percent in 2030 compared to 2019. This requires 430,000 electric trucks and a solution for the enormous shortage of charging stations for electric trucks. At least 50,000 public charging stations are needed in Europe, of which 35,000 must be connected to the high-voltage grid. Governments are required by the EU to install sufficient publicly accessible fast charging points for heavy vehicles along the TEN-T network to ensure full connectivity throughout the Union. This infrastructure must have sufficient charging capacity to be able to charge heavy commercial vehicles within the driver’s statutory rest period. In order to take into account the time required for the planning, design and installation of charging infrastructure, which may involve extending or upgrading the electricity grid in certain areas, the acquisition of land, environmental permits and, where necessary, the award of public contracts, and to keep pace with the gradual increase in the use of heavy-duty electric vehicles, publicly accessible charging infrastructure for such vehicles should be progressively installed from 2025 onwards, with a view to covering the entire TEN-T network by 2030 at the latest. In order to allow for the deployment of charging infrastructure along the TEN-T road network, all charging stations to be installed along the TEN-T road network should be located along the TEN-T road network or within a driving distance of 3 km from the nearest TEN-T road exit.
Electric trucks did a lot better for a while. The subsidy pot of 45 million euros for this was already allocated in two days and was even exceeded by 1.5 million euros. According to the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), 428 applications were received on the first day and another 219 on the second day. In 2023, the pot of 30 million euros was even oversubscribed in one day. With the subsidies provided, more than six hundred electric trucks can be purchased. There are now more than 740 fully electric trucks on Dutch roads (excluding hydrogen trucks). In 2025, there must be at least a thousand and in 2030 16,000, after which all new trucks in the Netherlands must be emission-free in 2040. The Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research has indicated that electric trucks for heavy transport will be competitive within a few years. The falling costs of batteries and fuel cells play a crucial role in this, according to the researchers in Karlsruhe. Study author Steffen Link states that battery trucks will be able to compete techno-economically with current diesel trucks for most applications in the near future. The transition to electric trucks will require significant investments. This year, truck sales will still be maintained due to a wave of new diesel trucks that were ordered for the transitional arrangement of zero-emission zones. In 2025, truck sales will still take a step back of around ten percent. Transporters feel less pressure to switch to electric transport now and that contributes to the postponement of investments. Many companies are already preparing for the introduction of zero-emission zones and the transitional arrangement that will come into effect on 1 January 2025. The fact that the new cabinet now wants to look at a postponement is creating new uncertainty among investors and that does not help the influx of zero-emission trucks. While the Netherlands is taking the pressure off with zero-emission transport, several truck manufacturers including DAF and Mercedes will deliver electric tractors with a greater range in 2025. This broadens the stakes and should ensure that manufacturers can meet the mandatory CO2 reduction target of 15 percent of average production (which will increase to 45 percent in 2030). This pressure is expected to reduce the price of electric trucks (currently around 3 times as expensive as diesel trucks), but they will remain considerably more expensive than diesel trucks. From 2026 and 2027, the truck levy and the introduction of a European emissions trading system for road transport will help to bridge the price gap. The influx of electric trucks into Europe will then increase further. For longer distances and heavy transport, manufacturers are now all working on trucks with a hydrogen combustion engine.Listed transport clients will have to report on CO2 emissions from their transport for the first time in 2025 with the introduction of the Corporate Social Responsibility Directive (CSRD). This means that transporters who work for them and are part of the chain (so-called Scope 3) can expect requests for data from clients this year. This requires attention, because not all transporters are prepared and know exactly how clients want to measure performance and receive data. It is striking that biodiesel (HVO-100) is currently making a strong advance in international road transport, which may also be related to the reporting obligations here. The fact that the truck and trailer market has turned from a seller’s market to a buyer’s market is most noticeable in the trailer market, which has switched from overheated to undercooled. With the decline in transport demand, investments have also been scaled down quite quickly, while previous orders had just been received due to long delivery times. The standard curtain-sided trailers – which are also often purchased in larger numbers – are particularly affected by this. The demand for specialist equipment is holding up better. In total, total trailer sales are expected to fall by more than a fifth in 2024. Electrification of cooling systems, but also of axles, are useful innovations that can shake up the market and help to get replacement demand going again from 2025.
A test vehicle of the Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 is being used at Simon Loos. Simon Loos is carrying out the very last practical tests for Daimler Truck AG before this new model goes into series production at the beginning of 2025. This test project is the continuation of an intensive collaboration in the field of electric transport in recent years. The e-truck will mainly drive between the various regional and national distribution centres of Albert Heijn. The commissioning of the test vehicle of the eActros 600 tractor unit is Simon Loos’ latest chapter in a long line of impressive developments in the field of electric mobility. There are now more than 60 electric trucks on the road for the logistics service provider, mainly of the Mercedes-Benz brand. The company has already covered more than 5 million electric kilometres since 2014.
Where the e-trucks were previously used for the noise- and emission-free supply of supermarkets in inner cities, this eActros 600 will drive longer distances between distribution centres. This increases the range to 500 kilometres. Tjeerd Tromp, Head of Sales at Daimler Truck Nederland is proud of the latest development. He says: “We see the eActros 600 as the most important model in the transition to zero-emission transport. In the run-up to series production that will start early next year, it is great to be able to work with such an innovative and progressive player as Simon Loos. It provides us with a lot of useful data and this project helps us to optimize the end product down to the very last detail for market introduction. In an earlier and similar project, Simon Loos proved to be a real ‘data cannon’ among the other transporters: of all the companies that participated in Europe, the test at Simon Loos yielded by far the most data, partly because the truck drove by far the most kilometers within this organization.
Schiphol Airport started testing two Lift buses from the company Ohmio in October 2023, which drive a fixed route using GPS and cameras. The autonomous electric buses will transport airport employees on a fixed route in the part of the airport behind passport and customs control. For safety reasons, there will be a driver present who can take over the controls in an emergency. The buses will shuttle between a security checkpoint at Gate 60 and offices. A total of eight passengers can fit in the bus. A ride from the starting point to the end point and back takes about five minutes. The test will run until the end of April 2024, but the airport is considering extending the test after that date.
Emissions trading
From 2021, the emission rules for new cars became a lot stricter due to environmental requirements. The entire ‘fleet’ of new cars from a manufacturer was only allowed to emit an average of 95 grams of CO2 per kilometer. Tesla and Fiat Chrysler immediately formed a pool and are therefore allowed to add the fleets together, after which the average emissions of this pool are calculated. Because Tesla cars are completely emission-free, it significantly reduces Fiat Chrysler’s average.
Thanks to Tesla, Fiat Chrysler can continue to make cars with very high gas consumption without getting fines for it. And thanks to Fiat Chrysler, Tesla can maintain its liquidity for a while. Until now, carbon trading has been an important source of income for Tesla. In 2024, Tesla earned $2.76 billion in revenue from the sale of emission rights, an increase of 54% compared to $1.79 billion in 2023. In 2020, this was already $1 billion. Trump’s new “Big Beautiful Bill” seeks to limit or eliminate programs such as the California Air Resources Board (CARB) Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) program and also eliminates federal EV tax credits ($7,500 for new EVs and $4,000 for used EVs) effective September 30, 2025, which could reduce demand for electric vehicles and indirectly impact the value of emissions credits, as fewer automakers will need the credits as the EV market shrinks, threatening Tesla’s revenue. This could have a significant impact, as emissions trading has generated approximately $11 billion for Tesla since 2015.
Self-driving buses for the flight crew
Schiphol and KLM are testing self-driving buses for the aircraft crew. An autonomous shuttle service will drive a fixed, pre-programmed route to and from the platform. This second test follows a successful first test with these self-driving buses from supplier Ohmio. During the first phase of the test, the focus was on testing the technology and user-friendliness. During the second test phase, the focus will be on the complex environment. A lot is happening on and around the platform at the same time: from aircraft arriving and departing to the handling process and the transport of airline crew. In the coming weeks, the bus will pick up KLM Cityhopper crew from Platform A several times a day. KLM Cityhopper aircraft are parked here before they depart from or after they have arrived at Schiphol. The self-driving bus will then drop off the aircraft crew members at the terminal. The vehicle is equipped with sensors and special cameras and uses GPS signals to locate itself. The bus has a 360-degree view because it is equipped with Lidar technology. This allows the vehicle to detect objects up to 30 metres away and anticipate them.
The emission of harmful substances from electricity production in the EU has fallen by almost a third in two years. For the first time, the sun and wind have generated more electricity than fossil sources, because more and more solar panels and wind turbines are being installed in many European countries. At the same time, production using gas and especially coal is falling rapidly. In the first six months of this year, the sun and wind produced 13 percent more electricity than in the first half of last year. Wind turbines in particular produced more, around 20 percent. Electricity production using coal fell by 24 percent, while natural gas fell by 14 percent. The large EU countries in particular – Germany, Italy, Spain and France – used less fossil sources. Wind turbines and solar panels now account for 30 percent of the total electricity production in the European Union. That is more than the 27 percent that coal and gas account for. Other important energy sources in Europe are hydroelectric power stations and nuclear energy, the production of which grew in both cases. Solar, wind, water and nuclear power plants together account for almost three quarters of total electricity production in the EU.
Qbuzz
The bankruptcy of Van Hool has meant that diesel buses will have to operate for longer in parts of South Holland . Qbuzz had ordered 112 electric buses from Van Hool and 140 from IVECO. Qbuzz was forced to order replacement buses from the Chinese Yutong. There are no buses from this manufacturer in operation in the Netherlands yet. Van Hool was supposed to deliver 112 electric buses to Qbuzz, 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 production of public transport buses was stopped after the takeover by VDL. Moreover, Van Hool’s order book is not part of the restart under VDL. According to the province of South Holland, electric buses from the Chinese manufacturer are already being used 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. 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 the province of South Holland – the concession granter – believes that this is a case of force majeure, Qbuzz will be given permission for this and will not be fined. The province requires the alternative supplier to ensure that the buses supplied are equivalent in specification and quality to the product that Van Hool would supply. Qbuzz needs a total of 252 new buses to provide public transport in this area, which covers eighteen municipalities. At present, 90 percent of the buses in this public transport area run on diesel. The 23 electric buses that have been in operation in Leiden since 2019 will be included in the next concession. This concession will run for thirteen years (2024-2037) and has a market value of 1 billion euros. Invest-NL and the EU (3.9 million euros) jointly made an investment of 15 million euros possible for 386 additional charging stations. A self-driving bus will also be tested in Groningen this fall. It concerns an existing regional bus from the transport company Qbuzz, where technology from a Dutch company is built in. From next month, a self-driving electric bus will be driving at the Qbuzz bus depot in Groningen. The bus is expected to start driving on the bus lane on the Peizerweg in Groningen later this year. Qbuzz was fined 131,500 euros by the Groningen Drenthe public transport office. The fine was imposed because, according to the public transport office, too many trips were cancelled in the period from April to August. The public transport office threatens to impose more fines if Qbuzz does not get the cancellations under control. On December 21, 2024, the police seized a Qbuzz bus at Leiden Central Station. The diesel bus was used by Qbuzz. Many things go wrong at Qbuzz, such as arriving late or lines being cancelled, inexperienced drivers having to ask passengers for directions and not all buses have passenger information. For this reason, passengers do not have to pay until January 5. Some buses have license plates that are said to be incorrect, buses that have not been inspected and buses that literally have nails sticking out of the interior. On a bus forum, both drivers and passengers complain about defective equipment, traffic light manipulation that does not yet work and many other shortcomings. Since Qbuzz took over the public transport concession for the Arriva area on 15 December, things have been going downhill. The province of South Holland is now threatening to take measures and the Leiden city council is demanding rapid improvements in an open letter. Because problems at the start of a new concession are the rule rather than the exception, the travel association Rover is advocating that the start be moved to the summer in the future. From the first day of the new concession period, there have been major problems with bus transport in and around the cities of Leiden, Alphen aan den Rijn, Gouda and Katwijk. Buses are late, do not arrive and there are known cases of drivers taking the wrong route. The province of South Holland is now considering giving Qbuzz less money for the time being. Provincial executive Frederik Zevenbergen has been considering fining Qbuzz for some time now and is now also considering partially suspending the monthly operating contribution. The director writes this in a letter to the Provincial Council, which will debate the chaotic start of Qbuzz in the public transport area of South Holland North on Wednesday. Qbuzz took over bus transport from Arriva in and around cities such as Alphen aan den Rijn, Gouda, Leiden and Katwijk in mid-December. Zevenbergen calls the current situation ‘untenable’ and wants an improvement plan from Qbuzz by 3 February at the latest. This must include how the transport company intends to ensure that less than 1 percent of journeys are cancelled. According to the province, that percentage was 7.5 percent at the beginning of this week, although Qbuzz had promised that the service would be up to standard from 27 January. In principle, South Holland will pay 46.9 million euros to Qbuzz this year,although that amount can still change based on the national indexation figure. The province pays an advance halfway through each month, but Zevenbergen wants to suspend that in part if ‘substantial improvement’ does not occur in the short term. ‘The province, and therefore our residents, should not have to pay for services that are not delivered’, according to the deputy. According to Qbuzz, the problems are mainly caused by the delayed inflow of electric buses and the old equipment that now has to be driven. However, ‘doubts have arisen about this’ in Zevenbergen, he writes. ‘The failure to deploy sufficient drivers now seems to be the main cause of the persistent cancellation of services. The province of South Holland has imposed fines totaling almost 3.5 million euros.
Ebusco
The manufacturer of electric city buses in Deurne, co-founded by CEO Peter Bijvelds in 2012, has a constant shortage of parts, production problems, receives fines for late delivery of buses, and has concerns about financingand is taking legal action over cancelled orders. Payment arrangements are being discussed with creditors and bankruptcy was narrowly averted on 20 November, after raising 36 million euros in share issues. At the end of December 2024, 102 employees were made redundant. One in six employees must leave due to the cutbacks. Two production locations in Deurne and Venray are also being merged for this reason. The growth in the number of electric buses was significantly disappointing in 2023. Ebusco had to lay off 100 employees and is now partly outsourcing production to China and Portugal, which means they too could be subject to import duties. At the last minute, Ebusco received a Swiss order for the delivery of twelve electric buses at the beginning of January 2024, but that is not enough to turn the tide. The loss for 2022 had already risen to 32.2 million euros. A capital injection of 59.2 million euros in total, in the form of the issue of additional shares and a bond loan, had to give the company some breathing space. By issuing 5 million shares (at 5 euros) and a convertible bond worth 36.8 million euros were placed with Heights Capital Management. Ultimately, 34.2 million euros were raised. CEO Peter Bijvelds, VDVI, ING Corporate Investments Participaties and Teslin Participaties participated in the share issue. An order from January was publicized again in March to increase the share price. The price still fell by 7% when the company issued a turnover alarm on 25 June. The turnover for 2023 was more than 102 million euros. Ebusco received various fines of up to 5 million euros because they could not adhere to customer agreements. Due to persistent shortages of parts in Europe, some of the buses have been assembled in China since the end of 2023. A capital injection of over 60 million euros through a private share issue (25 million euros) and a convertible bond (37 million euros) was spent on over 50 million euros for stocks to deal with the delivery problems, twenty million euros for new machines, a new factory in Rouen, France and a new automation system. The turnover shortfall came on top of the seven million euros setback that they spent more on the purchase of parts, transport costs and import duties. The EBITDA ended at over 52 million euros negative. A turnover of at least 325 million euros and a positive operating result are expected for the current financial year. In 2024, turnover should triple to over 325 million euros, partly because many sales are being completed this year instead of last year. The deferred tax assets item, which amounted to over 16 million euros in 2022, was completely written down to zero at the end of last year due to Ebusco’s ‘history of reported losses.Ebusco went public in October 2021 at a price of 21 euros, of which only 0.50 euro cents remains. Of the market value of 1.3 billion euros, approximately 200 million is now left. And that includes the share issue of 25 million euros in December last year (5 million shares at 5 euros each). At the time of the IPO, Ebusco expected a production of 3,000 buses in the medium term, which should generate 1.5 billion euros in sales. Each bus sold should yield an operating margin of at least 35 percent. However, turnover, margins and cash flows are extremely lower than announced at the IPO. To solve problems, Ebusco has implemented many changes within the top of the company. In addition, people have been added. For example, Roald Dogge has been added to the board of directors and Erland Morelissen to the executive team to get the operational ins and outs of the company back in order with their experience in the bus industry. Michiel Peters is working on simplifying the production process and supply chain. The reorganization should lead to a higher production of forty to fifty buses per month by the end of 2025. Ebusco buses are driving around in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France and Norway, and this year also in Sweden and Spain. Michiel Peters had the plan to get out of the situation the company is in by raising external financing and making payment arrangements with creditors. Owner Peter Bijvelds, who only owns 35.37% of the shares, had to pay the other shareholders, ING Groep NV (19.62%), Van der Valk Investments BV,Michiel Peters had a plan to get out of the situation the company was in by raising external financing and making payment arrangements with creditors. Owner Peter Bijvelds, who only owned 35.37% of the shares, had to pay the other shareholders, ING Groep NV (19.62%), Van der Valk Investments BV,Michiel Peters had a plan to get out of the situation the company was in by raising external financing and making payment arrangements with creditors. Owner Peter Bijvelds, who only owned 35.37% of the shares, had to pay the other shareholders, ING Groep NV (19.62%), Van der Valk Investments BV,Teslin Participations Cooperative UA (4.98%)and BV Investment Fund “Hoogh Blarick” (3.28%) for more money. Van der Valk dropped Ebusco and sees no future for the company. Of the shareholding of over 190 million euros, only around 2.7 million euros remains. Ebusco received various fines of up to 5 million euros because they could not adhere to customer agreements. The capital injection of over 60 million euros through a private share issue (25 million euros) and a convertible bond (37 million euros) was spent on over 50 million euros for stocks to deal with the delivery problems, twenty million euros for new machines, a new factory in Rouen, France and a new automation system. The turnover shortfall was on top of the shortfall of seven million euros that they spent on the purchase of parts, transport costs and import duties. The EBITDA ended at over 52 million euros negative. For the current financial year, a turnover of at least 325 million euros and a positive operating result are expected. The turnover for 2023 was more than 102 million euros. Ebusco ended the year with a cash position of 28 million euros. Last year, it was 95 million euros. In 2024, turnover should triple to more than 325 million euros, partly because many sales are being completed this year instead of last year. But losses will probably continue to be recorded for years to come. The deferred tax assets item, which amounted to more than 16 million euros in 2022, was completely written down to zero at the end of last year due to Ebusco’s ‘history of reported losses. Ebusco went public in October 2021 at a price of 21 euros and now only 3 euros remains. Investors who subscribed at the issue price of 21 euros have lost almost 85 percent of their investment so far. Of the market value of 1.3 billion euros, approximately 200 million is now left. And that includes the share issue of 25 million euros in December last year (5 million shares at 5 euros each). In order to solve problems, Ebusco has implemented many changes within the top of the company. In addition, people have been added. For example, Roald Dogge has been added to the board of directors and Erland Morelissen to the executive team to get the operational ins and outs of the company back in order with their experience in the bus industry. Ebusco buses drive around in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France and Norway, and this year also in Sweden and Spain. As a condition of the capital injection, founder and CEO Peter Bijvelds and CEO Michiel Peters had to leave. In the first half of 2024, Ebusco delivered 98 buses, while hundreds of copies were planned. In the past 3rd quarter, 37 buses were delivered. In the first half of this year, a loss of almost 65 million euros was incurred, on a turnover of 38 million euros.In July, the company announced that it would be reducing its number of locations from seven to five. Ebusco now employs 770 people, around a hundred fewer than at the end of last year. More jobs are expected to be cut. The bus manufacturer will have to make do or die in the coming six months. The company wants to raise 36 million euros from shareholders in order to survive. To make matters worse, Swedish bus company Connect Bus has cancelled an order for 47 electric buses. The Swedish public transport company had ordered 47 buses of the latest 3.0 generation from Ebusco to be deployed from December 2023. Despite Ebusco postponing the delivery of the e-buses several times, Connect Bus initially waited until delivery would take place. When that did not happen again, the company cancelled the order. Connect Bus is claiming damages from Ebusco. The amount involved is not known. Founder Peter Bijvelds stepped down as CEO and left completely on 2 September. The same applies to co-CEO Michiel Peters. The duo will be succeeded by the German Christian Schreyer. Christian Schreyer. Schreyer has more than 25 years of experience in the public transport sector and was a member of the board of Deutsche Bahn. Schreyer brings with him more than 25 years of experience in the public transport sector and logistics, gained at companies such as Deutsche Bahn, DB Schenker Rail, Transdev and Go Ahead. He has led significant business transformations throughout his career and has deep industry knowledge and customer insights. Schreyer holds a Master of Laws from the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich and completed a General Management Program at Harvard Business School in the United States. Ebusco will convene an EGM to propose the appointment of Christian Schreyer as member of the Board of Management in the role of CEO and to present the turnaround and financing plan. Several major shareholders have already shown their support for Christian’s appointment by providing financial support as a prelude to the implementation of the turnaround.’ Schreyer has more than 25 years of experience in the public transport and logistics sector and has worked for companies such as Deutsche Bahn, DB Schenker Rail, Transdev and Go Ahead. The Supervisory Board also let member of the Board Ruud Spoor leave, as did Saskia Schatteman, also a member of the Board. At investor Teslin, Hein van Beuningen also had to resign. Ebusco is going to court to claim payment for 45 buses by Qbuzz, who wants to cancel an order, but the buses have already been made and the majority are ready to be delivered. According to Ebusco, the loss of the order would put considerable pressure on its financial resources. In order to maintain its finances in the short term,Ebusco has largely halted production pending the outcome of the lawsuit and the completion of the issuance of new shares to shareholders. Qbuzz has seized several of Ebusco’s bank accounts. Ebusco wants to resolve the dispute quickly before it offers existing shareholders the opportunity to purchase new shares. Last month, Ebusco announced that it wanted to raise 36 million euros in new capital from shareholders. The company will hold an extraordinary shareholders’ meeting on October 24. Due to delivery problems at the bus manufacturer, the Swedish Connect Bus previously cancelled an order for 47 buses. Ebusco is now in talks with various parties to sell those buses, which have already been produced. Transport company Keolis Sweden and Connect Bus have also cancelled orders for at least fifty buses. According to the judge, Ebusco did not adhere to the agreements and the company was late in delivering the buses. Qbuzz previously behaved reasonably towards the bus manufacturer when it became apparent that the ordered buses could not be delivered at the agreed time. Ebusco allegedly failed to sufficiently prove that they could still be delivered before the final delivery date of 1 December, which is why the court ruled that the seizure of Ebusco’s accounts was permitted and did not have to be lifted. Ebusco’s financial security has become quite precarious as a result. There is approximately 33 million euros in outstanding debt and more fines and claims are expected. In addition, the company also has a substantial outstanding debt to the Tax Authorities, for which it has pledged part of its assets. CFO Jurjen Jongma started only a year ago and was seen as the necessary ‘financial heavyweight’ to structure the company, but now he must also leave. A newly announced rescue plan concerns a collaboration with one of the suppliers. In addition, licenses are being sold to other bus manufacturers for the technology behind the lightweight composite base of the 3.0 model. By cutting back on production locations and personnel, the company wants to save another 30 million per year. A round of layoffs has already been announced, leaving only one production location in the Netherlands. The branches in Deurne and Venray will be merged and at least one hundred jobs will be cut. On October 24, the shareholders voted on the rights issue that should raise 36 million. Trading in Ebusco shares was temporarily halted on October 24. With a successful issue, there would be enough working capital to bridge the first quarter of 2025. Furthermore, the company says it can sell a total of 61 buses from cancelled orders to third parties. On a turnover of 38 million euros, the group managed to make a loss of almost 65 million.Bankruptcy and a restart seem to be the only option for now. On Monday 28 October, Ebusco was one of the biggest losers on the Amsterdam stock exchange and lost a quarter of its market value. The share had rebounded the previous Friday after shareholders had given their approval to raise money by issuing new shares. Of the original price of almost 16 euros, less than 0.40 euro cents is now left. Ebusco (which was still selling for around €0.40 per share last week) is now worth 2 a little under 2 euros through a 5:1 reverse stock split. Anyone who fiveshares in Ebusco, now has only one. Following the example of larger shareholders such as Van Nieuwenhuijzen and investment company Teslin, the heirs of stone magnate Teunis van Wettum are also reducing their stake in Ebusco. The real estate family Van Wettum also sold. The family still holds 1.74%. Battery supplier Gotion. announced a strategic partnership with Ebusco on November 8 and is considering acquiring a stake. Gotion wants to raise 36 million euros by the end of November through the issue of new shares. Gotion has been supplying batteries to Ebusco since 2018. Gotion will also help sell Ebusco buses in Asia. Founder and former CEO Peter Bijvelds wants to buy 5 million in new shares as part of the rescue plan. The American investment fund Heights Capital Management also wants to buy 6 million euros in shares and the ING investment fund wants to invest another 1.5 million euros. The Van der Valk family, which recently sold many shares, is also said to be making a return. With this, Ebusco could already count on 12.5 million euros of the required 36 million euros. Ebusco threatened to collapse if the financing plan failed. Because investors also lost confidence, Ebusco’s share price plummeted on the stock exchange. Gotion, one of the larger creditors of the Dutch company, now promises to convert a maximum of 5 million euros in unpaid invoices into new Ebusco shares that existing shareholders do not want to buy. If the operation is successful, Gotion will become one of the larger shareholders of the company with a stake of 9.3 percent. At the international trade fair for transport technology InnoTrans, the Ebusco 3.0 was presented, the lightest e-bus in its class. Thanks to a body made of composite materials, this bus weighs only 9950 kilograms and consumes only 0.65 kWh per kilometer. With a range of up to 700 kilometers and a lifespan of 25 years, the Ebusco 3.0 is a sustainable and cost-efficient solution for urban transport. The integrated batteries in the flat floor and the possibility to use the roof for solar energy make this bus one of the most innovative vehicles on the market. The Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) has imposed a fine of 3 million euros on investment company VDVI for alleged price manipulation of the share of electric bus manufacturer Ebusco. According to the AFM, VDVI artificially inflated the share price of Ebusco in order to be able to sell shares at a better price. VDVI denies the accusations and calls the fine ‘completely unjustified’. VDVI has filed an objection. Ebusco is currently auctioning all parts of previously cancelled orders. This concerns parts of 145 buses that are offered for half the cost price. In February 2025, a short-term loan of 22 million euros was taken out withCapital Heights, Taiwanese Green Innovation and De Engh, the investment vehicle of the Van Wettum family. EBS was also prepared to take over the cancelled order of 31 buses from last autumn. On the Amsterdam stock exchange, Ebusco shares were down 5% on Monday 24 February. However, the loan must be repaid in August with an interest of 10%. The last two parties are also open to converting their loan into shares. In recent months, 22 buses were sold to Métropole Rouen Normandie and 21 buses to NIAG. These are expected to be delivered to customers at the beginning of the second quarter. With the 31 buses now sold to EBS, the total comes to 74 buses. The carrier wants to put them into use on the IJssel-Vecht concession next summer. At the moment, the buses are still being adapted to EBS’s wishes. In 2025, Ebusco had to deal with cancellations for 55 buses. Ebusco says it is confident that it will find new buyers in the coming months because the demand for electric buses is high. With the option to convert the loans into shares, further dilution of the Ebusco share is looming. An extraordinary shareholders’ meeting will follow at the end of March, where the issue of additional shares to the Chinese Gotion worth around 4 million euros will be put to the vote. Gotion may nominate a director after approval. Furthermore, Ebusco is in talks with the Chinese export agent CMC for support. In this way, the company wants to become less dependent on its bank loans. Just like the newly concluded loan, the banks have extended their credits until mid-August after consultation. The company will publish the poor annual figures for 2024 on 30 April and in August it will probably be the end of the story for the company. The share price collapsed on 30 April 2025, after it became clear that the company was again experiencing acute financial problems. After a delayed opening, the price fell by 76 percent from 58 cents to 14 cents, the lowest level ever. A supplier had filed for bankruptcy due to unpaid invoices, but this was withdrawn after additional financing became available. Ebusco was dependent on a significant capital injection in the short term and has managed to secure a loan of 5 million euros. This is the second tranche of a loan of 10 million in total from Green Innovation, an investor. Ebusco is not yet completely out of the woods: it remains dependent on a ‘significant capital injection’ in the short term and the continued support of suppliers. This is available in the form of deferred payments or other deals. These measures are essential for Ebusco to continue to exist. The company went public in October 2021 at 23 euros per share, after which the price steadily declined. Several major shareholders, including founder Peter Bijvelds, have significantly reduced their interests in Ebusco in recent years.The month of August 2025 will be crucial because the loan of 22 million must be repaid. The general meeting of shareholders (AGM) planned for June 16 was postponed without public announcement, because the annual accounts have not yet been provided with an auditor’s report. An explanation of the reason for the lack of approval is not given.
Without approved annual accounts, the AGM, which includes the discharge of management and supervision on the agenda, cannot take place. According to the spokesperson, “no notice of the AGM has yet been issued”, which means that no formal meeting date has been set. Ebusco has been struggling with delivery problems and acute liquidity shortages for some time now. Various carriers, including Qbuzz, previously cancelled orders due to delayed deliveries. On several occasions, shareholders had to keep the company afloat with additional financing. At the end of April, a supplier even filed for bankruptcy, after which a loan from a major shareholder provided temporary breathing space.
The financial situation remains precarious. In August, a short-term debt of €22 million was outstanding, the repayment of which is uncertain. In addition, Ebusco previously announced that it would cut approximately 100 of its 600 jobs. Its continued existence partly depends on restructuring agreements with creditors. On 11 June, Ebusco also announced that CEO Christian Schreyer, who succeeded founder Peter Bijvelds less than a year ago, is leaving for health reasons. His tasks will be temporarily taken over by other board members.
VDL
VDL and Schmitz Cargobull eventually acquired the Van Hool parts for approximately 200 million euros. VDL and Schmitz Cargobull have previously announced that they want to retain several hundred employees. But first, all 2,500 employees will be dismissed. After that, some will be rehired through applications. The company has a smaller branch in Bree and a branch in Skopje, in North Macedonia. VDL itself is also suffering considerable losses due to the construction of electric Citea city buses for which chips were not available for a long time. The net result fell from 298 to 82 million euros. In the first half of 2023, VDL still had a turnover of 3.2 billion euros with its 16,000 employees. Out of necessity, VDL started making aluminium bicycle frames for the recently bankrupt and relaunched Qwic. VDL supplied around 50 electric buses to EBS. 30 of these are now in regular service. The remaining buses are still being prepared, for the time being they are being used for training. In total, VDL must deliver 193 electric buses to EBS. These were initially promised by 10 December 2023, but VDL postponed the delivery. EBS will be fined €1.7 million for non-electric driving and other shortcomings at the start of the concession. VDL will deliver 60 Citea LE-122s (12.2 metres long) and 133 Citea LE-135s (13.5 metres). The Citea LE-135s will be delivered for the R-Net (red buses) and the M-Net (blue buses). R-net (region) is comparable to an ‘intercity’; M-buses (metro) are ‘sprinters’. The buses are equipped with battery packs with a capacity of 490 kWh (LE-122) and 552 kWh (LE-135). The depot in Zaandam in the Achtersluispolder is ready according to the spokesperson for the Transport Region: “the permits for the construction of the final connection have been obtained and the chargers have now been installed. The chargers will be operational around this time (mid/end May). At the beginning of May, the Transport Region promised that the number of electric buses would increase rapidly; there was even talk of ’ten new buses every day’, but that turned out to be a bit too optimistic. At the moment, approximately seven new buses are being purchased from VDL every week. With more than 140 to go, that would take almost half a year at this rate. On June 13, 2024, EBS opened a new depot in Purmerend with 128 charging points and 7,000 square meters of solar panels on the 38,000 square meter site. It is the largest and most advanced zero-emission depot in the Netherlands. EBS provides public transport in Zaanstreek-Waterland under the name MeerPlus. “The new depot in Purmerend, together with the depot in Zaandam, makes it possible to to make public transport in Zaanstreek-Waterland completely emission-free. Part of the power for the charging stations is generated by the more than 2,000 solar panels on the roof. Excess power is temporarily stored in two enormous batteries with a combined capacity of 2.15 MWh.EBS also uses battery storage to relieve pressure on the electricity grid. EBS expects its fleet of two hundred electric buses to be operational by the end of this year. Due to delivery problems, this is much later than initially thought. As a result, the Amsterdam Transport Region decided to impose several fines on the carrier earlier this year. Arriva recently ordered 157 new electric buses for the new concessions in West Brabant. In early 2023, VDL Bus & Coach opened a new factory in Roeselare, Belgium. According to President Willem van der Leegte of VDL Groep, the energy-neutral factory will be ’the most modern bus factory in Europe’.
Van Hool in Koningshooikt went bankrupt on 8 April 2024. The bus manufacturer searched in vain for additional financing to turn the ship around. 1600 employees would lose their jobs. Company doctor Guido Dumarey indicated that he was interested in taking over Van Hool, provided that it would first go bankrupt. However, he dropped out, not only the polluted soil under the production site in Lier but also many valuable assets – including finished buses and trailers – would have disappeared from the factory halls in recent days and weeks. 36 buses are at an auction by VH auctions.
Failed electrification
Sales of new passenger cars in the European Union barely increased in 2024, reports the European automotive industry association ACEA . In the major car markets of France, Germany and Italy, sales fell last year, while Spain showed strong growth. Sales of electric cars in Europe also fell. Sales of new cars in the Netherlands rose by 3.1 percent in 2024. The number of fully electric cars increased by 16 percent compared to 2023, with 132,166 units. Kia was the best-selling brand and the Tesla Model Y the best-selling model. A total of 381,227 passenger cars were registered. Hybrid sales also fell. In the four major European car markets (Germany, France, Italy and Spain), sales of electric models fell. In the French and German markets, sales even fell by more than 20 percent compared to a year earlier. Sales of plug-in cars have been under pressure for some time now. This year, 5.4 percent fewer fully electric cars have been sold, while hybrids with a plug-in connection have shown a decline of 8 percent. Germany is weighing heavily on the results with a minus of more than 26 percent. Trump’s ending of subsidies for manufacturers of electric cars in the US is the final blow to electrification.
Tesla saw registrations in Europe drop by 33 percent and is left with an unsaleable inventory of 50,000 cars. In the first quarter of 2024, 433,371 cars were produced, but only 386,810 were sold. The cars were stored in packaging at various locations. The market for fully electric cars has completely collapsed since 2020 in the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States. The number of electric cars sold was considerably lower in May than in the same month last year. Due to the partial disappearance of tax benefits, the disguised limited range, the long delivery times and high prices of parts, the higher charging and energy rates, limited charging times, more expensive motor vehicle tax, the higher insurance premiums and the high purchase prices , there is only some interest in purchasing a fully electric car in the business segment. Even the cheaper Chinese electric cars are doing a lot better than the more expensive European models.
Large-scale electric driving and a rapid transition (from gas to electricity) are not yet technically possible. Utrecht is throttling the public charging stations for electric cars. The charging stations supply considerably less power between 16:00 and 20:00. That is the time when the demand for power is highest and it is precisely when people come home from work that the demand for power must be limited. The problems and sentiment surrounding the power problems and the decreased interest in electric driving have their impact on the share prices of companies such as Tesla and Alfen . Despite the sustainability and greening of our energy system, the energy bill of the Netherlands will rise sharply in the coming decades. According to research conducted by experts from PwC’s Energy Transition Think Tank, the costs will increase by 92%
The insurance premium for an electric car is a lot more expensive because there is more technology in the cars and the parts are also more expensive. For example, the LED headlights cost between 2 and 5000 euros each. The repair work itself is also more expensive. The electric cars are often made of aluminum, which cannot be dented. Parts cannot be dented and must be replaced. In the first two months of 2024, sales of fully electric cars in the EU still increased, but in March sales fell by 11%. A decline in sales was also a reality in December 2023. Then, EU sales of fully electric cars fell by 17%, for the first time since the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic (April 2020). The Geneva Motor Show showed how much the automotive world is in disarray. The large, established car manufacturers were conspicuous by their absence, with Renault as the exception among many Chinese brands. In the US, too, electric cars are no longer popular, and purchase growth there has slowed to just 1.3% in the past year. At Nissan , the situation has already deteriorated to the point that 20,000 people will be laid off.
Sales of new electric passenger cars fell again by an average of 12.5 percent across Europe in May 2024, and by as much as 31 percent in Germany, according to monthly figures from ACEA, the European automotive industry association. Suppliers and charging station manufacturers are also facing huge losses. This year, 1,400 jobs will be lost 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, management has been unable to find a successor for the Audi A3, A1, e-tron and Q8 e-tron variants that are currently rolling off the production line. The German industrial group Bosch, which supplies parts to car brands, will cut another 5,500 jobs worldwide in the coming years, 3,800 of which will be in Germany. Earlier this year, the company announced a major restructuring that would cut 7,000 jobs. Most of the jobs will be lost in the division that deals with software for self-driving cars. Jobs will also be lost in the division that deals with electric driving.
Ambulance service South Holland South is abandoning the trial with the fully electrically powered emergency ambulance. Unexpected doubts have arisen about the top speed of the Ford E-Transit in ambulance version. “We have been told by the supplier that the ambulance probably cannot go faster than 90 kilometers per hour.
Lamborghini has postponed the production of its first electric car, following the example of Bentley and Porsche. The first electric Lamborghini will therefore come at least a year later than previously planned. Many customers in the United States and the Middle East do not want a sports car without a combustion engine at all. Lamborghini is already saying goodbye to models with only a combustion engine. All of the brand’s new sports cars have a hybrid drive.
Earlier, competitors Bentley and Porsche (all three part of Volkswagen) took similar steps with roughly the same arguments. Bentley is not going to fully electrify production yet and Porsche is still releasing a hybrid version of its new SUV Macan in addition to an electric model.
Ferrari thinks it is faster than the other sports car brands. The company promised to bring its first fully electric model to the market by the end of 2025. This car, which has a price tag of 500,000 euros, also makes a roaring sound without a combustion engine.
The Republic of Ethiopia was the first country in the world to go 100% zero emission since February 2024. Cars with a combustion engine were banned from that moment on. The country is dependent on imports, but due to a major lack of foreign currency, it could only import very limited petrol and diesel. That is why it was decided to fully focus on EVs. Due to the new policy, the import of electric cars shot up to 100,000 vehicles per month. The goal is to bring half a million EVs to Ethiopia every month by 2030. By that time, a new dam will be built on the Nile, which will supply 5,000 megawatts of electricity to power all those cars. However, it now appears that the EV transition is going wrong. There are too few professional and trained mechanics and the few mechanics who do have the right know-how are overworked, causing them to charge exorbitant prices. The Chinese EVs are cheap and popular, but they also appear to be quite unreliable. And many of the technical problems cannot be solved due to a lack of knowledge and expertise. At least not within a short period of time. In addition, the repair costs are higher than the average monthly salary of an Ethiopian. In addition, the parts have to come from China, something that costs a lot of money and time. As a result, EVs are more often stationary in the garage than on the road. The government of Ethiopia wants to tackle the problems by investing in public charging stations and in a local factory to produce EV batteries themselves.
Older electric cars, such as a Renault Zoe built before 2019 or a Nissan Leaf, are finding it increasingly difficult to charge their cars at fast-charging stations along the highway. These plug-in cars have an AC or CHAdeMo plug, and these plugs are slowly being phased out and replaced by fast chargers.
The PvdA in the Municipality of Utrecht wants fewer electric vehicles. The party finds them too expensive, Utrecht is struggling with its own ambitions. As of January 1, all company cars in the city center should be emission-free. But the municipality is far from achieving that target. If the municipality wanted more electric vehicles, they would not be able to charge. Due to grid congestion, the capacity can be increased in 2030 at the earliest. China imports more cars than Japan. The first own ship of the Chinese market leader in electric cars BYD arrived in Vlissingen on February 21, 2024 with 5,449 cars. The ‘BYD Explorer No. 1’ is the first of eight sister ships that will dock in the coming two years. Tesla saw the storm coming and gave Tesla buyers in China almost 5,000 euros upon purchase. Buyers of a Tesla Model Y or Model 3 had the amount deposited into their account if they could show that they are the owner. The price of the Model 3 has already dropped by 14 percent there this year. The Model Y has become 10 percent cheaper for Chinese buyers. The Italian government is said to be in talks with Chinese car manufacturers, including Chery Auto, to bring one of them to Italy. The transport sector must invest no less than 625 million euros in comprehensive charging infrastructure by 2030 to keep up. Due to the chip shortage, fewer new electric cars were sold in 2021 and deliveries stagnated even more in early 2022. Tesla also suffered greatly from delivery problems. The number of diesel cars sold fell by almost 47 percent in 2021, to almost seven thousand cars. A year earlier, that was almost 13,000. Up to and including September this year, more hybrid and fully electric cars were sold in Europe. Of all newly registered cars, 14 percent are electric. In the same period last year, that was 10.6 percent. More than a quarter of all new cars are hybrid.
The new BMW i7 is too heavy for parking garages and, weighing 2,615 kilos, is officially not allowed in many parking garages. The same goes for the Mercedes EQS SUV or the Volvo EX90. For American models such as the electric F-150, which weighs almost 3,000 kilos, and the Hummer EV, a parking garage is also not an option. An electric car is more difficult to extinguish and the persistent warm temperature can cause the reinforcement of the concrete to weaken and there is a risk of collapse.
In 2024, around 370,000 cars are expected to be registered. In 2023, there were 372,237, in 2022 313,609, in 2021 324,710, in 2020 357,996, in 2019 450,637, in 2018 447,367, in 2017 418,461 and in 2016 385,259. The best-selling car in the Netherlands last year was the Tesla Model Y.
The import duties recently imposed by the EU are final. The import duties are in effect for five years. Elon Musk had asked the EU to exempt Tesla from the higher import duty, because they do not or less profit from the Chinese state aid. Tesla got away with a 9 percent duty. The market share has plummeted by half compared to a year ago due to the duty and the subsequent price increase. The outcome of the vote of the European countries was not made public. According to international media, ten countries voted in favor of the duties, including the Netherlands. Five countries, including Germany, are said to have voted against. Car manufacturers such as Mercedes are selling more and more cars in China and fear possible countermeasures that China wants to impose. Twelve countries abstained from voting.
Despite the efforts of 5,000 employees and 10 billion investment, Apple has decided to completely abandon the production of electric self-driving cars and has laid off more than 600 employees in California. Aston Martin has postponed the launch of its first electric car by a year due to a lack of demand and has posted a loss of 217.4 million dollars.
International car rental company Hertz Global Holdings is also fed up with electric cars and has sold a third of its 20,000 electric vehicles in favor of gas-powered cars due to persistently high repair costs and disappointing demand. Hertz reported depreciation of about $150 million on the approximately 20,000 electric vehicles it had to sell at deeply discounted prices, while 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 already been forced to raise prices due to the lower residual values of their electric fleet. Some car manufacturers are giving leasing companies extra cash compensation to offset the losses. Car manufacturers are still trying to enthuse leasing companies by offering compensation through buyback guarantees, etc. Leasing companies are therefore now also investigating offering leasing contracts for used electric cars. Leasing companies play a crucial role in Europe in the energy transition , as 60% of new cars are leased. For electric cars, the share is estimated at 80%. The lease price is calculated on the basis of the residual value after an average lease period of three years. So if the returns are lower, the lease prices have to go up. Price reductions and a cheap Chinese supply also have an impact on the residual value. The resale value of second-hand electric cars in Germany was 24% below the pre-pandemic level at the beginning of July and 30% lower in Great Britain. This is in stark contrast to second-hand petrol models, which remained around 15% more expensive in both markets.
The supply of second-hand electric cars has grown explosively in recent months. And that enormous supply is pushing the price down considerably. The Tesla Model 3 is now for sale for thousands of euros less than at the beginning of this year. That is because many Teslas from the business lease market are currently entering the second-hand market. And second-hand car dealers are noticing that. A large number are also going to export.
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 further.
Not only at leasing companies, but also at bus manufacturers, battery suppliers and companies like Fastned and Alfen major reorganizations are underway now that it appears that the energy transition is facing major problems. At Alfen the share price dropped from 50 euros to around 12 euros in a short time and had to be reorganized and bank covenants revised.
Only 5 percent of the total number of passenger cars are now electric
In order to get the market moving again, Fiat and Renault are launching cheaper models with a price below 24,000 euros and Tesla also has similar plans. 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 cheap Model 2 of 25,000 dollars will not be on the market for the time being. Elon Musk promised an affordable Tesla back in 2018. The car would cost 25,000 euros and would be produced in the German factory.
From 2035, cars with internal combustion engines will no longer be allowed to be sold. However, the centre-right EPP (European People’s Party) wants to reverse or postpone these plans. They also want to abolish the fines that car manufacturers would have to pay if they do not meet their emission reduction target for 2025.
Trucks loaded with electric cars are driving to dealers with the request to park them somewhere out of sight and the ports are full of unsold cars. Sales of electric trucks are also failing. This is not only due to poor sales but also to the logistical inability to handle such a large supply from China.
In Leeuwarden a large charging station for electric cars would be built and adjacent, on a large parking lot there would be a coffee chain and restaurant. Everything was already arranged, the land had been purchased, drawings made and the owners could get a connection with grid operator Liander but only no electricity. And so the project is on hold for the time being
According to the ANWB , electric driving has become more expensive in the past year, mainly due to depreciation. Where an electric car cost an average of 61 cents per kilometer in 2022, it is now 72 cents per kilometer. For comparison, a petrol car costs 64.8 cents per kilometer.
A survey by Gaspedaal.nl and AutoTrack among 2,000 petrol drivers shows that 96% of petrol drivers are not keen on switching to electric driving. The high purchase price and doubts about the battery condition and the limited range are important reasons. An almost doubling of the motor vehicle tax compared to petrol cars in 2025 also worried many motorists, but the caretaker cabinet has plans to adjust the plans in the spring memorandum and to leave the discount on the motor vehicle tax as it is for the time being. The tax discount will be gradually phased out in the coming years and will not disappear until 2031. The money for this will then be collected from owners of plug-in hybrid cars. Automotive Mediaventions reports that the average search price of an electric car on Gaspedaal and Autotrack has never been so low. Because the entire automotive industry has made the mandatory switch to electric cars, the poor car sales have had an impact on the entire automotive sector. The main sensor supplier Brose foresees mass layoffs and has already announced 10% layoff rounds and does not rule out its own bankruptcy. Planned investments at Brose have already been reduced by 20%. Director Schramm thinks that the collapse of suppliers in the automotive sector is also inevitable in the Netherlands. Taxi companies are also not happy with the expensive switch. The automotive industry does not think that 2030 will be possible. Top executives expect that only 30 percent of all new car sales in Europe will then consist of fully electric cars. According to others, a recovery is expected for 2025. Sales of EVs in Western Europe, including the United Kingdom, are expected to increase by 40 percent this year to 2.7 million vehicles. The EU also ultimately sees that the transition will not succeed and now wants to drastically change the tax system to ensure that companies are more likely to opt for an electric lease car for their staff, instead of a car that runs on fossil fuels. The European Commission will present the plans in March 2025. The measures will be part of a package of measures to help European car manufacturers survive in challenging circumstances. Brussels recognises that the ambitious targets to sell only electric cars by 2035 are extreme and difficult to achieve. To help car manufacturers, these measures must provide support.
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The European automotive industry ACEA wants at least 8.8 million public charging stations to be available in the European Union by 2030. The EU itself had only calculated 3.5 million. Public charging stations for electric cars must be switched off between four in the afternoon and nine in the evening, says grid operator Stedin. In a number of places, tests are already being conducted with so-called “smart” or “grid-aware charging.” This means that less power is available for public charging stations at the end of the afternoon and the beginning of the evening. Electric cars are then charged less quickly. It is not mandatory in the Netherlands to register a private charging station. Partly for this reason, it is not easy, both technically and legally, to force people at home not to charge their cars during the evening peak. Service provider Equans is going to increase the number of these ‘smart’ charging stations in Amsterdam from 60 to 1000 together with grid operator Liander. That is a third of all charging stations that Equans has in Amsterdam.
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.
Infrastructure for Alternative Fuels Regulation (AFIR) is a regulation designed to accelerate the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure, including electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. It aims to address and reduce disparities within different EV charging infrastructures, making electric driving easier and more accessible for all Europeans. AFIR is an important step in facilitating electric driving in Europe. By expanding charging infrastructure, improving payment options and ensuring cost transparency, AFIR aims to stimulate mass EV adoption. With the introduction of AFIR in April 2024, more EV charging stations and alternative fuel filling stations will be deployed across Europe in the coming years. This will allow the transport sector to significantly reduce its carbon footprint. In addition, drivers will be able to charge their electric cars as easily as they would at traditional petrol stations – if not easier! Electric cars are largely charged at home and in private locations. On the road and in public spaces, these cars are supported by a public charging network. By the end of 2023, there were over 144,000 public charging points and over 3,600 fast chargers. With one public charging point for every 3.1 electric cars, the Netherlands is a leader when it comes to the charging network.
Charging stations via the Powerdale app no longer work. The app is the only access to thousands of charging stations in Belgium. The company is bankrupt. The number of electric cars is expected to increase in the coming years from around 450,000 to around 2 million in 2030 (20 percent). The number of public charging stations is expected to increase to 400,000 in 2030. Within a few years, an electric car can be charged within ten minutes. The biggest challenge, however, is the power infrastructure, which is completely unsuited to such large consumption in every region. Due to the sharp increase in demand, the power grid can no longer supply enough power. As a result, new large users end up on a waiting list. Liander is working hard to expand capacity, but that is probably not going fast enough.
Both in the Netherlands and the US, hundreds of fast charging points are unusable because the cables are stolen for copper. The copper from a fast charger cable can be sold to a dealer, which yields a maximum of 45 euros per cable. It then costs thousands of euros to install new charging cables.
GVB buses buses on lines 15, 22 and 36 went electrified in 2020 and the vehicles must be charged with opportunity charging, where the batteries are charged at the garage at night and in between via a charging hub. The electric buses are fully charged at Garage West at night and recharged at Sloterdijk station with fast chargers. GVB, Vervoerregio Amsterdam and the municipality of Amsterdam are jointly financing the project.
Vattenfall wants to install eight thousand new charging stations in Noord-Brabant and Limburg in the coming years, together with BAM. It is one of the larger projects in this area in the Netherlands. Just over half of the poles will be proactively placed in places where residents have not yet submitted an application. With this campaign, Vattenfall and the municipalities want to stimulate electric driving. According to the energy company, there are expected to be 1.9 million electric cars driving around in the Netherlands in 2030.
More than 50 percent of electric cars are charged at home, 25 percent go to public charging stations, 13 percent charge at work and 9 percent at a fast charger on the road. The Netherlands has the highest ‘charging density’ in Europe. There are currently around 120,000 (semi)public charging points and almost 4,200 (semi)public fast chargers. Charging points are being rolled out on a large scale and there are several innovative pilots underway, such as repurposing lampposts as charging points and setting up mobility hubs. According to the European Commission, at least two million charging points are needed in Europe by 2025. In four years, the number of public charging points for electric cars has more than tripled to almost 60,000 units. Charging rates vary greatly and are cheapest in The Hague and Rotterdam. There it still costs 027 per kWh, while in Amsterdam and Utrecht it can rise to 0.56 and 0.79 cents respectively. Consumers in Amsterdam, The Hague or Nijmegen pay an average of 0.33 euros per kWh. In Almere and Haarlem you pay almost double: 0.61 euros. All kinds of things are being thought up to increase charging prices. For example, there are “bundles” where you pay for expected consumption and cards and all kinds of different subscription types with many different conditions, but there are also major differences per station or between fast and regular charging. The rates differ per charging card provider, per subscription, per charging station, per manager, per city or province. And also during the day. Unlike an energy contract with clear kWh rates, a charging station often does not show what you actually pay per kWh of electricity. Ionity is the frontrunner and more expensive than Fastned or Allego and all now also charge around 0.80 to 1 euro per kilowatt hour, which already makes electric driving more expensive than driving on fossil fuels. Of the 225,000 public charging points currently available in the EU, only 25,000 are suitable for fast charging. The other charging points are regular sockets with a low capacity, where up to 30% of the power is lost during charging. Charging an electric car can therefore take an entire night or even longer. With the price cap in January 2023, it became cheaper to charge at home again, provided they remain below the price cap. After the price cap, they may pay about the same as with a fast charger. This shows that the slower you charge, the more power is lost to things other than range. When charging via a regular socket, 12.7 to 24.2 percent of the power is lost. With faster charging, the losses drop to 6.3 to 9.7 percent. An adequate charging infrastructure is of great importance for a successful transition to electric driving. This also applies to the development of open ICT protocols such as Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) and Open Charge Point Interface (OCPI).These protocols make it easier to provide charging stations with software to connect them to each other.
Since January 5, 2024, Shell Recharge has been charging ‘blocking costs’. You pay these costs if you leave your electric car at a Road (e-Flux) or EVBox charging point in the Shell Recharge roaming network for more than four hours, regardless of whether your battery is fully charged. The blocking costs amount to 0.05 euros per minute, up to a maximum of 12 euros per time.
Belgium is doing badly in Europe because one charging station for every ten electric cars is actually the minimum and that is not achieved by a long shot. If you expect that there will be one million electric cars driving around there by 2030, then there will have to be 100,000 charging stations by then.
Germany is investing 6.3 billion euros in the expansion of its charging network over the next 3 years. The number of electric vehicles in Germany is growing by almost 25 percent per year. At the moment, 14.6 percent of all newly registered cars in Germany are already electric. There are now around 70,000 charging points in Germany, of which 11,000 are fast chargers. The German government’s goal is to have 1 million public charging points available by 2030.
Daimler, BMW, Ford and the Volkswagen Group are installing a High-Power Charging network in a joint venture called IONITY with 400 fast-charging stations that can fully charge batteries within 15 minutes. Shell has also discovered that the profit on electricity is 10 times higher than on fossil fuels and is building charging stations at a rapid pace.
When purchasing an electric car, it is wise to look carefully at the capacity of the battery the car is delivered with (standard/from) and how much additional costs there are for any battery rental. Fast charging, for example, is at the expense of the lifespan of the battery and very expensive. It is also at the expense of the range.
Many drivers in New York wait more than an hour to access charging stations, after which the actual charging process can take another hour. Cold winters necessitate more frequent charging, further exacerbating the problem. The lack of charging infrastructure is also exacerbated by Tesla’s “congestion pricing” to regulate charging station usage during peak hours.
In the Green Deal Openly Accessible Electric Charging Infrastructure, local authorities, VNG and provinces have made agreements in the field of tenders for charging stations to conduct research and remove obstacles. With this Green Deal, the National Knowledge Platform Charging Infrastructure (NKL) has been set up, which must ensure the simplification and clarification of the procedures and policy regarding the installation of charging infrastructure. The minister has decided to make a contribution available for 2018, in addition to the 1.5 million euros already awarded for the period from 2015 to 2017, which means that the NKL can in principle be extended by one year, provided that other parties also decide to contribute.
The Hague has a charging lamppost that can charge two electric cars. The municipality is conducting a six-month trial with three of these LED lamppost charging stations. The municipality also wants to place 460 additional normal charging stations on top of the 650 already present. Robert Haring is the founder of Ecopoles, which is developing these poles in collaboration with Ecotap. In the long term, all lampposts can be exchanged for such a charging point because the network connection is already incorporated in the pole. The cost of a charging lamppost is approximately 4,000 euros. A normal charging column for electric cars costs approximately 3,000 euros. Owners of an electric car can apply for a charging pass via the municipality. An app is being developed that shows which charging point is available. An estimated 4,000 electric cars drive in The Hague. Over the next twelve years, more than 13,000 charging points for electric cars must be added. The municipality wants to add around four hundred charging stations every year until 2030, but the city could then experience an overload of the electricity grid.
The provinces of Gelderland and Overijssel are going to conduct a trial with the smart charging of electric cars and have 2,250 extra charging stations installed in public spaces where 4,500 cars can charge simultaneously. The project is being carried out in collaboration with grid operators Enexis and Alliander. Charging station manufacturer Ecotap and charging station service provider Allego are also involved in the project. Smart charging can keep the costs per kilowatt hour low because charging only takes place when there is a supply of solar and wind energy. In this way, they want to prepare for charging millions of electric cars without overloading the electricity network. TotalEnergies and Jedlix have also successfully demonstrated that smart charging of electric vehicles can significantly reduce the load on the electricity network. During a trial in Utrecht on 21 June, the longest day of the year, 179 public charging stations were charged less during peak hours and 251 private charging stations were charged as much as possible outside peak hours. As a result, electricity consumption during those hours fell by 40 percent.
Charging stations are increasingly being used as free parking spaces. That is why more and more municipalities are introducing ‘plug-in fees’. No parking fee has to be paid when charging, so that cars can remain at the station even if the battery is already charged. As a result, others with an empty battery can no longer find a free station. To prevent this, a fine or plug-in fee is already being demanded in various places. When plug-in fees are introduced, no less than 94 percent of drivers appear to be prepared to remove their charged car. Plug-in fees will also be introduced in the provinces of Limburg and Noord-Brabant soon. In that case, payment must be made for keeping the station occupied. Nuon will install 1,240 of these paid charging stations over the next two years. Nuon will charge 22 cents per hour. According to Nuon, without plug-in fees, 10 percent of cars will be at the station for more than 24 hours. Other operators such as PitPoint also want to introduce plug-in fees. Tesla has recently started charging 35 cents per minute at its own superchargers.
Leaving a charged car at a public charging station can be punished with a fine of 95 euros. This follows from a ruling made by the Arnhem-Leeuwarden Court of Appeal. The court considered an appeal case of a motorist who was fined in 2020 when he left his charged car at a charging station in Noordwijk for two hours. The General Local Regulation of Noordwijk states that it is not permitted to keep a station occupied for a long time. A municipal inspector wrote the fine when he saw that the car had been ‘full’ at the charging station for two hours.
In New York, electric taxis are being promoted, but the charging network there also appears to be completely unable to cope with the increased demand for electricity. The shortage of charging stations causes long traffic jams in the cold, especially at the Tesla Superchargers.
New York City’s electric car charging infrastructure is seriously lacking. The proliferation of electric taxis in the city has led to long lines and frustration among drivers who regularly have to wait an hour and a half for their turn to charge their cars.
In Rotterdam, a wireless charging trial is underway on the grounds of Stadsbeheer Rotterdam with a specially converted car that receives electricity via an induction plate. Charging is activated with an app on the smartphone or tablet.
In the big cities, parking at a charging station is no longer free. In order to be allowed to park at such a special parking spot, the car usually has to be connected to avoid waiting times. The Netherlands now has around 21,000 charging spots, of which around 7,761 are public. An overview map of all publicly accessible charging stations in the Netherlands is available via the website laadpalen.nl. The payback period of a commercial charging station is three to four years, based on an average of three or four charging sessions per day.
NASA, in collaboration with Purdue University, has been working on so-called ‘subcooled flow boiling’ technology, which can increase the electric current during charging to 1,400 amps. That is five times more than the 540 amps that current (fairly fast) chargers use in some electric cars. With ‘subcooled flow boiling’ the speed of a charger can therefore be increased considerably. The most important thing, however, is that this has to be cooled. NASA and Purdue University state that the technology under investigation is able to remove 24.22 kilowatts of heat.
Arriva provides bus transport in Twente and a large part of the diesel buses have been replaced by electric ones. However, the new buses cause problems. The buses drive much too slowly due to charging problems and systems that do not function, because the buses are not sufficiently charged. “Arriva drives 106 buses in Twente, of which 66 are electric. Of these, only 20 drive without problems.
A battery pack lasts 200,000 km or about 1000 charge/discharge cycles. Battery wear costs 0.23 per kW. Total 24,000 euros in fuel per year and therefore a consumption of 0.58 per kW. Costs per refueling 46 euros (wear) and 35.50 (electricity) Total 81.50 per refueling for 500 km range. A middle class electric car consumes about 17 kWh per 100 kilometers.
The starting rate at charging stations varies considerably. The charging rate itself also varies greatly from 72 euro cents per kilowatt hour to as much as 0.90 euro cents. Charging stations charge lower amounts for those who have the correct charging card with them. In Bodegraven-Reeuwijk you can charge for 27.0 cents per kilowatt hour, while the most expensive station in this municipality costs 78.7 cents per kWh. Places where charging costs more than one euro per kilowatt hour are, for example, at hotels and amusement parks, or at a private individual who has opened up his charging point to others. Charging stations for home or business come in different types, with prices starting at 800 euros and going up to more than 3,000 euros (excl. VAT). Due to the loss of a tax reduction for charging station operators, charging rates will increase by up to 30 percent as of January 1, 2025. This amounts to an increase of an average of 7 cents per kWh.
A battery pack for a Tesla S costs around 46,000 euros. Lease prices for battery packs start at 79 euros per month, but the car may not drive more than 12,000 kilometers per year on the batteries. On top of that, there is also an additional 9 euros in insurance costs. The suppliers still have a monopoly position and say they have no influence on the rates that the operators of charging points will charge. The rates, especially for green charging, are getting higher and higher and are no longer profitable for hybrid drivers, which is why they usually drive on fuel and only benefit from the subsidy on the purchase, the motor vehicle tax and the additional tax. To compensate for the slow charging, experiments were done with battery swapping stations such as at Schiphol, but these quickly went bankrupt. That is why Star Engines comes with the ‘jerre.e’, a kind of jerrycan (generator) with fuel, with this emergency facility you can still drive 100 kilometers when you run out of power.
Charging during off-peak hours is cheaper and also more environmentally friendly. With a two-year trial in Alkmaar, Heiloo and Wijdemeren, they want to stimulate charging during off-peak hours. Electric cars that are put at a charging station between 5:00 PM and 8:00 PM are only charged from 8:00 PM when the energy demand decreases. According to MRA, most cars are connected to the charging station at the end of the afternoon and early evening, which puts a heavy load on the electricity network. The user could save an average of 200 euros per year. If a driver still wants to charge the car during peak hours, charging can be activated with a special app.
In Germany, France and Austria in particular, there is not only a charging rate per kilowatt hour, which is common in the Netherlands, but also a time-based rate, also known as blocking rates. Many of these expensive charging stations are, not by chance, located near campsites and hotels. A customer who received a bill of 480 euros was charged 30 euro cents on top of the kilowatt hour price for every minute that the car was at the charging station. The roadside assistance warns that electric drivers must check the rate of a charging station in advance. In Europe, it is now mandatory to state the price on the charging point. “If the price is not stated on the charging point, consult the website of the provider. Do not put the electric car at a charging station before it is clear what the rates are.
Second-year student Josh de Wit from the University of Sussex has come up with a battery with an extremely short charging time. The battery consists of several layers of graphene. This is a substance that consists of a single layer of carbon atoms. It is one of the fastest semiconductors and is incredibly strong and light.
Electric car batteries may last longer than previously thought, according to research from Stanford University in San Francisco. Batteries appear to benefit from occasional hard acceleration. Electric vehicle batteries exposed to normal use by drivers could last about a third longer than previously thought. Battery scientists and engineers have almost always tested the lifespan of new battery designs in labs using a constant discharge rate followed by charging. According to a study published on December 9, 2024 in Nature Energy, the more realistic the profiles were to real-world driving behavior, the longer the EV’s life expectancy. The research also found a correlation between sharp, short accelerations and slower degradation. So, rather than speeding up the aging process, pounding your foot hard on the pedal actually slows it down.
An increasing number of charging stations charge a blocking fee when the station remains occupied after charging is complete. For some, this amounts to 54.6 cents per minute, an hour late return will cost you more than 32 euros.
Charging companies
Alfen
Alfen will supply a 20MW/40MWh battery energy storage system for E-Connection. This system will be installed at a wind hub and a private 150kV grid on Neeltje Jans, an artificial island in Zeeland. By installing the battery storage directly next to the wind hub, the generated wind energy can be optimally used and stored locally before it is fed into the grid. The “EOS Volans” project strengthens Alfen’s growing portfolio of large-scale battery systems that contribute to a stable electricity grid and a more efficient use of sustainable energy. Commissioning is planned for the first quarter of 2026. The contract was signed in February 2025. The battery storage system will be installed at a unique location in the province of Zeeland: the artificial island of Neeltje Jans, at an onshore wind hub connecting six wind farms. The two-hour system, in which a battery can discharge its full capacity within two hours under a constant load, will support energy trading and grid services, including balancing markets and reactive power. This will allow the operator to optimally utilise wind energy while providing critical flexibility to the Dutch electricity grid. The system is expected to be commissioned in less than a year. This project is designed for long-term operation in a highly corrosive environment due to continuous exposure to salt air. Based on Alfen’s latest containerised energy storage solution, the system will feature higher quality coatings, improved filters, additional seals and corrosion-resistant materials, with additional maintenance activities to ensure long-term performance in harsh coastal conditions. A key feature of the Alfen system is its “Island Mode”, which allows it to temporarily operate independently of the public grid. This means that if the wind hub needs to be disconnected from the public grid—for example during annual maintenance—the battery can step in to keep the local energy system running independently. This ensures continuous green energy generation and supplies auxiliary systems to the wind turbines, saving time and money for the operator. “The electricity distribution system in Zeeland requires battery systems to provide grid balancing services,” explains Rick Wasser, Managing Director of E-Connection. “As a major wind farm operator, we are pleased to have found a way to meet these needs at our Neeltje Jans site. It strengthens both the local grid and the grid of grid operator TenneT, to which it is connected. Netherlands-based Alfenis internationally active at the heart of the energy transition, as a specialist in energy solutions for the future. With over 85 years of history, Alfen has a unique combination of activities. Alfen designs, develops and manufactures smart grids, energy storage systems and charging equipment for electric vehicles and combines these in integrated solutions to address the electricity challenges of its customers. Alfen has a leading position in the market in the Netherlands and is experiencing rapid international growth, benefiting from its first mover advantage. Alfen sees the energy transition in the Netherlands stalling and therefore expects limited revenue growth from 2024 to 2025, also due to the current weakness in the electric vehicle market and the volatility in the energy storage market. A cost saving program has been implemented to reduce labor costs and other operating costs. Alfen expects a job loss of up to 15% and is in discussions with the works council and unions in the Netherlands. In order to reduce the total costs, they have taken a diverse set of measures in all parts of the organization. Full details of Alfen’s strategy validation, resizing program, one-off financial impact in 2024 and updated medium-term targets will be announced when the 2024 annual financial results are announced on February 13, 2025. The Alfen share price dropped from EUR 50 to just EUR 13 in a short period of time.
- Revenue in the third quarter of 2024 amounted to €106.2 million, a decrease of 22% compared to the third quarter of 2023 (€136.4 million), mainly due to lower revenue from Energy Storage Systems, in line with the updated forecast.
- Gross margin of 32.7% compared to 29.4% in Q3 2023, driven by a positive one-off timing effect in margin recognition in energy storage.
- Adjusted EBITDA of €7.2 million (6.8% of revenue), compared to €17.3 million in Q3 2023 (12.7% of revenue), driven by moderate growth in the electric vehicle charging and energy storage markets.
- Continued focus on cost savings program to improve adjusted EBITDA by reducing labor and other operating costs, with expected impact on the income statement from January 1, 2025.
- Alfen has reached an agreement with the bank on a new financing arrangement.
- Alfen forecasts full year 2024 revenue to reach the lower end of its updated outlook (€485-520 million), as increased softness in the EV market is expected to impact Q4 revenue in EV Charging.
- Alfen reconfirms adjusted EBITDA margin outlook (mid-single digits) and FCF outlook (negative FCF but improving compared to -€27.2 million in 2023). One-off restructuring provision will be taken in Q4 2024.
For FlevoBESS, Alfen will build a battery park in Flevoland for over 30 million euros. FlevoBESS is a partnership of local entrepreneurs in wind energy. The battery park to be built with a total capacity of 31.6 MW will be connected to wind turbines in the region. At times when the wind is strong, but there is little demand for power, the battery can store the surplus. The battery will be used in the event of shortages. The batteries can store the surplus of wind power for four hours. Current battery projects in the Netherlands are smaller in size and can only store electricity for one to two hours. In addition to batteries, Alfen also makes transformer houses and electric charging stations. The energy storage division collapsed in 2024, due to a low global price for batteries. The park financed by ASN is due to be completed in the third quarter of 2025. The battery park is part of a larger plan for three similar energy storage projects in Flevoland. The initiators, including Begro Energy Projects and Pure Energie, are still in a development phase. Alfen, a manufacturer of charging stations and other systems for the electricity grid, has lowered its revenue forecast for the whole of 2025. According to the company, this is due to weaker market conditions, especially in the market for charging systems for electric cars. The company is also expecting a larger shrinkage of the profit margin than initially thought. Revenue fell by more than 11 percent in the first quarter of this year to 103.8 million euros, with sales of charging systems plummeting by almost 27 percent. Sales of electricity storage systems fell by 8.3 percent. Operating profit fell to 5.5 million euros. The company expects the profit margin to weaken to a bandwidth of 5 to 8 percent this year. Previously, Alfen assumed a ‘high single-digit’ percentage. Revenue is expected to be between 430 million and 480 million euros this year. In February, Alfen still assumed a turnover of between 445 million and 505 million euros.
Allssafe
Allsafe (Eric Stubbée) and 50five (Manfred Klumpenaar, founder and CEO) announce their collaboration for the realization of a nationwide network of smart charging points for electric vehicles, at all existing and future Allsafe locations, with both regular chargers (AC) and super-fast chargers (DC). The first locations will open at the end of November 2024, with a planned expansion to all 44 Allsafe Mini Storage locations in the Netherlands in early 2025. With the rise of zero-emission zones in urban areas, the need for charging facilities for electric commercial vehicles is also growing, a development that Allsafe, together with 50five, is responding to by realizing rentable parking spaces and storage and transhipment with a fixed charging point that are also accessible to 50five customers. The collaboration between Allsafe and 50five focuses on a major challenge in the roll-out of charging facilities: the overload of the energy grid. Due to limited grid capacity, realizing new charging points in the Netherlands is often a challenge. Both companies are investing in innovative solutions that accelerate the energy transition. The charging stations are powered by solar energy from solar panels at the Allsafe locations. Smart battery technology enables storage of this energy and acts as a buffer for the energy grid, reducing peak loads on the grid. “With such an energy hub, in combination with storage and logistics facilities, we create the ideal conditions for a micro-logistic hub,” says Eric Stubbé, founder and CEO of Allsafe. “Allsafe is investing heavily in facilities for last-mile and first-mile delivery, in order to contribute to efficient and sustainable city logistics.” The first locations will be realized in Alkmaar, Almere, Tilburg and Weesp at the end of November 2024. The remaining Allsafe locations will be rolled out in 2025. For Allsafe, these investments are part of broader sustainability objectives. For example, all locations are CO2 neutral, equipped with LED lighting, heat pumps and solar panels. With this expansion, Allsafe Group aims to have 240 locations in the Netherlands within 10 years and 160 abroad within ten years, which will make an important contribution to a sustainable mobility infrastructure.
EVBox
French energy company Engie is closing down Dutch charging station company EVBox. Engie bought EVBox in 2017 and has been looking for buyers in recent months, but ultimately decided to sell only a fast charger factory in Bordeaux. The decision means that the vast majority of the approximately 700 jobs at EVBox will disappear, many of which were at the head office in Amsterdam. Under Engie’s auspices, EVBox mainly suffered losses. The company says it received two bids for EVBox that it studied thoroughly, after which it ultimately decided to sell the French fast charger factory. As a result, approximately thirty jobs will be retained. Engie is also in talks with the works council about temporary work for approximately one hundred EVBox employees to maintain essential services. The decision has caused much surprise and disappointment at EVBox. Producing charging stations may not be profitable now, but with the energy transition, the demand for charging stations is likely to grow very rapidly. There is also criticism that Engie, with the French state as a major shareholder, has put national interests too much first in the search for a solution for EVBox.
In addition to the Netherlands, the closure of EVBox also affects branches and employees in Germany and the United States. The company is in talks with unions and works councils about the exact way in which Engie will handle this, according to a written response. EVBox was founded in 2010 and has delivered 500,000 charging points worldwide. The company also says it has more than 20,000 business customers. An attempt by Engie to bring EVBox to the stock exchange via a merger with a stock exchange shell failed in 2021.
Bolt
Estonian Uber competitor Bolt has secured €220 million in credit to prepare for an IPO. CEO and founder Markus Villig offers taxi transport, food delivery and scooter rental in more than 45 countries, mainly in Europe and Africa. In the Netherlands, Bolt is best known as a taxi platform. In a financing round in 2022, the company was valued at €7.4 billion. In 2022, Bolt suffered a net loss of €72 million on a turnover of €1.26 billion, according to the latest data from the company. Bolt hired a new CFO from British fintech company Revolut last July and stated at the time that it wanted to be profitable in 2024. CEO Villig already said last year that they wanted to take the company public in 2025. For the time being, there will be no replacement for the hundreds of shared bicycles that operator Bolt withdrew from the streets of Den Bosch at the end of 2023. The municipality does not even seem to be looking for a replacement and wants to put more effort into limiting the nuisance of incorrectly parked shared bicycles and scooters. After the cities of Ghent, Antwerp and Kortrijk, Bruges is already the fourth major Belgian city where Bolt offers its taxi services. To celebrate the arrival of the European taxi platform, Bolt is introducing a special promotional offer: Bruges residents receive a 20 percent discount on all rides. Residents of Brussels who are limited in their mobility options due to a physical disability can also go to Bolt. With the PBM taxi category (Persons with Reduced Mobility), the European taxi platform has created a new category within the app. Bolt Netherlands is also considering similar plans. Bolt drivers in Amsterdam can now use a rental Tesla. The taxi platform has purchased 50 to help drivers make the transition to electric taxi transport. The initiative costs Bolt 1.6 million euros.
Electric bicycles
Babboe
Babboe, but also other brands such as Vogue, Cangoo and Bakfiets.nl are experiencing problems with breaking frames. The Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) has been investigating these popular bikes since February. Inspectors from the NVWA have made multiple visits to owners and suppliers of the cargo bikes that seem to suffer a lot, mainly from speed bumps. Family business Europe Cycle Company BV of the Vogue Bike, founded in 2007, has also been investigated by the NVWA, as has Cangoo, which has received ten reports of broken frames in the past seven years, mainly of their three-wheeled models. Cangoo’s managing director, Daniël Popal, stated that the company is investigating the possible causes of the breaks together with suppliers. “In one case it was determined that the cargo bike was used for professional transport, which falls outside the design purposes,” Popal said. Cangoo recently decided to stop selling them. Bakfiets.nl emphasizes that safety is their highest priority. Director Jan Rijkeboer of Bakfiets.nl indicated that they rarely experience frame problems and that an average of eight frames are replaced per year as soon as rust or a crack is found, but there are no known cases in which dangerous situations have arisen. Babboe and the parent company Accel are being summoned by law firm Birkway BV, which has combined approximately 100,000 complaints for a claim for damages. This could mean the end of Babboe or even Accel. Victims can still report to the foundation bakfietsclaim.nl. The Consumers’ Association wants the Netherlands Authority for Consumers & Markets (ACM) to take action against Babboe. Accel is too slow in carrying out a recall, communicates poorly and forces consumers to make ‘unfavourable choices’, according to the consumer organisation. According to the association, consumers had to wait months for an inspection, repair or a new bicycle, while they have not been allowed to use their current model since February. Babboe will now also refund money (current value) to people who have a defective cargo bike. This was reported by the ACM, the Netherlands Authority for Consumers & Markets. The CEO of Dutch bicycle company Accell, known for brands such as Babboe, Batavus, Sparta and Carqon, will step down as chairman of the board in April. CEO Tjeerd Jegen will become chairman of the supervisory board. The current operational CEO, Jonas Nilsson, will replace him.
Fatbikes
The Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) has seized 3,500 fat bikes from QMwheel. The V20Pro from the company QMWheel can be accelerated to 45 km per hour in a few minutes. The Lower House wants the minister to set an age limit for the Fatbike, but the minister is considering other measures.
According to the inspectorate, these fat bikes have the technical characteristics of a moped, while they are marketed as electric bicycles. A moped requires type approval, registration number and third-party insurance. Drivers must also wear a helmet and have a driver’s license. If it turns out that the seized fat bikes do not comply with European regulations, the ILT expects the Chinese manufacturer to recall all vehicles. It is the responsibility of manufacturers to comply with laws and regulations. Importers and distributors also have the responsibility to ensure that laws and regulations are/are complied with. There are an estimated 12,500 shared scooters in the Netherlands. Scooter shop La Souris is recalling around 3,000 fat bikes of the type V20 from QMWheels, which are easy to tune. A software update should make tuning more difficult and it only takes five minutes. If the update also shows that the bikes have a heavier engine than is permitted, they will be replaced free of charge. In the first week of October 2024, 1,291 people ended up in the emergency room (ER) due to a bicycle accident; 96 of them were drivers or passengers of a fat bike. 480 of them were riding an electric bike and the remaining number of victims, 715 accidents, were on a bicycle without pedal assistance. 31 people were hit by a fat bike.
Go Sharing
The bike sharing company Go Sharing was founded by Raymon Pouwels, Doeke Boersma and Donny van den Oever and financed by Greenmo. The company started renting out shared scooters in Eindhoven in September 2019. Go Sharing announced in November last year that it would withdraw from 17 less profitable cities. The use of the scooters and bicycles was below expectations there. The service would remain available in 13 other cities such as Rotterdam, The Hague, Breda, Den Bosch, Tilburg and Leeuwarden. Go Sharing was bought in February 2023 and relaunched by Turkish industry peer BinBin. But things didn’t get much better after that either. They are leaving eleven cities and removing 5,000 scooters from the Netherlands. Some of them are going to Spain. The company will only remain active in Amsterdam and Haarlem.
Linemart GmbH
Linemart is the owner of the restarted Timyo, producer of Keola, VanDijck and Muon e-bikes. Timyo went bankrupt on July 23, 2024, was restarted by VanDijck Mobility (VDM) and financed by Linemart. Timyo had been struggling with problems for some time, mainly due to Corona and the lockdown in factories of suppliers, postponed and/or excessively increased costs for transport of parts and repayment of Corona support. According to Zhu, the founder and CEO of Timyo, the company had to deal with major technical problems with important suppliers of engines and batteries during this period. “We faced serious technical issues with our main engine and battery suppliers, which significantly undermined the confidence in our products. Timyo tried to solve these issues internally. Timyo faced a large number of financial challenges in the run-up to the bankruptcy. In an attempt to boost sales, Timyo gave significant discounts on their bikes in the last quarter of 2023, with the aim of generating enough revenue to pay the salaries of the employees. However, this strategy failed to stabilize the company’s finances. Timyo defaulted on its obligations to the pension fund. The company was continued under a new BV, VanDijck Mobility (VDM). After a reorganization, the (after) sales activities were taken over by VanDijck Mobility (VDM) and the company moved to another location in Roosendaal, without an assembly facility, but with a sales office and limited storage. Keola and VanDijck were relaunched on the market and the sporty e-bikes of Muon would be added later. Millions were lost on repairs and warranty issues apply. There are now also investors such as Linemart GmbH on board, who financially support the entire operation and the supply chain. Dealers already receive bicycles, invoices and newsletters from VDM. Linemart GmbH has serious plans to make the remaining brands Muon and VanDijck big. The company has been slimmed down to around 17 employees. Together with VanDijck, they will initially work with two model lines. The budget line Voyage will range from € 1,500 to € 2,500. Above that comes the premium line VanDijck, which varies from € 2,600 to € 4,000. In this way, VanDijck will increasingly become a premium e-bike brand. In 2025, they will split off the Voyage line from VanDijck and position it as an individual brand.
Pon
Urban Arrow is an Amsterdam based company that has been producing electric cargo bikes since 2010, the first in the world in this category. Their mission is to improve urban mobility by providing clean, silent and efficient transport solutions for both families and businesses. They focus on the rider, with attention to comfort, safety and ease of use.
Quality and design: Urban Arrow is known for high-quality electric cargo bikes with a low center of gravity for better road holding and balance. They work with partners such as Bosch (engines), Enviolo (gears) and Schwalbe (tires) for top quality. Their Family model won the RAI Vereniging’s electric cargo bike of the year in 2023. Family: Ideal for families, with an EPP box (light and safe) and three-point belts for children. Suitable for up to four passengers with accessories such as an extra bench or car seat adapter.
Shorty: More compact, for urban use or small loads.
Cargo L/XL and Tender: Aimed at business use, such as parcel delivery or urban logistics.
Innovation: The first prototype of the Family was developed in 2010 by founders Jorrit Kreek and Gerald van Weel, together with designer Wytze van Mansum. The design immediately won a Eurobike Award.
In 2019, Urban Arrow sold over 10,000 bikes and became part of the Pon.Bike Group, which accelerated their international expansion. They now have over 500 dealers worldwide.
Urban Arrow organizes roadshows for test drives and has an active community via social media (@urbanarrow , #urbanarrow). Their Consumer Service Center offers information on maintenance, warranty and accessories.
Swapfiets
Vogue
Cargo bike brand Vogue must also stop selling two specific models due to safety risks. The seat posts and frames of the ‘Troy’ and ‘Journey’ models have broken in several cases, according to the NVWA. A recall is now required for those models. “We have received approximately thirty reports from consumers, but also dealers and bicycle shops,” says a spokesperson for the NVWA. Research has shown that Vogue has received several reports of broken frames and seat posts in recent years. The company did not do enough and did not report this to the NVWA, which is required by law. “The technical documentation, the burden of proof that the bicycles are safe, was not complete,” says the spokesperson. Vogue cargo bikes may only be sold again once it has been demonstrated that they are safe and the missing data has been supplemented. According to the NVwA, the manufacturer, Europe Cycle Company (ECC), has so far fully cooperated with the recovery measures. The NVWA is also currently investigating other cargo bike brands. The supervisory authority cannot say exactly which brands are involved.
Coach companies are eligible for the Subsidy Scheme for the Purchase of Emission-Free Coaches (STour). The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), which implements the scheme, has made 2 million euros available, half of which is intended for coach operators and the other half for concessionaires in public transport. Coach companies are eligible for a subsidy for a maximum of two coaches per applicant. Concessionaires are eligible for a subsidy for a maximum of five coaches per applicant. The subsidy is a percentage of the additional costs that a company incurs when purchasing a battery-electric coach, compared to the same coach on diesel. In addition, the size of a company also affects the subsidy amount. For example, the maximum subsidy amount for small companies is 180,000 euros, for medium-sized companies it is 150,000 euros and for large companies it is 90,000 euros.
Go Sharing is stopping in Tilburg and Den Bosch and will only remain active in Amsterdam. The scooters and bicycles, which are also located in ten other cities in addition to Tilburg and Den Bosch, will soon no longer be usable. According to an employee, the staff is being laid off and the vehicles will be taken off the streets in the coming weeks. Last year, the scooters were also removed from Breda and Tilburg due to ‘unexpected circumstances’ . In 2022 , the number of cities in which they were active was also cut : at that time, they withdrew from 32 of the 45 municipalities.
In Driemond, Solarhub Driemond, facilitated by Vloto from Muiden, has started a trial with electric shared cars for residents. They now have access to an electric VW ID-4 and soon also a Microlino. For each shared vehicle, five to ten public parking spaces are freed up that are used for greening. Solarhub Driemond, which is supported by the Driemond Village Council, assumes eight charging stations, four of which are exclusively intended for the shared cars. The rest are available to other electric car owners in the neighborhood. The parking space is equipped with a canopy with solar panels, and the vehicles can be booked keylessly. The trial will run until the end of August and is intended to demonstrate the advantages of shared cars and possibly offer an attractive alternative for families considering purchasing a second car.
Welectric
According to rumours from the bicycle industry, the e-mobility specialist Welectric with ‘experience stores’ in Amsterdam, The Hague, Bussum and Weesp is about to file for a deferment of payment. Customers are standing in front of a closed store and no one at the company can be reached by telephone. Welectric was founded in 2020 by Rogier Eg. He received five hundred thousand euros from investment fund Bloomit in 2022. According to insiders, mismanagement and a lack of retail experience have done the store chain in. Microlino informed us that it recently stopped working with Welectric and they tried in vain to get the demo models back. At the branch in Weesp, which is also their head office, ‘closed due to circumstances’ is written on the door. The stores are now closed.
LNG
Exported liquefied natural gas (LNG) emits far more greenhouse gases than “dirty” coal, a new Cornell University study shows. Europe has ramped up imports of LNG in recent years. Coal is considered the most polluting fossil fuel when burned, with oil and gas producers recently promoting cleaner gas as a temporary bridge to much cleaner forms of energy from solar and wind. The study by climate scientist Robert Howarth, an advocate of accelerated phase-out of fossil fuels such as coal and oil, shows after the usual scientific peer review and checks that liquefied natural gas (LNG) is 33% worse in terms of emissions and global warming than coal over a twenty-year period. He argues, among other things, that the leakage of methane, a main component of gas that can cause global warming, during gas drilling is much higher than previously reported. Howarth’s study, which has come under fire from critics in the energy world but stands by its findings, found that 3.5% of the gas ultimately delivered to customers leaks unburned into the atmosphere, much more than previously thought. Methane is about 80 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, Howarth says, although it does not last as long in the atmosphere. The study comes as companies in the US, Australia and Qatar are ramping up their LNG production. US President Biden paused new extraction at the time because of the environmental impact. The Netherlands is increasingly importing LNG now that the Groningen natural gas field is closing this year. “Even if you look at a hundred years after emissions, the climate damage from methane is seriously underestimated, and the footprint of LNG is equal to or greater than that of coal,” Howarth says in the study in the journal Energy Science & Engineering. “The idea that coal is worse for the climate is wrong: LNG has a larger greenhouse gas footprint than any other fuel,” Howarth says. “It is simply wrong to think that we should use this gas as a climate solution. It is greenwashing by oil and gas companies who have seriously underestimated the emissions of this type of energy.” Howarth adds up all the effects of the total extraction and export. Drilling, moving, cooling and transporting extracted gas from one country to another uses so much energy that the final combustion of gas in homes produces far more emissions than the entire coal mining and processing process, according to the climate researcher.
Subsidies
The subsidy for a second-hand electric car will disappear at the end of this year. Previously, the government wanted to extend the scheme until 2029, but that will not happen. The subsidy pot was already completely allocated by mid-July 2024. At the beginning of this year, the Dutch government made 29.4 million euros available to make the purchase of a second-hand electric car more attractive. A total of 14,700 used electric cars were requested for subsidies. The RVO does indicate that a small budget may still be released, because applications for the subsidy can be withdrawn or rejected. The SEPP, or Subsidy for Electric Passenger Cars for Private Individuals, was first introduced in 2020. Interested parties could apply for the subsidy to purchase a fully electric passenger car that has a range of at least 120 kilometers according to the WLTP standard and whose catalogue price is between 12,000 and 45,000 euros. Consumers could receive a maximum of 2,000 euros for such a car. Although the government agreed last year to extend the subsidy until 2029, it was announced in April this year that the SEPP will end in 2025. The other subsidies for electric cars will also be abolished as of 2025. 58 million euros were also reserved for new electric cars with a catalogue value of up to €45,000. 40 percent of this has been used.
There is a lot wrong with the current regulations for electric cars, the Court of Audit states. It costs too much. The total bill for the fiscal stimulation of economical cars amounted to 700 million euros for the government in 2014. And in the years before that it was certainly more than a billion. The government must ensure that a total of 300,000 electric cars are purchased because a third of these disappear abroad. Second-hand electric cars are not popular and relatively expensive. The reduction of CO2 emissions is not being achieved. The cars are much less economical and many lease drivers drive their hybrid cars proportionally much less on electricity than on petrol. 75% of electric cars are purchased for business purposes.
Buyers initially received 4,000 euros when buying a new electric car and 2,000 euros for a used one. The first subsidy pot of 10 million euros was quickly empty due to reservations from dealers. Used cars are only subsidized via the specialist trade, not between private individuals. The subsidy applies to cars that are worth between 12,000 and 45,000 euros and can drive at least 120 kilometers on a full battery. The car must also remain with the same owner for several years. Owners who change cars within three years must repay part of the subsidy. Lease drivers receive the subsidy paid monthly. If they terminate the contract within four years, the subsidy also stops. The scheme runs until 2025. The subsidy counter for 2023 opened on January 10 with 99.4 million euros in cash. 67 million euros for the purchase or lease of a new electric car and 32.4 million euros for a used car. At the end of December 2023, there was still 23 million euros left. The subsidies for 2024 remain 2,950 and 2,000 euros for the time being.
The trial with subsidized electric GoGo cars in Amsterdam Nieuw West had a loss of 220,000 euros after six months. The municipality put 200,000 euros in subsidies for the project, which turned out to have far fewer customers than estimated. Customers who did use the GoGo also drove more kilometers than calculated for the rate of 2 to 4 euros. Work-study company Pantar and the municipality of Amsterdam stopped using the electric taxi cars that drove in Nieuw-West as a supplement to public transport. The cars had a much smaller range than expected and unexpected limitations. The agreement between Pantar and the Nieuw West district was terminated. The trial with GoGo with twenty small electric taxis ended in financial trouble. The use of electric transport has put a major brake on the capacity and agility of the project. It turned out to be unwise to experiment with these vehicles, which had not been on the market before, during a pilot. The range was disappointing and the quality of the vehicles also left much to be desired.
ViriCiti, was an online platform that increased the performance of commercial electric vehicles. They received 700,000 euros in growth capital from the Mainport Innovation Fund II, consisting of KLM, Schiphol, TU Delft, Port of Amsterdam, NS and Breesaap Green Link. Charging network ChargePoint took over the software company. The Americans paid 75 million euros and with this acquisition expanded their range of software, hardware and services in the field of vehicle charging.
The Municipality of Amsterdam continues to regard electric driving as one of its spearheads and pays the Amsterdam Climate & Energy Fund a subsidy of around 45 million euros. For each demonstrably significant CO2 reduction project, this fund finances a maximum of 5 million euros. The Amsterdam Climate & Energy Fund, which is financed with the Nuon revenues, invests 2.5 million euros in a private leasing company for electric vehicles. In 2018, around 700 million euros in subsidies were provided to buyers of electric cars costing between 80,000 and 120,000 euros. In 2014, 12 percent of all purchased and subsidized electric cars were exported. More than half of these were not even a year old. The approximately 7,500 Teslas currently driving around in the Netherlands cost the taxpayer at least 145 million euros per year in lost subsidies.
Partly due to the subsidies, the percentage of privately owned electric cars quickly rose to 19 percent. In 2021, private individuals received a subsidy of 4,000 euros for the purchase of an electric car, which was reduced to 3,350 euros in 2022. The subsidy pot was increased to 71 million euros. Anyone who buys or leases a new car receives a subsidy of 2,950. In the first year that the subsidy was available, it was still 4,000 euros. For a second-hand car, the amount has remained 2,000 euros since the beginning. To qualify, the car must be fully electric and the catalogue price must be between 12,000 euros and 45,000 euros. In 2024, the subsidy was to be reduced to 2,550 euros, but it remained 2,950 euros. The government is allocating 600 million euros over the coming years to stimulate the purchase of electric cars. On top of that, another 90 million euros will be made available to strengthen the network of charging stations.
For 2021, 22 million euros were available for entrepreneurs and non-profit organizations that wanted to buy an emission-free company car. A total of 185 million euros in subsidies has been set aside until 2025. 14 municipalities will establish an emission-free zone between now and 2025, including in Amsterdam, Utrecht and Den Bosch. The same number of municipalities will announce plans to do so in the near future. The Climate Agreement stipulates that there must be between 30 and 40 such zones by 2030. Only new company cars, costing at least 20,000 euros, are eligible. Light commercial vehicles (type N1) must also have a range of at least 100 kilometers. The subsidy applies to both purchase and financial lease agreements. The company car must have been purchased after January 1, 2021 and not yet registered in the name of the person applying for the subsidy. In addition, the vehicle must have been registered in the name of the subsidy applicant for 3 years without interruption after purchase.
The subsidy pot of 71 million euros for electric cars was quickly completely empty again in 2022. The pot of 20 million for second-hand cars was also empty. The additional tax for private use of a company car remains 16 percent. The ceiling to which this amount applies is reduced from 35,000 euros to 30,000 euros.
The subsidy desk opened on January 10, 2023 with 99.4 million euros. Of this, 67 million euros is intended for the purchase or lease of a new electric car and 32.4 million euros for a used one. In August, there is still 43.9 million euros left for new cars and 18.7 million euros for used ones. It is a lot less stormy than in 2022, when the pot was already empty after 5 months. In 2023, you can apply for a maximum of 2,950 euros for a new electric car. Last year, it was 4,000 euros. For used cars, the amount has been 2,000 euros since the start. The popularity of electric cars among private individuals has fallen to an all-time low in 2023. The stock is gathering dust at the dealers and the subsidy pot is still half full. In total, almost 100 million euros were available for this year, 67 million euros for the purchase or lease of a new electric car and over 32 million euros for used electric cars. Of that, over 43 million euros is still available. Applicants can receive 2950 euros for the purchase or lease of a new electric car and 2000 euros for a second-hand model.
The government is allocating 500 million euros to reduce nitrogen emissions during construction work to 0. Construction companies will receive substantial subsidies for purchasing electric trucks and machines or converting them. The government is now introducing a subsidy program for electric vehicles and construction machines, for which 300 million euros will be made available between 2021 and 2023. Another 200 million euros will follow in the period 2024 to 2030.
In the coming years, subsidies and tax benefits will be introduced, which will be regulated in a national transitional arrangement. The Climate Agreement stipulates that by 2025, at least forty larger municipalities will designate places where no emissions may occur, for example in the city centre. New vans that are registered after 2025 will have to drive emission-free from then on in order to be allowed to enter these emission-free zones. The transitional arrangement must be used to restore order. For vans, this is until 2027 and for trucks until 2030. The Climate Agreement stipulates that CO2 emissions must be reduced by 49 percent by 2030 compared to 1990. There was already a transitional arrangement for trucks, and vans are now being added to that. In 2021, the ambition was expressed at the climate summit in Glasgow that all new trucks must be electric from 2040. At the moment, only 0.2 percent of Dutch trucks are electric. In Assen and 30 other cities, an emission-free zone will already be introduced in 2025. This applies to all vehicles. Existing commercial vehicles and trucks will be exempted until 2030.
The Jaarbeurs Utrecht received a European subsidy of €64,000 for an investment of 1 million euros. After the summer of 2017, Tesla placed one of the largest energy storage facilities in the Benelux at the Jaarbeurs in front of the trade fair. A large battery was installed in the P4 parking lot behind the trade fair complex that captures the power from solar cells. The capacity will be 1.5 megawatt hours and is sufficient to charge an electric car at least fifty times, or a Tesla twenty times. The Jaarbeurs Utrecht, grid operator Stedin, energy supplier Scholt Energy and charging station developer LomboXnet jointly invested in the project.
Vitor Escaria, the Chief of Staff of Prime Minister Antonio Costa of Portugal, was caught with large amounts of cash hidden in his room at the official residence in the Sao Bento Palace in Lisbon. The money was hidden in wine boxes and books. A total of 75,800 euros was found. Escariac was arrested in November 2023 together with four others and released pending trial, after which the prime minister resigned. However, Costa himself is also a suspect, together with one of his ministers and a businessman friend. The money is said to have come from bribes for the licensing of lithium mines and green hydrogen. The fraud investigation has been ongoing since 2019.
Velocity Limburg is on the brink of bankruptcy despite the fact that the government, the province of Limburg and the city region of Parkstad have invested a lot of subsidy money in it. Velocity operates electric shared bicycles in South Limburg and is now in danger of being dragged into the downfall of its German parent company. The government invested in Velocity Mobility in the hope and expectation that citizens would leave their cars at home more often and instead commute silently and emission-free with a fast turbo bike. After the first rental station was built in Kerkrade in 2018, construction of twenty stations started at the beginning of 2021 where everyone could rent a sustainable bicycle for one and a half euros per half hour. Thanks in part to investments by the administrative partnership of the city region of Parkstad Limburg and EMR Connect, a fund with which the authorities in the Meuse-Rhine region stimulate mobility, the Aachen parent company Velocity Mobility GmbH succeeded in implementing the plans. With the operation of Europe’s first cross-border e-bike sharing system, things seemed to be going well for a while. Around Aachen, where 112 sharing stations have already been built, Velocity rented out an e-bike 27,000 times in June last year. And in January, one of the worst months, a bike was still taken 12,000 times. The plan was even to build eight more sharing stations. Velocity Mobility emerged from an initiative by a few students from the Technical University of Aachen. A few years ago, some of the German bikes and stations were destroyed by vandals, a setback that also led to considerable financial damage. Bankruptcy is inevitable for the parent company. The fifteen employees have already been dismissed. According to curator André Seckler, the cheese is empty and the activities must be stopped. Rob Beentjes of Stadsregio Parkstad nevertheless has high hopes that the peloton of Limburg turbo bikes can continue to operate.
Foodlogica, which delivered refrigerated food to customers in Amsterdam and other cities using electric cargo bikes and electric vehicles, has gone bankrupt. The company, founded in 2014 by two Italian entrepreneurs, transported refrigerated food. The court has declared both the company and the holding company – both located at the Food Center in Amsterdam-West – bankrupt. Last year, the company still had around thirty electric vehicles on the road in the Randstad.
Until recently, the subsidy in Germany was 7,000 euros, since September 2023 it has been 4,500 euros (up to a purchase price of 45,000) and from mid-December 2023 the entire subsidy scheme has been completely abolished due to budget cuts.
The French government makes it possible for low incomes to drive electric for only 54 euros per month (excl. electricity) in a Citroen e C3 with a 3-year contract. This car has a 44 kWh battery pack with which you have a range of approximately 320 km. For 89 euros you get a Fiat 500 and for 149 euros per month a Jeep Avenger or a Peugeot e 2008. To qualify for this subsidy, your income may not exceed 15,400 euros per year.
There will be two new subsidy schemes for companies. For the first scheme, ‘Subsidy Scheme for Private Charging Infrastructure for Companies’ (SPRILA), 42 million euros are available. This scheme is for companies on a business park or for a distribution centre. Entrepreneurs will be reimbursed for part of the costs for the purchase and installation of charging points. SMEs will be reimbursed for up to 40 percent of the costs, large companies for up to 20 percent. If there is insufficient grid capacity, it is also possible to apply for additional subsidy for a stationary battery per charging location. A battery can fully charge during the day and charge one or more vehicles at night. In addition, it is possible to apply for a subsidy for obtaining external advice on the installation of charging points.
The ‘Subsidy Scheme for Public Charging Infrastructure for Heavy Transport’ will start on 1 October. This SPULA is intended for the construction of publicly accessible charging points for heavy road transport, for the construction or expansion of charging infrastructure that contributes to a nationwide network for heavy electric vehicles. 15 million euros are available for this scheme. The budget for investments in stationary batteries (4.5 million euros) was already oversubscribed by almost 12 million within a day. More than 30 million euros has already been requested for advice and installation of charging infrastructure for DC charging stations (budget: 15.5 million). “Applications submitted after 24 September 2024 for DC charging stations or for a stationary battery are likely to be rejected. There is no budget available for this,” writes the Netherlands Enterprise Agency. “A lottery with a notary will follow for the activities that are oversubscribed on 24 September. From 2026 to 2030, more than € 1.6 billion will be made available for the sustainability and innovation of the transport sector. This is due to the introduction of the truck levy . The net proceeds from the truck levy will be invested in the sector.
At the beginning of this year, the Dutch government made 29.4 million euros available to make the purchase of a second-hand electric car more attractive. A total of 14,700 used electric cars were granted subsidy. This means that the money has now run out, as is also evident from information from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency , which pays out the subsidy. The RVO does indicate that a small budget may still be released, because applications for the subsidy can be withdrawn or rejected. The SEPP, or Subsidy for Electric Passenger Cars for Private Individuals, was first introduced in 2020. Interested parties could apply for the subsidy to purchase a fully electric passenger car that has a range of at least 120 kilometers according to the WLTP standard and whose catalogue price is between 12,000 and 45,000 euros. Consumers could receive a maximum of 2,000 euros for such a car. Although the government agreed last year to extend the subsidy until 2029, it was announced in April this year that the SEPP will end in 2025. The subsidy pot for the purchase of a new electric car is empty. There was 58 million euros in the pot and that is now gone. No extra money is being put in. There is still room in the subsidy pot for second-hand electric cars because that subsidy pot was topped up in the meantime. The discount on motor vehicle tax is also a declining matter. In 2025 there is a 75% discount on the rate, In 2026/2028 a 25% discount on the rate, In 2029 a 35% discount, In 2030 a 30% discount and in 2031 there is no more discount and the amount is higher than for fuel cars due to the higher weight due to the heavy battery pack. The 40 percent discount appears to have been reduced to 25 percent by the Schoof cabinet. When extending the scheme, no account was taken of the fact that electric cars are heavier on average, due to the batteries, which meant that the total discount amount was higher than expected. In addition, more electric cars were sold than expected. These two setbacks together cost the treasury 1.5 billion euros. In order to close this gap in the budget, Minister Heinen of Finance is restricting the tax reduction on electric cars faster and further. The reduction would gradually increase, via 75, 40, 35 and 30 percent to zero percent in 2031. Now the reduction will increase to 75 percent from next year, a year later to 25 percent and then to zero in 2030.
State Secretary Chris Jansen of Infrastructure and Water Management has now announced that another 30 million euros will be made available to stimulate the purchase of zero-emission vans. This new budget should ensure that approximately 7,000 vehicles can be purchased by entrepreneurs and non-profit institutions. 2024 is the last year in which the SEBA scheme will be in effect. From 2025, no more subsidies will be provided for the purchase of vans, as the BPM exemption for fossil-powered vans will expire on 1 January 2025. This will eliminate the price difference between zero-emission vehicles and vehicles powered by fossil fuels. Since the introduction of the SEBA scheme in 2021, subsidies have been provided for 21,643 vehicles. There are currently approximately 1 million vans on the road in the Netherlands, of which approximately 30,000 are zero-emission.
New generation of batteries and accumulators
Manufacturer LG is not only entering the race to be the first to make the new generation of batteries for Tesla cars . The South Korean company wants to start mass production in December and is said to have a battery that is better than the competition. The mass production of LG’s new 4680 battery was actually supposed to start last month, but that did not happen. The large-scale production of 4680 batteries is now planned for December. If that succeeds, LG would be the first manufacturer to succeed in producing the groundbreaking battery for EVs on a truly large scale. The supercell is much more efficient, safer and cheaper than other batteries and owes its name to its dimensions: 46 millimeters wide and 80 millimeters high. The 4680 has five times the energy density and six times the output compared to a traditional 2170 battery. The new battery can improve the range of electric cars by at least 20 percent.
Tesla had the fastest charging time with the right combination of battery (nickel-cobalt-manganese) and charging station, by being able to charge 80% in about twenty minutes. The Chinese brand Zeekr can now do this within 10 minutes. Zeekr’s batteries are made of lithium, iron and phosphorus and are better suited. Zeekr opened 500 charging stations throughout the country last year. This brand of parent company Geely is also a major shareholder in Lotus, Polestar and Volvo. In the largest cities there is now more than one charging station per 100 inhabitants.
Chinese battery manufacturer CATL has developed an innovative Freevoy Dual Core battery that allows an EV to drive up to 1,500 kilometers on a full charge. 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 kilometers of range per second. The maximum range is approximately 800 kilometers.
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 battery in the test car can be charged about a thousand times before its 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.
India bigger in EV
Ola Electric Mobility, an Indian electric two-wheeler manufacturer based in Bangalore, is growing at a rapid pace. It has a manufacturing facility in Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu and is now India’s largest two-wheeler EV manufacturing plant. In 2023, the company led the electric scooter market in India, with a 30% share.
First (test) charging station at sea
Belgian company Parkwind has installed the first offshore charging station for electric ships. The station is located approximately 47 kilometers off the coast in the North Sea, at the Nobelwind wind farm, which has 50 wind turbines. The charging station uses locally generated green energy to charge ships that service the wind farm or transport materials. The station provides a charging speed of 2 to 8 megawatts and can also be used to power conventional diesel ships when they are stationary, helping to reduce their emissions. Ships can automatically connect and disconnect at the station. The system is designed to track the movements of the ship. There is also a system to protect against overload. Both automatic and manual emergency disconnection are also supported. Parkwind reports that the installation of the station took just two days and that it is the first charging station in the world that uses power directly from offshore wind turbines to charge ships. It is currently a test setup. Parkwind, together with its British partner MJR, wants to use the insights it gains from the tests to build a first commercial station next year. This should happen during the first quarter of 2025.
Electric Carver Cargo
Friese Carver, founded in 1994 by Ton van den Brink at Celsiusweg 26, 8912 AN Leeuwarden, developer of electric three-wheelers, went bankrupt in 2009 and then made a fresh start, only to go bankrupt again in July 2024 despite an additional investment of 1.8 million euros. In 2021, BNR Capital invested another 1.8 million euros in Carver BV, a company with a total of 23 employees. BNR Capital acquired a 23% minority interest for this. Friese Carver, founded in 1994 by Ton van den Brink in Leeuwarden, developer of electric three-wheelers, went bankrupt again in July 2024 despite this additional investment. Carver already announced in May that it was experiencing liquidity problems and started a reorganization. In 2023, the company had to incur high costs for repairs to three-wheelers that were under warranty. Partly as a result, the company suffered a net loss of almost 2.9 million euros. The debt burden had meanwhile risen to over 2 million euros, higher than the value of all assets. Due to the ongoing Corona crisis and the extremely high container prices, Carver’s projected growth and margin were under severe pressure.
Well on the way
Goedopweg, the province of Utrecht and the municipalities of Utrecht and Amersfoort are working with MaaS service providers Gaiyo, Umob and VCCR/Automicle with the aim of stimulating the MaaS Living Lab in the use of shared transport and public transport in the region. In the long term, discount schemes for residents with a small budget must be integrated into the mobility apps.
For this group, governments also want to organise feasible discount schemes for the carrier. Schemes that should improve accessibility in the region and reduce CO2 emissions are also an intended goal. Another idea is a discount scheme for public transport for users of P+R sites. The project is a follow-up to an earlier MaaS pilot from 2022. At that time, the Utrecht region worked together with Gaiyo to get MaaS off the ground better. Goedopweg is a collaboration between the province of Utrecht, the municipalities of Utrecht and Amersfoort, the U10 collaboration organisation, Rijkswaterstaat and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. The organization aims to improve the accessibility and quality of life in the Utrecht region and to make mobility more sustainable.
The number of electric cars, plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles with a range extender will have increased by about half worldwide in 2023. There are now around 42 million of these cars in total. Hybrids in particular are doing well.
Alphabet will invest an additional $5 billion (€4.6 billion) in self-driving electric cars in the coming years
asr real estate launches energy fund
Seaqurrent has a scoop with TidalKite underwater kite
Investorssuch as EIT InnoEnergy, PMH Investments, Invest-NL, FOM and NOM as shareholders invested more than 4.8 million euros in the “underwater kite” project. The Rijks Waddenfonds also invested 2.5 million euros in the innovative tidal energy project. The current in the sea as a result of ebb and flow is converted into electricity. Seaqurrent has made a kind of aluminum ‘kite’ that makes figure eights on a cable, which is connected to a generator on the seabed. In the sea inlet between Ameland and Terschelling. The movements of the kite are followed on computer screens in a control room and the system has a generator on the seabed. The “kite” makes figure eights around the generator in the water and conducts the electricity generated by this via a power cable to Ameland. The “kite” can supply electricity to around 700 households on the island. Ameland wants to be fifteen years ahead of the rest of the Netherlands and be CO2 neutral by 2035. The inlets between the islands in particular have a strong current due to the ebb and flow of the tides. Generating the electricity costs 16 cents per kilowatt hour and is more expensive than electricity from the sun or wind. As the kites become larger and underwater parks are built with many kites together, the cost price decreases. The main incentive to invest in tidal energy is the constant supply. Even when the sun is not shining and the wind is not blowing, there is always ebb and flow. This means that tidal energy, like nuclear energy, can be a stable addition to the power supply that is increasingly dependent on the weather. TidalKite moves in a predetermined and stable figure-eight path, controlled by an autonomous, advanced external monitoring and control system, which monitors the entire process for optimum performance and safety. The pulling force generated by the kite sets a biodegradable working fluid in motion, which is then converted into a rotary motion that drives a generator to produce electricity. A submarine power cable transports the electricity from the underwater operation to the coast and feeds it into the grid. The TidalKite system can operate in all tidal segments and can be towed and installed in place using standard, commonly available vessels and equipment to enable lower average energy costs. The Waddenvereniging is less enthusiastic about the idea due to the presence of vulnerable seals and birds. TidalKite moves in a predetermined and stable figure-eight path, controlled by an autonomous, advanced external monitoring and control system, which oversees the entire process for optimal performance and safety. The pulling force generated by the kite sets a biodegradable working fluid in motion, which is then converted into a rotary motion that drives a generator to produce electricity.A submarine power cable transports the electricity from the underwater operation to the shore and feeds it into the grid. The TidalKite system can operate in all tidal segments and can be towed and installed in place using standard, widely available vessels and equipment to enable lower average energy costs. Seaqurrent is working with UG, TCNN and local suppliers. The University of Groningen has been involved in testing and developing the TidalKite since 2015 and optimizing the TidalKite design using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis. The European Just Transition Fund (JTF) supports projects for regions that are most affected by the transition to a green economy. With this, the European Union aims to reduce socio-economic inequality. The JTF is derived from the European Green Deal, which should lead to a climate-neutral Europe by 2050.
Rio Tinto
Rio Tinto has acquired lithium miner Arcadium for $6.7 billion, making it the world’s third-largest producer of the metal that would make electric vehicle batteries. Philadelphia-based Arcadium Lithium currently has a market capitalization of $3.3 billion. Arcadium’s stock price has fallen more than 50 percent this year, as lithium prices plummeted due to oversupply. Rio Tinto has 57,000 employees and is now adding 2,400.
Tens of thousands of protesters in Belgrade and other Serbian cities are protesting Rio Tinto’s Jadar lithium mine project in western Serbia, which will extract lithium and boron from a populated agricultural area. They blocked roads and train tracks after the mine’s permit was reinstated in July 2024, after it was revoked in 2022 following environmental opposition. The €2.4 billion mine could produce 58,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate per year, enough to meet 90% of Europe’s current lithium needs, and would make Rio Tinto a global leader in lithium production. The mine could open in 2028, subject to environmental requirements and permits.
President Vučić backs the project for its economic benefits, including jobs and local production of batteries and electric cars, and highlights Rio Tinto’s commitment to stricter environmental standards. However, critics, including environmental groups such as “Marš sa Drine” and “Ne damo Jadar”, fear water and soil contamination, with a study in Scientific Reports warning of risks to the water supply of 2.5 million people. Rio Tinto bought land worth €1.2 million between June 2022 and January 2023 and demolished homes without full permits, fuelling opposition. One NGO accuses Rio Tinto of splitting up the project to avoid a full environmental assessment.
Recent protests, such as those on May 10, 2025 in Loznica and Gornje Nedeljice, have shown broad opposition from students, farmers and veterans. A proposal to ban lithium and boron mining was rejected by parliament in October 2024 (128 against, 84 in favor). The EU, which wants to reduce dependence on Chinese lithium, is considering the mine as a strategic project, despite objections from environmental organizations. Germany and the EU support the project, but activists, backed by European Greens, condemn violence and intimidation against protesters.
Hydrogen context: The Jadar mine fits into the energy transition, where lithium is crucial for electric vehicle batteries, an alternative to hydrogen vehicles such as Toyota’s H2 ICE and BMW’s iX5 Hydrogen. Hydrogen faces infrastructure challenges (few fuel stations, high costs), while lithium mining such as Jadar faces resistance due to environmental concerns. Germany is building a 9,040 km hydrogen network (operational in 2032, €18.9 billion) for industries, connecting to a Dutch network, but low demand and high costs remain challenges
Currently, 97 percent of the EU’s lithium comes from China. Most lithium batteries are also made in China. With a new agreement, Germany and Serbia want to turn the tide. Car manufacturers such as Mercedes, Volkswagen and Stellantis will then be able to buy their lithium in Serbia. The Jadar mine in western Serbia is one of the largest lithium reserves in Europe. Serbia hopes to extract around 58,000 tons of lithium per year with the new mine, enough for 1.1 million electric cars. Serbia could supply Europe with as much as 90 percent of the lithium it needs. In Serbia, the population is very concerned about the environmental impact of the mine. For example, forests would have to be cut down to mine lithium, and the groundwater could be polluted. In 2021 and 2022, there were already demonstrations against the construction of lithium mines in Serbia. The Constitutional Court of Serbia ruled this month that the government could not simply put a stop to lithium mining. The government had “exceeded the limits of its authority,” the court said. Following the court’s decision, the Serbian government announced this week that the controversial mining will go ahead after all. Citizens from the Jadar area have rallied to stop the plans. The price of lithium has fallen by 80 percent since the end of 2022, and this trend is expected to continue until at least 2027. The price has been able to fall so far in part because supply has grown faster than demand. Production is expected to grow by 32 percent next year, while demand is only expected to increase by 23 percent. As a result, there is a risk that major mining companies will cut production, stop new projects and not plan any expansion in the future. Two Chinese lithium giants, Ganfeng Lithium Group Co. and Tianqi Lithium Corp., suffered heavy losses in the first half of this year. The protesters are demanding that the government pass a law to block the exploitation of lithium and boron, and have warned that they are prepared to step up their actions if their demands are not met. Nebojša Petković from the “ Ne damo Jadar” platform has said that targeted blockades could be organised. The EU is keen to secure a stable and cheap supply of lithium for its Green Deal, which is heavily dependent on the transition to green transport. Rio Tinto estimates that the Jadar project could supply 58 tonnes of lithium per year, enough for 1 million electric vehicles or 17% of regional production. In order to start production at the site, the Australian mining group must now obtain approvals that are subject to environmental impact assessments.
Heat pump sales have plummeted in the first half of this year. In the first six months, 47,000 units were sold, which is almost half the 88,000 a year earlier.
BMW beat Tesla to the European all-electric car market in July 2024. The German automaker sold 14,869 BEV cars that month, about 300 more than Tesla. The data underscored the success of traditional automakers in the market after lagging behind pure electric vehicle makers, driven by government policies and brand royalties. “The lack of clarity around the incentives for – and the future of – EVs continues to pose a barrier to consumers considering an EV. These factors, along with the low residual values of EVs, contributed to the decline in July,” said Felipe Munoz, Global Analyst at JATO Dynamics, referring to the decline in overall EV sales. Tesla remains the dominant player, but traditional automakers such as BMW and Volvo are gaining ground amid uncertainties surrounding EV subsidies and incentives. BMW reported a 35% year-on-year sales jump last month, while Tesla saw registrations fall 16%. About 139,300 new electric cars were registered in July, a decrease of 6% compared to July 2023. The market share of EVs fell to 13.5% from 14.6% a year earlier.
Italian Minister Adolfo Urso is demanding swift commitments from Stellantis for the Termoli gigafactory or €370 million in EU recovery funds (PNRR) will be reallocated elsewhere. Automotive Cells Company (ACC), a joint venture between Stellantis, Mercedes-Benz and TotalEnergies, is planning three European gigafactories but has paused projects in Termoli, Italy, and Kaiserslautern, Germany, due to declining demand for electric vehicles (EVs) and a focus on cheaper LFP batteries. The €2 billion Termoli project was due to start in 2026 and produce 40 GWh of batteries per year. Stellantis is now producing eDCT transmissions at Termoli from 2026 and will continue to produce internal combustion engines until at least 2028 to limit job losses.
Urso criticizes Stellantis’ low production in Italy and threatens to reallocate funds if Stellantis doesn’t commit within hours. The deadline for PNRR funds is the end of 2026, and Italy doesn’t want to lose them. Stellantis has lost €200 million in PNRR funds, but Urso keeps the door open for future national funding under a new industrial plan. Stellantis’ share price (NYSE:STLA) fell to $9.89 (low in 2025), with a profit margin of 5.5-7.0% expected on weak EV demand and Chinese competition.
In the hydrogen context, Stellantis produces hydrogen fuel cell vans (Citroën, Fiat, Opel, Peugeot) with 400 km range and has a stake in Symbio. Hydrogen faces infrastructure challenges, such as in California, where filling stations are closing due to high costs and low demand. Germany is investing €7.9 billion in hydrogen projects, including 2,000 km of pipelines, and is building a 9,040 km network (operational 2032, €18.9 billion) connecting to the Netherlands. The Jadar lithium mine in Serbia, crucial for EV batteries, is facing resistance due to environmental concerns, underlining the dependence on lithium for EVs compared to hydrogen alternatives such as Toyota’s H2 ICE and BMW’s iX5 Hydrogen.
An electric van costs four times as much as a diesel variant and it is also more expensive in terms of consumption
FLASC
A mechanical offshore energy storage system can store power from wind farms much more efficiently than expensive battery packs. Simple steel tubes and a set of liquid suction cups are the key elements. A first prototype of the FLASC system was launched six years ago in the harbour of Malta. Not an ideal place to catch a lot of wind, so the compact system ran on solar panels for once. Connected to it was a special converter that reacts to the strength of the sun. The system worked almost identically to that of the mega system that the Maltese inventors Daniel Buhagiar and Tonio Sant have in mind: with hollow tubes under water and a liquid suction mechanism that stores generated energy by compressing air. The seawater helps with the compression and as a heat sink. The Maltese prototype could store 1 kWh of power and built up a pressure of around 15 bar. That system can be scaled up enormously, Daniel Buhagiar assures. You could also use it to store the excess energy from a 1 GW offshore wind farm. “This could be achieved with a 15-kilometre-long underwater tube system, the outer tube of which has a maximum diameter of 1.5 metres. Thanks to the high energy density of up to 18 kWh/m3, you can store enormous amounts of wind energy and return it when there is no wind. A system of this size would cost around 280 million euros. With large-scale application, the costs would amount to around 600-700 euros per kWh with a lifespan of thirty years. “Then you have a low-cost battery that lasts a very long time. A second pilot must prove that the inventors are serious. This project, funded by the EU programme Horizon 2020, uses a floating wind turbine with a FLASC system on board. The energy conversion unit with all the pumps and turbines was built in the lab in Malta. The ‘Musica’, which has a storage capacity of 50kWh, will be tested in Greek waters next year.
The FLASC system focuses on energy surpluses from offshore wind farms. It sends the power that wind turbines cannot discharge into the grid to hydraulic pistons. These move up and down, sucking in air and compressing it in a double-layered pipe system. When demand from the grid increases, the process is reversed. The system releases the pressure again, with the air driving a turbine to generate electricity. According to the inventors, 93 percent of the energy stored in gas can be recovered in this way.
Constructing an elongated pipe system on land is impractical, but there is plenty of room for it at sea. Constructing an offshore wind farm already requires a lot of work underwater. Why not use the space twice and create a mega storage in the same area? Steel pipes are also cheap, certainly compared to lithium-ion batteries. An advantage over other mechanical storage systems, such as the Ocean Grazer, is that FLASC is not dependent on water pressure. So you don’t need a great depth of water to make it function effectively. The pressure in the pipe system goes up to around 200 bar, a pressure level comparable to that in gas pipelines. “During installation, we first bring the pressure in the system to 90 bar with an external compressor to prevent large fluctuations – and metal fatigue”, says Buhagiar. “Then the liquid suction mechanism increases the pressure further.” The ‘isothermal compression’ maintains the thermal equilibrium and prevents large energy losses due to heat development. This is crucial, because temperature fluctuations are precisely the shortcoming of this type of storage system. FLASC does not suffer from this thanks to the seawater and does not need separate heat storage. Buhagiar: “When we expand the gas and generate electricity, the stable temperature ensures that the process runs smoothly and we can easily meet the energy demand.” Before the system can operate in a North Sea wind farm, the validation work must first be completed to meet all requirements. And there will be an even larger pilot project with storage capacity of 100 kWh in the Botlek. In the meantime, FLASC is already competing for the first commercial contracts. That is a bit like gambling on the horse races: there are often seven or eight bidders and they each demand exclusivity. “So the one we commit to has to win the tender,” laughs Buhagiar. “Sooner or later it will be our turn.”
The idea for the FLASC system originated at the University of Malta. Daniel Buhagiar devoted his PhD research to it, supervised by Professor Tonio Sant. The idea was eventually patented and an independent spin-off FLASC BV was founded. The company has now established itself in the Buccaneer Accelerator in Delft (‘For offshore, you have to be in the North Sea’). The company has entered into a partnership with offshore company Subsea 7. In July, FLASC was one of the three finalists in the ‘Research’ category of the European Inventor Award 2024, organised by the European Patent Office (EPO). The invention was selected from 550 other candidates. Source: Cobouw
The Green Turtle battery park in Rotem (Dilsen-Stokkem), Belgian Limburg, is being developed by GIGA Storage Belgium and has been expanded to a capacity of 700 MW and 2,800 MWh (originally 600 MW/2,400 MWh), enough to supply 385,000 households with green electricity annually. The project, on a former zinc factory site next to Elia’s 380 kV high-voltage substation, stores surplus wind and solar energy for delivery during peak hours, reducing dependency on fossil fuels and supporting the energy transition. The park comprises 720 batteries with inverters, 185 medium-voltage transformers, 5 high-voltage transformers (1,500 MVA), and 25,650 m² of vegetation. The cost is approximately €600 million, with construction to start in the summer of 2025 and completion in 2028. In April 2024, GIGA Storage received an irrevocable permit, and in September 2024 the design phase began with partners Stadsbader Contractors (construction), Sweco (engineering) and Tractebel (technical support). Rabobank has had a minority stake in GIGA Storage since 2022.
GIGA Storage is also planning a 300MW/1,200MWh Blue Marlin battery farm in Kinrooi, 15km away, near Elia’s Van Eyck station, with a similar timeline (2025-2028). The company is targeting 5GW of battery storage in Europe by 2030, with projects including a 300MW/1,200MWh farm in Delfzijl, the Netherlands, on the former Aldel site with existing power cable. GIGA Storage previously completed a 12MW/7.5MWh system (2020) and a 25MW/48MWh system (2022) in the Netherlands.
Hydrogen and lithium context: Battery storage like Green Turtle competes with hydrogen technologies (HFCVs and H2 ICE from Toyota, BMW, HySE, Stellantis), which suffer from scarce refueling infrastructure and high costs. Germany is building a 9,040 km hydrogen network (€18.9 billion, operational 2032) and investing €7.9 billion in hydrogen projects, but low demand remains a hurdle. The Jadar lithium mine in Serbia, crucial for EV batteries, is facing resistance due to environmental concerns, while Stellantis’ €2 billion gigafactory in Termoli (Italy) is threatened by reallocation of €370 million PNRR funds due to delays and declining EV demand. Green Turtle strengthens EV infrastructure with reliable energy storage, essential for the energy transition
Lion Volt is building an energy storage system with a capacity of 364 megawatts and a storage capacity of 1,457 megawatt hours in Vlissingen-Oost. The Mufasa system will be put into operation in 2026. The energy storage system will be realized in the North Sea Port, one of the emerging energy hubs in the Netherlands. With direct access to the high-voltage grid of TenneT, located near several large-scale hydrogen electrolysis projects and offshore wind farms that are under development, Lion Storage wants to make Mufasa a vital part of the developed energy and industrial infrastructure of North Sea Port. According to the company, the battery will operate entirely on a commercial basis, will be active on all wholesale electricity markets and will provide supporting services to the power grid. System services will be offered that ensure system balance, grid stability and security of supply in the long term.
This spring, there were already more than 10 gigawatts of battery parks in California. Such projects are also the future for the energy transition in the Netherlands. 2023 was also Alfen’s breakthrough year for energy storage. Turnover increased more than sixfold in the first half of the year and the order portfolio amounts to more than €170 million, more than half of which was executed in the second half of 2023. Similar projects are also being worked on in Sweden.
The Netherlands leads the world with 3.5 solar panels per inhabitant (23.9 GW installed capacity by the end of 2023), but the solar energy industry is in crisis. In the first five months of 2024, the number of new installations halved (163,000 vs. 303,000 in 2023), due to the phasing out of the net metering scheme (permanently discontinued as of 2027), a saturated market, and grid congestion. A third of households have solar panels, but 200,000 installations regularly failed on sunny days in 2023 due to excessively high grid voltage, a doubling since 2021. Inverters automatically switch off in the event of overvoltage (legally required), without compensation for force majeure. Enexis director Han Slootweg expects further increases in outages. Waiting times for new power connections have increased from 16 to 52 weeks due to grid congestion, and households with panels pay higher energy costs, according to the ACM. Techniek Nederland reports a 95% drop in turnover since September 2023, with bankruptcies such as Kees Koolen’s BonGo Solar.
The House of Representatives confirmed the abolition as of 2027 in November 2024, after previously rejecting an earlier phase-out in 2025. Holland Solar advocates subsidies for home batteries and self-consumption to reduce grid load, as households now use 30-40% of their solar energy themselves.
TenneT unlocked 9 GW of high-voltage capacity with flexible contracts, but low-voltage grids remain overloaded. Eneco and Delta Energie are testing lower rates at peak solar production to shift consumption. Enexis reports that 750,000 inverters failed in 2024, mainly on sunny days, and predicts further problems through 2035.
The EU is investigating import duties on Chinese solar panels for state aid, after prices dropped from €100 to €50 per panel due to Chinese overproduction (75% of global market). This follows import duties on Chinese EVs from July 2024. Exasun went bankrupt, and Meyer Burger moved production to the US.
Innovations: Solarge produces lightweight, recyclable panels for weak roofs, but grid congestion hampers growth. GIGA Storage’s Green Turtle (700 MW/2,800 MWh, €600 million, operational 2028) and Blue Marlin (300 MW/1,200 MWh) in Limburg bolster energy storage, crucial for EVs and self-consumption.
Battery storage competes with hydrogen technologies (Toyota’s H2 ICE, BMW’s iX5 Hydrogen, Stellantis’ hydrogen vans), which suffer from limited refueling infrastructure and high costs (€18.95-€20/kg). Germany’s 9,040km hydrogen network (€18.9bn, 2032) and €7.9bn investments collide with low demand, such as Equinor’s halted exports. Serbia’s €2.4bn Jadar lithium mine for EV batteries faces environmental protests. Stellantis’ €2bn Termoli gigafactory risks reallocation of €370m of PNRR funds due to lower EV demand, while Green Turtle supports the energy transition.
Hydrogen
Nikola, an American maker of electric and hydrogen trucks, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on February 19, 2025, and plans to sell its assets due to billions in debt and rapid cash burn. Its market capitalization fell from $34 billion in 2020 to $50 million, with the stock price plunging 38% after the announcement and 97% in the past year, making Nikola a penny stock. Founder Trevor Milton was sentenced to four years in prison in 2022 for securities fraud and fraud for misleading investors. Nikola has struggled with operational issues, including truck fires in 2023, leading to recalls. Lucid Group acquired Nikola’s Arizona facilities for $30 million in April 2025 to bolster its EV production.
Other EV and hydrogen startups including Fisker (bankrupt in June 2024), Proterra (bankrupt in 2023, assets sold to Volvo and PhoenixEV), Lordstown Motors (bankrupt in 2023, renamed Nu Ride Inc.) and Canoo (Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2024) have suffered from falling EV demand, high costs and financing issues following SPAC IPOs during the pandemic. In the UK, hydrogen truck maker Hydrogen Vehicle Systems (HVS) is on the brink of bankruptcy, having suspended production and laid off 90% of its workforce in 2024 due to a lack of funds.
Electric vehicles are expected to dominate the market by 2030, but hydrogen technology is gaining traction. BMW plans to introduce the iX5 Hydrogen, a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle (HFCV), possibly in 2025. HFCVs use fuel cells to convert hydrogen and oxygen into electricity, which powers an electric motor, with only water vapor as emissions. They are similar to battery electric vehicles (BEVs), but refuel faster and maintain consistent range regardless of temperature. However, hydrogen production is energy-intensive and often relies on fossil fuels such as natural gas.
Toyota is developing hydrogen internal combustion engines (H2 ICE), which burn hydrogen directly in a modified combustion engine, with mostly water vapor and minimal NOx emissions (reduced by catalytic converters). H2 ICE are less efficient than HFCVs or BEVs, but are simpler and cheaper to produce. Toyota is testing the technology in race cars such as the GR Corolla H2 and has made progress with liquid hydrogen, which reduces refueling times by 40% and extends range. Toyota is aiming for carbon neutrality through a “multi-pathway” approach (hybrids, EVs, hydrogen) and focuses on cars, trucks, buses and stationary power generation. Claims of “100% water fuel” are exaggerated.
Limitations to hydrogen vehicles include scarce refueling infrastructure, lower efficiency (BEVs travel 3-5 times further on the same energy) and reliance on fossil fuels for hydrogen production. Germany is building a 9,040 km hydrogen network, operational by 2032, to connect industrial areas and replace fossil energy, with 60% reuse of gas pipelines. Costs have fallen to €18.9 billion. The Netherlands will connect to this network. Germany is supporting steel companies for hydrogen use, but demand remains low and costs high, as Equinor’s halted export plans demonstrate. Hydrogen factories are growing worldwide, but buyers are reluctant due to high prices.
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HFCVs (such as the BMW iX5 Hydrogen) : These use a fuel cell to convert hydrogen and oxygen into electricity, which powers an electric motor. The only emissions are water vapour, and there are no nitrogen oxides (NOx), unlike combustion engines. They are more efficient than H2 ICE, but require complex and expensive fuel cells.
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H2 ICE (such as Toyota’s GR Corolla H2) : These burn hydrogen directly in a modified combustion engine, similar to a gasoline or diesel engine. They produce mostly water vapor, but can emit small amounts of NOx, which are minimized with catalytic converters. They are less efficient than HFCVs, but are simpler and cheaper to produce because they use existing engine technology.
Germany is going to build a hydrogen network that should be fully operational in eight years and that will connect industrial areas with each other. A future Dutch hydrogen network should also be linked to this. Germany wants to replace most of its fossil energy with hydrogen in order to be climate neutral by 2045. The network covers a total of 9,040 kilometers. The Norwegian Equinor recently abandoned plans to export hydrogen to Germany, because the costs are too high and the demand too low. To stimulate that demand, the German government is supporting steel companies, which consume a lot of energy, with billions of euros in converting their production to hydrogen. But this month it became clear that it is uncertain whether steel giant Thyssen-Krupp will go ahead with such a conversion. The network has become 600 kilometers shorter than originally proposed, which reduced the estimated costs from 19.7 billion to 18.9 billion euros. Approximately 60 percent of the network will consist of converted gas pipelines, the rest will be newly constructed. The new network, which is set to be fully operational in 2032, will connect major industrial areas via more than 9,000 kilometres of pipelines. To save costs, smart use will be made of existing infrastructure: around 60 percent of the pipelines will be repurposed from existing gas infrastructure. This is according to the Bundesnetzagentur , the German regulator for electricity, gas, telecommunications, post and railways (BNetzA). Hydrogen plants are being set up all over the world and it is an important part of the energy transition. However, producers are finding it difficult to find buyers. ‘Companies are not prepared to pay the current prices.
Germany and the Netherlands are launching a joint scheme (tender) to initiate the import of renewable hydrogen to North-Western Europe. Sustainable hydrogen will play an important role in the energy transition. In addition to the Netherlands’ own production of sustainable hydrogen, imports will also be necessary. With this scheme, Germany and the Netherlands want to initiate this import. Producers of sustainable hydrogen worldwide can register for the tender. Companies in the Netherlands and Germany then purchase the imported renewable hydrogen to use for their business processes. This makes import easier and ensures that producers of sustainable hydrogen have certainty. H2Global is a public-private partnership foundation in which, in addition to the German Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy, a large number of companies from the energy sector participate. Germany took the initiative for this in 2021 because the import of hydrogen is not yet available at commercially attractive prices. The Netherlands considers H2Global to be a good implementation of the Dutch import policy for renewable hydrogen due to the importance of imports for the security of supply of the energy and raw materials system. The Netherlands and Germany are each making €300 million available for the joint tender. The German organisation Hintco will carry out the tender.
The European Commission has granted the Netherlands 998 million euros in state aid for a programme for the production of renewable hydrogen. In addition to the 998 million euros in state aid, the Commission also approved another subsidy of eighty million euros. This subsidy will go to the company Djewels, which is building a test factory for renewable hydrogen. The Netherlands Authority for Consumers & Markets (ACM) has given permission for the hydrogen pilot of grid operator RENDO in Hoogeveen. It is the first pilot in which hydrogen is used for heating new buildings and the third pilot for existing homes.
The Eco Runner Team Delft started on June 17, 2024 with an attempt to drive more than 2000 kilometers with a hydrogen car. It will take five days to do so. It is a first that the record attempt will take place on public roads. Eco-Runner Team Delft is a student team from Delft University of Technology. A Toyota Mirai previously managed to drive 1360 kilometers on one and a half kilos of hydrogen. But a team from Delft now wants to break that record with the Eco Runner XIV. The goal is to drive more than 2056 kilometers. Part of the distance will be covered every day, there will be no driving at night.
Shell is going to build a large hydrogen plant in Cologne. The 100-megawatt electrolyser will be called REFHYNE II and is expected to be ready for use in 2027. With the plant, Shell wants to partly make its activities on site more sustainable and partly commercialize them. Shell is also building a 200-megawatt hydrogen plant in Rotterdam for 1 billion euros. According to the company, this is one of the largest hydrogen plants currently being built in Europe.
Honda, Suzuki, Toyota, Yamaha and Kawasaki form the HySE consortium (Hydrogen Small mobility & Engine technology) to develop hydrogen combustion engines for small vehicles such as motorcycles, small watercraft and drones. HySE, supported by the Japanese Ministry of Economic Affairs, focuses on solving technical challenges such as unstable combustion due to rapid flame spread and limited tank capacity. Honda leads model-based research, Suzuki tests functionality and reliability, Yamaha researches tank systems, and Kawasaki focuses on fuel delivery. Toyota and Kawasaki Heavy Industries support as special members, with Toyota contributing expertise in large hydrogen engines. Kawasaki tested the H2 HySE motorcycle in 2024 (Suzuka 8 Hours) and 2025 (Le Mans), with almost no CO2 emissions, only water vapor and minimal NOx.
Stellantis (parent company of Citroën, Fiat, Opel and Peugeot) produces hydrogen fuel cell vans (such as the Opel Vivaro-e Hydrogen, Citroën ë-Jumpy Hydrogen, Peugeot e-Expert) with a range of 400 km, compared to 330 km for electric variants. Stellantis has a stake in Symbio, an expert in hydrogen mobility, and produces in France and Poland. BMW and Toyota are also collaborating on hydrogen technology, with BMW’s iX5 Hydrogen as an example.
An experiment with electrolysis showed that light affects hydrogen yield. During a power outage in 2019, when electrolysis was running in the dark, yield was lower. Since then, transparent, translucent containers and better lighting have been used to increase efficiency.
Challenges for hydrogen include limited refueling infrastructure, high production costs and lower efficiency compared to BEVs (3-5 times less range per energy unit). Germany is building a 9,040 km hydrogen network (operational in 2032, €18.9 billion, 60% reused gas pipelines) to connect industries, with a connection to a future Dutch network. High costs and low demand remain obstacles, as Equinor’s halted export plans show.
In the US, hydrogen cars are stagnating due to a shrinking number of hydrogen fueling stations in California, where stations often fail due to empty stocks or frozen nozzles. Residual values of hydrogen cars are declining, and ease of refueling has become a drawback, with lawsuits against Toyota over false promises around the Mirai.
Germany, on the other hand, is investing €4.6 billion in subsidies, with €3.3 billion from companies such as RWE, Air Liquide and EWE, in 23 hydrogen projects for production, storage and transport, including 2,000 km of pipelines. This should accelerate the energy transition to a climate-neutral economy.
Shell is scaling back its hydrogen business for light transport, cutting jobs in its low-carbon division and focusing on profitable oil and gas activities. Although Shell received $40 million for 48 fuel stations in California in 2019, it will stop after five stations in 2023. Shell will continue to invest in hydrogen for heavy industry and transport.
Panasonic has a generator that promises to revolutionize the energy sector. Its main advantages are high efficiency, compact size and the ability to provide stable electricity and hot water, making it an ideal solution for both residential and commercial applications. The hydrogen generator has a capacity of 4 to 10 kilowatts and can be used in various climatic conditions. The generator effectively uses the heat released to heat water to a temperature of 60°C, which can be particularly useful for heating and hot water. Panasonic aims to serve Europe, Australia and China The latest hydrogen generator meets modern environmental standards and can play an important role in the transition to sustainable energy sources.
Gray hydrogen
Hydrogen is a gas that can be produced with various energy sources. If the hydrogen is made using natural gas, it is called grey hydrogen. The use of grey hydrogen accounts for 10% of the total CO2 emissions and is therefore certainly not sustainable. Nowadays, almost all hydrogen used in the Netherlands in industry is produced grey. This means that it is made using natural gas and causes greenhouse gas emissions. Due to the presence of a large chemical industry, refineries and fertilizer production, the Netherlands is one of the largest consumers of grey hydrogen in Europe. If the hydrogen is produced using electricity from windmills or solar panels, it is called green hydrogen.
Blue hydrogen
Blue hydrogen is produced from fossil fuels, usually natural gas, via steam reforming (SMR) or autothermal reforming (ATR), where the resulting CO2 emissions are captured and stored via carbon capture and storage (CCS). This distinguishes blue hydrogen from grey hydrogen (no CCS, high CO2 emissions) and green hydrogen (produced with renewable energy via electrolysis). About 96% of global hydrogen production (70 million tons/year) is grey, while blue hydrogen accounts for only 1-2% due to high CCS costs (€50-€100/ton CO2). Blue hydrogen has a lower carbon footprint than grey (CO2 reduction up to 90% with efficient CCS), but is less sustainable than green hydrogen due to fossil dependency and methane leakages (0.5-2% with natural gas extraction).
Blue hydrogen is seen as a transition fuel for industries (steel, chemicals) and transport (trucks, shipping), where electrification is difficult. Shell and Equinor are developing blue hydrogen in Europe, such as the H-vision project in Rotterdam, which can supply 1.5 Mt/year of blue hydrogen for industries, with CO2 storage in depleted North Sea gas fields. In the US, the Archer Daniels Midland project in Illinois is an example, storing 1.2 Mt/year of CO2. Germany’s 9,040 km hydrogen network (€18.9 billion, operational 2032) will partly transport blue hydrogen, with €7.9 billion invested in production and storage.
CCS technology is energy-intensive and increases production costs (€1.5-€2.5/kg vs. €1/kg for grey hydrogen). Only 15% of the captured CO2 is permanently stored; the rest is used for oil recovery (EOR). Methane leaks and incomplete CO2 capture (70-90% efficiency) limit environmental benefits. Green hydrogen (€3-€6/kg) will become cheaper in the long term with falling electrolysis costs, potentially overtaking blue hydrogen.
Blue hydrogen is competing with green hydrogen and battery electric vehicles (BEVs). Hydrogen vehicles (Toyota’s H2 ICE, BMW’s iX5 Hydrogen, Stellantis’ hydrogen vans) face limited refueling infrastructure (California is closing stations) and high costs (€18.95-€20/kg). Nikola’s bankruptcy (debt $1-10bn) and HVS’ troubles in the UK underscore the risks. Serbia’s €2.4bn Jadar lithium mine for EV batteries is facing environmental protests, while Stellantis’ €2bn Termoli gigafactory is at risk of reallocation of €370m of PNRR funds amid falling EV demand. Green Turtle (700 MW/2,800 MWh, €600 million, 2028) in Belgian Limburg supports BEVs through energy storage, while the Netherlands’ solar energy sector (3.5 panels per inhabitant) stagnates due to grid congestion and the abolition of the net metering scheme (2027).
Green hydrogen
Green hydrogen depends on sustainable energy such as wind turbines, solar panels or nuclear energy. Infrastructure and factories need to be built quickly. The first factories should be ready in 2026 and by then there will also be more wind turbines. Portugal, Norway and France already have a much larger share of clean energy and therefore also have a head start if they start producing green hydrogen. The Netherlands is a very suitable place to produce green hydrogen and there is already an industry where a lot of grey hydrogen is used. Relatively speaking, the Netherlands is even the largest hydrogen producer, due to the large chemical sector. There are now eight major projects ready. The Netherlands will not achieve the great ambitions it has with green hydrogen. In 2030, barely half of the capacity that is being sought will have been achieved. Green hydrogen has become expensive and parties in the sector are mainly waiting, according to experts from the sector. In the Climate Agreement, the Netherlands has set the ambition that there must be 3 to 4 gigawatts of capacity to generate green hydrogen in 2030. This means that a large number of electrolysers must have been built because they can convert the green electricity into hydrogen. But according to the Court of Audit, this is not based on a thorough analysis and is mainly politically motivated. Only Shell has dared to build a hydrogen factory on the Maasvlakte. This factory is good for 200 megawatts of electrolysis capacity. That is 5 percent of the total ambition for 2030. That project costs 1 billion euros and must be completed in 2026. In 2022, Shell decided to build it. Shell itself will become a customer of the hydrogen factory. The refinery in Pernis will use it. There are also several small projects that together are good for 100 megawatts and there are a number of others coming. But with all those projects – many of which are still uncertain – you end up with a maximum of 1 to perhaps 2 gigawatts. The government is investing more than 9 billion euros to make the Netherlands the hub for green hydrogen in Europe. On October 27, 2023, King Willem Alexander gave the starting signal for the construction of the national green hydrogen network that connects five industrial areas in the Netherlands. The government wants to produce 75,000 tons of green hydrogen in 2025 and by 2030 this should be six times as much. The Dutch government expects that around 300,000 cars in the Netherlands will run on hydrogen in 2030. Hydrogen could also replace the current gas. The government wants to invest billions in this. Groningen could become a ‘hydrogen valley’, with ’the largest hydrogen factory in Europe. In the meantime, the largest hydrogen factory in the country is being built in Rotterdam and the largest hydrogen cluster in Europe is to be built in Zeeland. Of the 35 billion climate fund, approximately 15 billion has been reserved for (mainly) hydrogen projects. The large energy-intensive factories in particular are hopeful.Oil refineries and fertilizer manufacturers, for example, still make extensive use of natural gas and gray hydrogen, the ‘dirty’ version of hydrogen. Now that these factories have to become greener, they are embracing cleaner versions of hydrogen. The underground pipeline that is supposed to transport hydrogen from Rotterdam – via Moerdijk and South Limburg – to Germany is delayed by four years. The pipeline will probably not be ready until 2032. The hydrogen industry association NL Hydrogen is ‘very concerned’ about the delay. There are problems with the planning and construction of the entire Delta Rhine Corridor. This is a bundle of pipes, conduits and cables with different purposes. The project must arrange the transport of hydrogen, but also CO2, ammonia and electricity. However, there will be no new power cable for the time being. To prevent delays, only hydrogen and CO2 will be transported along the route. This has major consequences for the design of the power grid on the coast. Bottlenecks will arise after 2035. Due to the complexity, the government has chosen to prioritise hydrogen and CO2 pipelines, the power cables are no longer included in the project. TenneT is disappointed with the choice made. By 2030, the European Commission wants to produce 10 million tonnes of renewable hydrogen and import the same amount. But according to the European Court of Auditors, this is not based on a thorough analysis and is mainly politically motivated. The hydrogen market also had difficulty getting off the ground and the EU member states and the industry were not on the same page. Furthermore, the Court of Auditors expects that the demand for it will not even reach 10 million tonnes in 2030, let alone 20 million. In order to accelerate the sustainability of the industry and prevent further delays to the Delta Rhine Corridor (DRC), the government has decided to prioritise hydrogen and CO₂ infrastructure. This decision contributes to the timely transition to sustainable energy, to make the Netherlands less dependent on foreign countries and to achieve the climate goals. The Delta Rhine Corridor is a large-scale project to install underground pipelines from the port of Rotterdam, via Moerdijk to Germany. This project is essential for the future of our industry. Installing pipelines for hydrogen and CO₂ reduces greenhouse gas emissions and provides the industry with the necessary infrastructure to produce cleaner. This not only contributes to climate goals, but also strengthens the development of a sustainable economy. The original plan for the DRC, which combined multiple modalities such as ammonia and direct current cables, turned out to be too ambitious and complex. Interdependencies and spatial limitations led to significant delays. By now focusing the project on hydrogen and CO₂, important for making the industry more sustainable,the project can continue and clarity is created for all parties involved. This allows the hydrogen and CO₂ pipelines to be realised according to a clear timeline, with a planned completion between 2031-2033. This offers companies the certainty to continue making the necessary investments in sustainable technology. At the same time, it strengthens the position of the Netherlands as an international hydrogen hub and reliable location for CO₂ storage. The government has chosen to remove ammonia from the DRC project. This plan has not yet been sufficiently developed and needs more time. It has also been decided not to include a reusable pipeline in the project for the same reason. The option to realise these components later remains open. The direct current cables that are required for the so-called deep landings of wind energy at sea (the infrastructure that is required to transport the electricity generated from offshore wind farms to the mainland) are now also outside the project. This has consequences for the timely availability of green energy in the Netherlands. Tennet estimates that the construction of the cables will not be realised until 2040. Therefore, alternative routes are urgently being sought. The government acknowledges the impact of this decision, but emphasizes that adhering to the original integrated approach would seriously delay all components. This choice creates space to build the necessary hydrogen and CO₂ infrastructure, which can accelerate the sustainability of the industry. This offers certainty to the parties involved and strengthens international cooperation, including with Germany as a partner.but emphasizes that adhering to the original integrated approach would seriously delay all components. This choice creates space to build the necessary hydrogen and CO₂ infrastructure, which can accelerate the sustainability of the industry. This offers certainty to the parties involved and strengthens international cooperation, including with Germany as a partner.but emphasizes that adhering to the original integrated approach would seriously delay all components. This choice creates space to build the necessary hydrogen and CO₂ infrastructure, which can accelerate the sustainability of the industry. This offers certainty to the parties involved and strengthens international cooperation, including with Germany as a partner.
Eneco wants to start building a “green” hydrogen factory in 2026. Initially, they want to build an electric electrolyzer of 200 to 250 megawatts. This must be gradually expanded to 800 megawatts. Eneco is the second company after Shell to build a green hydrogen factory in the port of Rotterdam. Shell will use the green hydrogen to make its own refinery in Pernis more sustainable. Companies in the port of Rotterdam are already major consumers of hydrogen. Only that hydrogen is made from natural gas. When producing one kilo of this gray hydrogen, 10 kilos of CO2 are released. If the hydrogen factory operates at full capacity, Eneco will save 800 million kilos of CO2 per year. Gasunie is laying a pipeline to Germany for the transport of green hydrogen. Initially, Eneco is focusing on customers in the port, such as refineries and the chemical industry. but they are also looking at industry in Germany. Gasunie is laying a pipeline to Germany for the transport of green hydrogen. In the long term, shipping, mobility and the built environment should also start using green hydrogen. Green hydrogen is currently a lot more expensive than grey hydrogen. The surface area of the factory covers twenty football fields. They need 30,000 employees just to build all the new hydrogen plans in the port.
At times when there is not enough sustainably generated power, two gas turbines in Lelystad must ensure that the power does not fail. They have a capacity of 900 megawatts and are directly connected to the high-voltage station of Tennet. This gas construction causes enormous climate damage, with an annual emission that fluctuates around 1 million tons of CO2. This Maxima power station is the nineteenth largest emitter in the Netherlands. Engie wanted to have its entire chain climate neutral by 2045 and therefore had opted for a major renovation of the power station in Flevoland a few years ago. After a renovation costing tens of millions, one of the two turbines of the Maxima power station has finally been running on a system that can use half of green hydrogen since August. The gas turbine has been modified in such a way that this works perfectly with hydrogen, but there is no green hydrogen at all in the polder. Moreover, it is still completely uncertain whether that green hydrogen will ever arrive in the near future. The problem lies in the lack of a pipeline to connect the Maxima power station to the hydrogen network. Gasunie’s subsidiary Hynetwork has been designated in the Netherlands to build a pipeline network, but the Flevopolder is being skipped. Gasunie also has no concrete plans for this for the time being. The government has designated Hynetwork in the Netherlands to build this. It is therefore their responsibility to build these pipelines. Gasunie has been in talks with Engie, among others, for several years. Until sufficient green hydrogen is available, they now want to work with blue hydrogen at the Maxima power station. In the production of this form of hydrogen, producers use gas from which the hydrogen is extracted, in combination with CO2 capture, but this also requires such a pipeline. If the pipeline were to eventually be built, Engie hopes to be able to supply the Maxima power station with its own green-generated hydrogen in the long term. At the power station in Eemshaven, Groningen, the energy company wants to build a large hydrogen factory, which should become operational in phases from 2030. Next to the power station near Lelystad is a large park full of solar panels with a capacity of 32 megawatts. In order to be able to store all that energy at peak times for later use, the company wants to build a ‘battery park’ at several power stations in the country. Such a park will be built on the strip of land between the solar field and the Maxima power station. The project costs 50 million euros and the batteries must be able to supply electricity at full capacity for three hours. The battery containers are currently being placed. The energy company is building large concrete walls between all the batteries to provide protection against fire hazards. The battery modules are currently being placed on the site and they should be operational by the end of 2025.
White hydrogen
White or natural hydrogen is created in deep, iron-rich layers of the earth by chemical reactions between hot water and iron under high pressure and temperature, releasing hydrogen. TNO is investigating its presence in the Netherlands and the Antilles. White hydrogen is already being extracted in Australia, France and Mali, for example in Bourakébougou, Mali, where a generator supplies a village 60 km from Bamako with electricity. Large reserves are also expected in Limburg, under coal seams, and in Spain. According to Science Advances, the earth contains 5.6 trillion tons of white hydrogen, more energy than all natural gas reserves, enough to meet the world’s energy needs for 200 years at 2% extraction. This can power cars, power plants and industries. For a long time, it was thought that hydrogen was too volatile to accumulate underground, but a USGS model (October 2022, Geological Society of America) already indicated enormous reserves, which is now correct. Hydrogen and fossil fuels are rarely found together, and hydrogen emissions were often not measured during oil or gas drilling.
Brands such as BMW, Honda, Toyota and Suzuki have successfully experimented with hydrogen combustion engines (H2 ICE), where hydrogen is injected into cylinders, similar to LPG conversions. Fuel cell vehicles (HFCVs), which convert hydrogen into electricity for an electric motor, are more efficient. White hydrogen offers advantages over grey or blue hydrogen, which have energy losses during production. As a natural, potentially infinite source through continuous geological reactions, white hydrogen does not need to be produced, unlike green hydrogen via electrolysis. This could save millions of tonnes of CO2 by skipping fossil fuels. The Hyafrica project (EU and African Union) is investigating the potential for Africa, as reported by Der Spiegel. Although extraction seems relatively cheap, viability and commercialization depend on cost and energy density.
Hydrogen production process
In 2023, the Dutch government awarded €250 million through the Subsidy Scheme for Scaling Up Fully Renewable Hydrogen Production via Electrolysis (OWE) to seven projects, representing 101 MW of electrolysis capacity, of which 91 MW in Groningen. These projects, including H2 Hollandia (Nieuw-Buinen), Hysolar (Nieuwegein), Groengas asset (Amsterdam and Groningen), RWE Eemshydrogen (Eemshaven, €124.9 million subsidy), Van Kessel Olie (Oude Tonge) and VoltH2 (Delfzijl), supply green hydrogen to the chemical industry and filling stations. One project uses a direct line with a solar installation to reduce grid congestion. Hydrogen production via electrolysis from water is energy-intensive with 30% energy loss, but Dutch researchers have converted hydrogen into formic acid (liquid, non-flammable, transportable) or powder form for more efficient use.
Vattenfall and Equinor plan to run the Magnum power plant in Eemshaven partly on blue hydrogen, converting natural gas into hydrogen and CO2, with the CO2 shipped to Norway for underground storage. Gasunie and EnergyStock are testing a 1 MW electrolysis plant and hydrogen storage at Zuidwending (Veendam), while Gasunie and TenneT are conducting model studies to use electrolysis flexibly for grid balancing. AkzoNobel and Gasunie are investigating a 20 MW electrolysis plant in Delfzijl, with potential for >100 MW, to green the chemical complex, compared to Europe’s largest electrolyser (10 MW) and an average power plant (500-1,000 MW). In Rotterdam, Air Liquide, AkzoNobel, Enerkem and the Port Authority are preparing a plant that will convert 360,000 tons of waste with hydrogen into 220,000 tons of methanol, saving 300,000 tons of CO2 emissions per year; the construction decision will follow in 2025.
Goeree-Overflakkee wants to become a pilot project for green hydrogen, with a covenant of 28 parties, including Siemens, Yara, Gasunie, Hyundai and Toyota, to convert surplus wind, solar and tidal energy (twice the needs of 50,000 inhabitants) into hydrogen. In Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, a natural gas pipeline is being converted into a hydrogen pipeline to transport hydrogen from Dow (Terneuzen) to Yara (Sluiskil). In Noord-Brabant, AutomotiveNL, TU Eindhoven, E-Trucks (hydrogen garbage trucks), Emoss (electric trucks with future hydrogen range extenders), VDL and DAF are developing hydrogen applications. On the Chemelot campus (Geleen), a pilot plant is investigating more efficient electrolysis. In Arnhem, five companies are active in hydrogen: Nedstack (fuel cells, bankrupt in February 2024), Hymove (range extenders), Hyet Hydrogen (compressors), Hygear (hydrogen supplier) and MTSA Technopower (fuel cell installations). BMW’s iX5 Hydrogen, a fuel cell car with 6 kg of hydrogen storage (500 km range, 400 hp with battery support), shows hydrogen as an alternative to petrol cars after four years of development, with 100 test cars for optimization.
Hydrogen producer Nedstack, founded in 1998 as a spin-off from AkzoNobel at Industriepark Kleefse Waard (IPKW) Arnhem, and world leader in mission-critical high-power PEM fuel cell technology, was declared bankrupt on February 2, 2024 after a short suspension of payments. Investors were not interested in the company. Less than a month earlier, a contract was signed together with Groeneveldt Marine Construction for the delivery of a portable fuel cell system, which supplies power to a sustainable workboat for the province of Overijssel. This collaborative project concerned the MPU 20-400-AC, a versatile mobile PEM fuel cell system that can be used for both maritime and mobile use. The system would serve as an emission-free range extender on board the workboat, charging the on-board battery when shore power is not available during longer working days. In addition, the PEM fuel cell system could easily be detached from the ship for various mobile applications on shore. A partnership was entered into with ZBT (Center for Fuel Cell Technology), a renowned research institute based in Duisburg, Germany. Since 2018, Nedstack has been working with support from ZBT on the development and industrialization of a third generation PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane) fuel cell platform. The Dutch government granted Nedstack a subsidy of 21.7 million euros within the European IPCEI Hydrogen (Important Project of Common European Interest). An IPCEI Hydrogen is a European project consisting of multiple projects from companies and/or research institutes from various European countries that have synergy, are complementary and contribute to the European goals in the field of hydrogen. The subsidy was the first IPCEI project in which a Dutch company participates with support from the Dutch government. Nedstack was a spin-out of AkzoNobel and developed and produced fuel cell solutions for high-power applications, such as shipping, industry and large-scale ‘off-grid’ applications, such as events. A gigantic production system that was supposed to produce five million cells per year was built at Industriepark Kleefse Waard and officially opened by King Willem Alexander. The factory was supposed to enable production with an annual output of Gigawatt capacity. Nedstack would thus become an important European player in the explosively growing demand for energy from hydrogen to meet the climate challenge. Europe wanted to retain the innovative power and employment in the field of hydrogen in Europe, and not lose it to other parts of the world, as has happened with other transitions.Nedstack, with the help of Kiemt, arranged the financial support and integration of the regional ecosystem by co-writing the application and collecting support from partners that had to be included with the application and submitted the application for funding under the IPCEI program; Important Projects Common European Interest of the European Commission. Kiemt’s triple helix network consists of parties in the field of energy transition or circular economy such as representatives of companies, knowledge and educational institutions and governments.
Municipalities will be allowed to charge lower parking fees for fully electric cars and cars that run on hydrogen from 2023. The government wants to amend the Municipal Act for this purpose. Once the law has been amended, it will be up to the municipalities themselves to decide whether they will go along with this. Municipalities determine whether an area is paid parking or not and how much it will cost. This is regulated in the Municipal Act. Transavia is also already using biofuel to a limited extent and is a partner in the construction of a hydrogen infrastructure around Rotterdam The Hague Airport. From 2024, aircraft must run entirely on hydrogen and fly between Rotterdam and London.
The court of appeal finds that the municipality of The Hague rightly excludes hydrogen vehicles in the tendering of target group transport because they are not sustainable enough and thus confirms the previous judgment of the court. The lawsuit and the appeal were filed by an operator of a hydrogen filling station in The Hague. The current contractor Noot purchases its hydrogen there for the vehicles that run on it. By awarding the transport to Noot in 2019, the municipality of The Hague set the tone for hydrogen vehicles in target group transport. The company eventually put dozens of these taxis into service, mainly in The Hague but also beyond. However, in the new tender for target group transport, the municipality decided not to encourage the use of hydrogen taxis. Emission-free driving is certainly good for extra points for winning this contract with a term of six to eight years, but in that context hydrogen is not considered sufficiently sustainable. This is in contrast to battery-electric, because these vehicles would benefit the improvement of air quality the most and would also be more efficient over their entire lifespan. BP Kerkhof and OrangeGas opened a hydrogen filling station in The Hague following the award to Noot and the resulting demand. For these parties, it was therefore a major setback when the municipality decided to exclude hydrogen in the new tender. After all, few vehicles outside of target group transport still run on hydrogen. Kerkhof went to court, in which an attempt was made to demonstrate that hydrogen is an equivalent alternative to battery-electric. However, the judge did not agree; it ruled that the exclusion of hydrogen in the tender was justified. On appeal, an attempt was again made to demonstrate that hydrogen does not have to be inferior to battery-electric with the objectives of the municipality of The Hague. However, the court of appeal was also not convinced by this reasoning and confirmed the judge’s earlier ruling.
Hydrogen-powered trucks
Daimler Truck from Mercedes-Benz is starting an extensive test on public roads in Germany with hydrogen-powered trucks. Five tractors with trailers equipped with tanks filled with liquid hydrogen. The new GenH2 Truck has already been tested in the past period. Part of these tests included test drives with heavily loaded trailers at high altitude over one of the most important traffic arteries in Europe, the Brenner Pass. Now that the GenH2 has successfully completed these drives, it is time for the real thing. Five hydrogen trucks will be added to the fleet of Amazon, Air Products, Ineos, Holcim and Wiedmann & Winz. The trucks will be used on various long-distance routes and will transport construction materials and sea containers, among other things. Mercedes-Benz Trucks will manage the trucks and will collect data during this phase that should help them in the further development of hydrogen trucks. The trucks will refuel at filling stations in Worth am Rheim in the Duisburg region. The trucks run on liquid hydrogen. In this form, hydrogen has a higher energy density than in gas form, which Mercedes says helps reduce transportation costs. According to the company, a truck can be refueled in about 10 to 15 minutes. The GenH2 Truck has two large tanks that can hold liquid hydrogen, together good for 88 kilograms. With the filled tanks, a heavily loaded truck of about 40 tons can travel a distance of 1,000 kilometers. The fuel cell system delivers 300 kilowatts and the battery can add 400 kilowatts to that. The storage capacity of the battery of 70 kilowatt hours is relatively low, but it is actually only used at times of peak load. For example, when accelerating or when a heavily loaded truck drives up a steep mountain. Daimler Truck is explicitly focusing on both battery-electric and hydrogen trucks. For example, Mercedes is building the electric truck eActros 600 with a range of 600 kilometers. According to the company, there are enough charging points for trucks that drive these short and medium distances. For heavy transport on longer distances, Mercedes sees more opportunities for hydrogen trucks. It is also important for this that more hydrogen filling stations are added quickly, so that more and more transport routes become possible.
Hydrogen-powered jet fighter
Destinus, a Swiss start-up founded in 2021 by Mikhail Kokorich, aims to build a hypersonic aircraft powered by liquid hydrogen by 2030. The Spanish Ministry of Science has awarded a total of 27 million euros in subsidies. The first tranche of 12 million will be used to create an infrastructure in the Madrid area for the development of the propeller, while the remaining 15 million will be used for further research into hydrogen engines, which entail several complications.
Hydrogen-powered E-Buses
In order to make the mobility sector more sustainable, the Ministry of Infrastructure made 25 million euros available. In addition, an additional 23 million euros was made available for the Top Sector Logistics, with the aim of making the transport sector smarter and cleaner between 2018 and 2020. This money will be used, among other things, for the Green Deal Zero Emission City Logistics, in which companies are supported in purchasing electric vans and innovations in the field of hydrogen. A large part of the additional budget is also intended for the construction of seven hydrogen filling stations. The 23 million will mainly be used for CO₂ reduction and the use of opportunities to make the logistics sector more sustainable and efficient.
Entrepreneurs can make use of a special subsidy scheme for hydrogen. This scheme supports pilot projects that use hydrogen as an energy carrier, provided that they contribute to cost reduction, improved efficiency and reliable products or services. The innovations must also be scalable and have a solid business case. This subsidy scheme falls under the broader Top Sector Energy, which makes around 100 million euros available annually for energy innovation projects. The projects must fall under experimental development.
In addition to hydrogen, formic acid is also being investigated as an alternative. If vehicles can run on formic acid instead of hydrogen, the range will at least double. In addition, high-pressure hydrogen tanks will no longer be necessary. Formic acid is liquid and therefore much easier to transport. It can be produced with the same peak energy as with which hydrogen is produced. The Eindhoven University of Technology is currently experimenting with the “formauto”, a car that runs on formic acid.
Hydrogen has been produced in the Netherlands for years, usually from natural gas. This is grey hydrogen, which releases CO₂. This leads to approximately 13 megatons of CO₂ emissions annually, which amounts to 8 percent of total emissions in the Netherlands. That is why it is necessary to produce hydrogen in more sustainable ways. This can be done in two ways: by capturing and storing CO₂ (blue hydrogen), or by making hydrogen from water via electrolysis with sustainable energy, such as solar and wind (green hydrogen).
Both in industry and in the mobility sector, there is an increasing drive to use blue and green hydrogen as a replacement for fossil fuels.
However, hydrogen is not without risks. In October 2021, a brand new hydrogen bus burned out completely in a warehouse of transport company Arriva in Doetinchem. A diesel bus that was in the same warehouse was also largely lost. Thick clouds of smoke were created and an NL-Alert was sent out because of the toxic substances. There was a risk of explosion for a while. The fire brigade was eventually able to extinguish the fire, but the warehouse had to be considered lost. The bus had only arrived from Poland a week earlier, and nine other buses were to follow.
Nevertheless, the focus on hydrogen buses continues. In 2021, fifty new hydrogen buses were added to the Netherlands. Eight buses were already in service. The government and three provinces signed an agreement in November for this project, which cost 15 million euros. Half of this amount was financed by the European Union, and the government and the provinces each paid 3.75 million euros. The operating costs are borne by the provinces.
The transition to clean buses started earlier. In 2016, it was agreed that from 2025 all new buses in public transport must be emission-free, and in 2030 all bus transport must be emission-free. Public transport company Hermes already started with 40 electric buses in Eindhoven at the end of 2016, as part of a new ten-year concession. Hermes was the only party to bid at the time, and the Brabant manufacturer VDL supplied the buses. Eindhoven thus became the first city in the Netherlands with large-scale zero-emission transport.
International car companies are also investing heavily in hydrogen. BMW has been working on hydrogen technology for 25 years, the last ten years very intensively. Together with Mercedes and General Motors, the company is at the forefront. Several models of the hydrogen version of the BMW 7 series have even been produced. Toyota wants to market 30,000 hydrogen cars worldwide in 2020. The second generation of the Toyota Mirai was presented at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, with a price tag of around 75,000 euros.
Hyundai now also delivers a hydrogen car in the Netherlands: the NEXO. It can travel 665 kilometers on a full tank. The car costs 70,000 euros, and Hyundai reports that eighty have already been ordered in the Netherlands.
Experiments are also being conducted in the taxi sector. Taxi company Munckhof has had 135 Volkswagen Transporter T6 buses converted to run on green gas (CNG). They also purchased another 100 completely emission-free vehicles. This means that half of the 1200-vehicle fleet is now emission-free. Prins Autogassystemen and Auto Speciaal Uden developed the CNG system especially for this conversion.
In France, the Société du Taxi Electrique Parisien (STEP) is expanding its fleet of hydrogen taxis. Together with Hyundai, sixty vehicles were delivered at the opening of a new hydrogen filling station in Offenbach, near Hyundai’s European headquarters.
Several large companies are now working together to further develop hydrogen as a fuel. Shell, Total, Toyota, BMW, Daimler, Honda, Hyundai, Anglo American and Engie, among others, see hydrogen as an important building block for the transition to sustainable energy, in both transport and industry.
More and more municipalities want to switch as well. In South Holland, several municipalities, together with the province, want to switch to hydrogen cars to contribute to climate goals and better air quality. Alphen aan den Rijn, Leiden, Nieuwkoop, Zuidplas and other places are working together with regions such as the Groene Hart and the National Hydrogen Platform on a future-proof hydrogen fleet with associated refueling facilities.
Hydrogen refueling
With a hydrogen car you can fill up in a few minutes, just like with LPG. Car and filling hose communicate via infrared and the pressure of the hydrogen tank is a dizzying 700 bar, almost a hundred times higher than in an LPG tank. This high pressure is needed to press as much hydrogen as possible into the tanks. For example, the two 60 liter tanks of the Toyota Mirai can hold 5 kilos. (10 euros per g.) These large tanks do come at the expense of the trunk space. Audi will also be making a hydrogen SUV within a few years and is working with Hyundai on the technology. The Audi h-tron will be the third commercial car on hydrogen and Mercedes is also working on a hydrogen model. There are already 43 H2 pumps in Germany. In the Netherlands you can already fill up with hydrogen in Helmond, Rhoon, Arnhem and Delfzijl. At the Shell location on the Binckhorstlaan in The Hague and Breda (only municipal transport) it will also be possible to fill up with hydrogen in the long term. Holthausen Groep from Hoogezand received 4 million euros in subsidies for hydrogen filling stations in Amsterdam and Groningen. Green Planet offers green hydrogen for passenger cars and trucks/buses as in 2019. The multifuel filling station on the A28 near Pesse is involved in the unique and innovative collaboration project ‘TSO 2020’ with Gasunie New Energy, TenneT, New Energy Coalition, EnergyStock and TU Delft.
The Assen company Resato invented and developed a relatively cheap filling station for hydrogen cars. Hydrogen cars can refuel at the new mobile Resato filling station. A mobile charging container unit costs around 350,000 euros, depending on the options. This lowers the threshold for the construction of new filling stations and therefore also the arrival of hydrogen cars. In addition to the mobile filling station, Resato has designed a second filling unit: the ‘Fleetowner unit’. This filling station costs only 150,000 euros. Refueling with the Fleetowner unit takes an hour. The invention of the Assen company, specialized in high-pressure and water jet cutting, was recently presented at a trade fair in Germany. Germany is investing 350 million euros in hydrogen. Half of that amount is paid by the German government, the other half is paid by companies from the automotive, gas and oil sectors. In concrete terms, there will be 400 hydrogen filling stations, mainly at existing filling stations.
The hydrogen car was seen as a potentially better alternative to battery electric vehicles (BEVs), but Toyota, which pioneered the idea with the Mirai, appears to be shifting its focus. Hiroki Nakajima, Toyota’s Chief Technology Officer, stated that the Mirai is not attracting enough buyers due to a lack of fueling stations, with only 55-59 stations in the US, all in California. He was quoted as saying, “Without refueling infrastructure, we’re at a dead end,” and Toyota is now focusing more on BEVs. The Mirai has a range of 400 miles, but BEVs like the Lucid Air (500+ miles) and Tesla Model S (400+ miles) are closing in on this advantage. The 5-minute fast-charge time was a plus, but the Lexus RZ 450e charges from 10-80% in ~30 minutes, and Toyota’s solid-state batteries, scheduled for 2027-2028, promise 1,200 km of range and 10 minutes of charging, making hydrogen less attractive. BMW discontinued the GLC F-Cell, and Mercedes ended hydrogen cars in 2020, suggesting BEVs are taking center stage.
Iron powder
Scientists from Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) are conducting groundbreaking research into iron powder as a sustainable fuel. This technology could play an important role in the transition to a fossil-free future – especially for sectors where electrification is difficult, such as industry or transport.
Iron powder is a fine metal powder that can be burned to generate heat. The special thing about this combustion is that it happens without CO₂ emissions. This is because iron does not contain carbon, unlike fossil fuels such as natural gas, oil or coal.
When iron is burned, iron oxide (or rust) is created. This rust can be converted back into iron powder using hydrogen. This makes the process circular: the iron powder is not exhausted, but can be reused again and again. If the required hydrogen is generated using renewable energy (such as solar or wind), the entire cycle remains completely CO₂-free.
When iron powder is burned, it happens at a temperature of about 700 degrees Celsius. During combustion, the temperature can rise to 2000 degrees, which means that about 1300 degrees of usable heat is released. This heat is sufficient for industrial processes, such as generating steam or heat in factories.
What are the benefits of iron powder?
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No CO₂ emissions during combustion
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Non-toxic, unlike hydrogen or ammonia for example
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Easy and safe to transport and store, even in the long term
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Very high energy density: per unit volume you can store 5 to 10 times more energy than with hydrogen gas
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Recycling possible: the rust product can be converted back into fuel with sustainable hydrogen
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No evaporation loss as with hydrogen or liquid fuels
The technology is not just theory: a working installation has already been built in collaboration with Metalot and the company EM Group, among others . In 2020, a test installation was installed at the Bavaria brewery in Lieshout, in which iron powder was used to make steam for the brewing process. This was the first industrial application of this technology worldwide.
Although the technology is promising, there are still some challenges:
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Energy needed for recycling: Recovering iron powder from iron oxide requires sustainable hydrogen – and production is still in its infancy.
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Scale-up: For large-scale use, the infrastructure for storage, transportation and combustion of iron powder still needs to be developed.
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Economic feasibility: Currently the process is still more expensive than traditional fuels, but that could change with carbon taxes or subsidies.
According to the researchers, iron powder could play a role especially in applications where electricity is not a good alternative – think of high-temperature processes in steel and cement production, or possibly even in shipping and energy storage. Because it is not flammable under normal conditions, storage is relatively safe, even in places with strict regulations.
The idea that you can burn metal and reuse it sounds futuristic, but it has now become a reality. If hydrogen production with green energy gets going, iron powder can develop into an important part of the energy mix of the future.
Seaqurrent has a scoop with TidalKite underwater kite
EIT InnoEnergy, PMH Investments, Invest-NL, FOM and NOM as shareholders invested over 4.8 million euros in the “underwater kite” project. The Rijks Waddenfonds also invested 2.5 million euros in the innovative tidal energy project. The current in the sea as a result of ebb and flow is converted into electricity. Seaqurrent has made a kind of aluminum ‘kite’ that makes figure eights on a cable, which is connected to a generator on the seabed. In the sea inlet between Ameland and Terschelling. The movements of the kite are followed on computer screens in a control room and the system has a generator on the seabed. The “kite” makes figure eights around the generator in the water and conducts the electricity generated by this via a power cable to Ameland. The “kite” can supply electricity to around 700 households on the island. Ameland wants to be fifteen years ahead of the rest of the Netherlands and be CO2 neutral by 2035. The inlets between the islands in particular have a strong current due to the ebb and flow of the tides. Generating the electricity costs 16 cents per kilowatt hour and is more expensive than electricity from the sun or wind. As the kites become larger and underwater parks are built with many kites together, the cost price decreases. The main incentive to invest in tidal energy is the constant supply. Even when the sun is not shining and the wind is not blowing, there is always ebb and flow. This means that tidal energy, like nuclear energy, can be a stable addition to the power supply that is increasingly dependent on the weather. TidalKite moves in a predetermined and stable figure-eight path, controlled by an autonomous, advanced external monitoring and control system that monitors the entire process for optimum performance and safety. The pulling force generated by the kite sets a biodegradable working fluid in motion, which is then converted into a rotary motion that drives a generator to produce electricity. A submarine power cable transports the electricity from the underwater operation to the coast and feeds it into the grid. The TidalKite system can operate in all tidal segments and can be towed and installed in place using standard, commonly available vessels and equipment to enable lower average energy costs. The Waddenvereniging is less enthusiastic about the idea due to the vulnerability of the seals and birds present. The TidalKite moves in a predetermined and stable figure-eight path, controlled by an autonomous, advanced external monitoring and control system, which oversees the entire process for optimal performance and safety. The pulling force generated by the kite sets a biodegradable working fluid in motion, which is then converted into a rotational motion that drives a generator to produce electricity.A submarine power cable transports the electricity from the underwater operation to the shore and feeds it into the grid. The TidalKite system can operate in all tidal segments and can be towed and installed in place using standard, widely available vessels and equipment to enable lower average energy costs. Seaqurrent is working with UG, TCNN and local suppliers. The University of Groningen has been involved in testing and developing the TidalKite since 2015 and optimizing the TidalKite design using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis. The European Just Transition Fund (JTF) supports projects for regions that are most affected by the transition to a green economy. With this, the European Union aims to reduce socio-economic inequality. The JTF is derived from the European Green Deal, which should lead to a climate-neutral Europe by 2050.
Hungarian bus manufacturer Ikarus, with over 125 years of experience, presents two electric buses: the Ikarus 120e and the Ikarus Midi bus. Both models are designed for emission-free public transport and are equipped with the latest charging current collectors from Siemens, enabling seamless integration of charging solutions.
Mont-Ele, an Italian specialist in electrical and automation systems, introduces its latest charging system for electric buses. With over 40 years of experience, Mont-Ele offers tailor-made solutions for the integration of charging infrastructure in public transport. In 2024, the trade fair will be held from 24 to 27 September 2024.
Oceans of Energy
In the summer of 2025, a solar park will float within an offshore wind farm for the first time. The construction by the Dutch company Oceans of Energy is slightly smaller than a football field and must show that the technology really works.
Oceans of Energy had already had a smaller test setup floating off the Dutch coast for the past four years, which had survived several major storms. Now, for the first time, solar panels will float between wind turbines: a world first. This summer, the construction will be towed from the port of Amsterdam to the wind farm.
The floating solar park consists of modular elements that are connected to each other in the harbor. From a distance, the solar park is hardly noticeable, as became apparent during the presentation on Thursday. The solar panels are so close to the water surface that they almost seem to disappear into it. Because of this design, the solar park is named after a water lily: nymphaea aurora.
Waves can wash over the panels from the sides. In the middle are cabinets with technical equipment. They are the same solar panels as those used on land, but the floating structure is a custom design and comes from the Oceans of Energy factory in Sassenheim. The solar park will supply approximately the same amount of energy as the solar roofs of 150 Dutch households.
Compared to the power production of the gigantic windmills in the Hollandse Kust Noord wind farm, that is almost nothing, but according to Oceans of Energy, that could change in the future. The company hopes to work towards floating solar parks of 1 square kilometer, with a capacity of 200 megawatts. That is equivalent to 18 windmills.
- 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%.
- Volkswagen is cutting around 1,000 jobs at its electric car plant in Zwickau. Europe’s largest carmaker has cut capacity at factories in Germany.
- Battery projects have also been put on hold, with components supplier Valeo SE looking for buyers for two factories that are not doing enough business.
- Used electric cars are unsellable. More than 68 percent of German car dealers refuse to trade in used electric cars. More than half of dealers currently call used electric vehicles ‘almost unsellable’.
- The number of electric car registrations in Germany fell by 37 percent to just over 30,000 vehicles compared to a year earlier
- Car rental company Sixt will offer fewer electric vehicles because demand is disappointing. Sixt currently has ten thousand EVs and will sell some
- The Chinese believe that the import duties violate WTO rules and are appealing to the World Trade Organization (WTO)
- Rivian lost $1.46 billion and now loses almost €30,000 per car