Future of mobility
Germany to unleash e-scooters on streets
The upper house of the German parliament voted on Friday (17 May) to allow e-scooters onto the country’s streets, as the new urban vehicle continue to take Europe by storm.
Brussels transport gets overhaul, courtesy of teenagers
Brussels is well known for its chocolate, its variety of beers, its art-deco buildings… and its traffic jams. High school students from all around Europe have now presented their proposals to make the town's mobility system more sustainable, thanks to the Sci-tech challenge.
‘One Belt, One Road, One Million’: Rail chief plans to connect Europe to China
The 'New Silk Road' has the potential to make trade between China and Europe more competitive by rail than by sea. EURACTIV Germany spoke to transport boss Alexey Grom about the development of the Eurasian railway project, the 'New Silk Road' and its expansion towards Europe.
Commission ‘assessing complaints’ against Nokia connected car patents, as MEPs back WiFi plans
The European Commission has revealed that is it looking into antitrust complaints levelled against the Finnish telecommunications giant Nokia, for the company's alleged refusal to license mobile components that could be used in next-generation connected cars.
Connected cars: Licensing traffic jam drives automakers to turn to EU antitrust law
Antitrust complaints are like London buses. You don’t get one for ages then four come at once in the same industry. That’s what has happened this past month in the auto sector, writes Mike Sax, Chairman of ACT, The App Association.
Bulc urges 5G advocates to focus on autonomous driving, leave connected cars to WiFi
A European Commission plan to push WiFi as the technology of choice for connected cars over 5G is proving to be controversial. EU transport chief Violeta Bulc told EURACTIV in an interview that saving lives is the most important factor and WiFi is the only proven option.
German bosses urge government to stop EU proposal on connected cars
The bosses of BMW and Deutsche Telekom have urged the German government to take action to block a European Commission proposal that would set a Wi-Fi-based standard for connected cars.
Commission warns of connected cars delay if draft EU rules are rejected
Plans to get connected cars on Europe's roads could face a setback of "two or three years" should the Delegated Act on Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) be rejected by MEPs this week, Commission officials have said.
Norway and electric vehicles – a successful combination
Norway now has approximately 200,000 electric cars, which constitute around 7% of the passenger car fleet. The exemption of purchase tax and VAT are among the financial incentives that made this possible, writes Jon Georg Dale.
Battery manufacturers of Europe unite!
As electric vehicles begin to soar in popularity, one of the key members of the European Commission's in-house think-tank, Sami Andoura, asks: does Europe want to take the lead on electro-mobility or not?
Bulc pleads with European Parliament: Support WiFi for connected car security
WiFi should be deployed in connected vehicles rather than 5G due to safety concerns that may result in an increase in the EU's 25,000 annual road deaths, a letter written by EU's Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc to the European Parliament states.
Finland raises concerns in 5G vs WiFi connected vehicle debate
Finland has hit out at European Commission plans to develop cooperative intelligent transport systems (C-ITS), saying the measures are "not technically neutral," according to a letter obtained by EURACTIV.
German transport commission feels the pressure
EU Commission department for mobility and transport (DG MOVE) presented its progress report this week but critics see the proposals as insufficiently ambitious. Hardly surprising when the Working Group responsible was under serious pressure, said an attendant. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Poland to open electric vehicle factory, build tailor-made car
Polish energy companies are set to pool their resources and build an electric vehicles factory, as Warsaw targets 1 million EVs on the road by 2025.
E-trucks: European automakers’ third and final chance to get electrification right
Have European manufacturers learned from developments in the car and bus markets? Or will American and Chinese companies lead the way to tomorrow's zero emission freight transport? Lucien Mathieu poses some tough questions ahead of a big decision by EU negotiators.
Do we really want driverless cars?
Without a doubt, fully automated cars are coming to a road near you – and soon. But if the mesmerized governments and technocrats don’t pause to address the concerns of the man and woman on the street, they may find themselves facing social upheaval on a massive scale, writes Jonathan Gornall.
Europe agrees sales targets for ‘clean’ buses in cities
European Union lawmakers struck an agreement on Monday (11 February) on green public procurement rules for new buses requiring that local authorities purchase a minimum share of clean vehicles running on gas or electricity by 2025 and 2030.
European drivers may be wary of cars that stop them from speeding
Fully automated driving may be years away, but a new EU law being debated by legislators would mandate some semi-autonomous features in new cars, such as intelligent speed assistance. And the auto industry is worried about driver backlash.
US soy for producing biofuels, an ‘unsustainable’ giveaway to Trump
The Commission is set to offer Washington a way out from current trade tensions with China authorising imports of soybeans from the US to produce biofuels. However, the new imports to help ease trade relations are not helping the environment.
Green tech expert: ‘Car ownership is nonsense’
The sharing economy can kill two birds with one stone by lowering the cost of green technologies and reducing polluting emissions, cleantech expert Radoslav Mizera told EURACTIV Slovakia.
Aviation emissions and noise impact continue to climb
Emissions and noise pollution are both increasing because more and more aircraft are taking to the skies, a new report by Europe’s premier aviation and environmental agencies revealed on Thursday (24 January). Forecasts show that the trend is only set to continue.
Electric bikes still face uphill ride in EU as China tariffs take effect
EU rules are doing a lot to promote the use of electric vehicles but tax reform proposals and motor insurance requirements risk undercutting a growing market for electric bicycles.
EU talks to set CO2 emission limits for cars founder
The European Union failed on Tuesday (11 December) to reach a compromise over how sharply to curb carbon dioxide emissions from cars and vans as car-producing countries and more environmentally conscious lawmakers could not find a compromise.