Car manufacturers to power Europe with e-charging network

Yahoo  - AFP, Tom Barfield, November 29, 2016

Hybdrid and all-electric cars remain little-used in Europe, hobbled by high prices,
 the short range of the vehicles and a lack of recharging infrastructure (AFP Photo/
Odd Andersen)

Frankfurt am Main (AFP) - German carmakers BMW, Daimler, Porsche and Audi and US competitor Ford said on Tuesday they would cooperate on a Europe-wide network of electric charging stations.

The move is an "important step towards facilitating mass-market battery electric vehicle adoption", the manufacturers said in a joint statement, and comes as German carmakers rev up their offers of electric cars for the coming years.

"We intend to create a network that allows our customers on long-distance trips to use a coffee break for recharging," Audi chief executive Rupert Stadler said.

The firms have signed a memorandum of understanding on the joint venture and plan to begin construction of some 400 high-speed charging stations across Europe in 2017.

Completion of the network is slated for 2020.

Hybrid and all-electric cars from any manufacturer using the Combined Charging System (CCS) standard will be able to use the stations, in a move aimed at boosting growth of electric car use on the continent.

German carmakers have lagged behind some competitors when it comes to introducing electric models.

The technology remains little-used in Europe, hobbled by high prices, the short range of the vehicles and a lack of recharging infrastructure.

But recent months have seen a fresh commitment from the industry, a pillar of Europe's largest economy, to speed up the introduction of electric cars.

Tesla announced an ambitious goal of producing 500,000 electric cars a year by 

2018, which would take in from being a niche producer of luxury sedans to a 

mainstream competitor in the auto industry (AFP Photo/Odd Andersen)

Audi and Porsche parent Volkswagen announced this month that it aims to sell one million electric vehicles per year by 2025.

VW sees non-polluting technology as a chance to clean its tarnished reputation, after it admitted in September 2015 to installing software designed to cheat regulatory emissions tests on 11 million diesel-powered cars worldwide.

Meanwhile, higher-end manufacturers like BMW and Daimler, which owns Mercedes, face a challenge from newcomers like Tesla, which has a head start in autonomous driving as well as electric power.

Daimler chief Dieter Zetsche was a surprise keynote speaker at the German Green Party conference this year, and has promised 10 new all-electric models in the next few years.

BMW has so far limited its electric ambitions to its BMWi range.

This year the Munich-based manufacturer said it would go further, with plans to offer an all-electric version of its iconic Mini by 2019 and a BMW X3 4x4 by 2020.

Beyond Tesla, German carmakers fear being overtaken by new home-grown competitors in China, which remains a major market.

Chinese plans to introduce a quota system -- which would require a share of vehicles produced in the country to be all-electric -- prompted complaints from German economy minister Sigmar Gabriel ahead of a visit to Beijing last month.

Related Article:

No strings attached: Rotterdam trials wireless electric car charging

Embassies promote Dutch cycling culture abroad

DutchNews, November 18, 2016

Photo: Meredith Glaser via
Amsterdamcyclechic.com

Although the Netherlands is lagging behind on wind and solar energy it has one trump card when it comes to energy saving: the bike. The Netherlands is touting one of its most popular national symbols to countries across the planet, the Volkskrant writes. 

In order to promote bike use and boost Dutch bike manufacturers, Dutch embassies around the world have been instructed to get peddling and involve themselves in bike-related promotional schemes. 

‘There are economic opportunities, particularly for bike makers,’ Chris Kuijpers, directer general of environmental issues at the economic affairs ministry, told the paper. 

From China to Mexico embassies are persuading high-ranking officials to climb on and go for bike rides in an effort to highlight Dutch expertise. 

In Marrakesh, host of this week’s climate summit COP22, Dutch embassy personnel have been busy too, supporting a bike repair project for the locals initiated by the Pikala Bikes foundation. The foundation transports abandoned bikes from bike depots in Amsterdam and The Hague to Marrakesh where Moroccan youngsters are taught how to repair them. 

Many countries are keen to make room for bikes in their cities and are willing to learn from Dutch experience, says Matthijs van Bonzel, ambassador to Spain. 

Spain already boasts a number of municipal bike hire schemes and Seville is one of the most bike-friendly cities in the country. Madrid, too, is willing to give more space to cyclists, Van Bonzel says. He has even gone on a bike ride with mayor Manuela Carmena, he told the paper.

No strings attached: Rotterdam trials wireless electric car charging

DutchNews, November 8, 2016

Rotterdam is working towards green transport with no strings attached – the municipality has begun a trial to recharge electric cars wirelessly, reports the AD on Tuesday. 

Three city companies are beginning a trial after two years of preparatory work, using specially converted vehicles.

‘This could be an ideal way to recharge batteries, especially at taxi ranks and bus stops,’ Hans Boot, of Engie Services Nederland told the AD.

The charging system works using an induction plate and coil, which transmits electricity to a car battery sitting above the plate, and is activated with a smartphone or tablet app. Boot said he expects that in future cars would even be able to be recharged on roads equipped with the technology. 

Rotterdam is determined to reduce its carbon emissions, and this trial is part of the effort. Pex Langenberg, head of sustainability, said: ‘We already have a lot of charging points but perhaps in future, we can install some of these plates to make charging as easy as possible. Compare it with an electric toothbrush. You put it down, and it charges up.’ 

At the end of September, Rotterdam celebrated opening its 2000th charging point, and it is aiming to have 3,600 by the end of 2018. 

Subsidies

But on Sunday evening, organisations including the motoring organisation ANWB, environmental group Natuur & Milieu, technical universities and electric car industry firms, warned that electric car use could splutter to a standstill when subsidies are withdrawn. In October, environment minister Henk Kamp said he was not convinced about the effectiveness of subsidies for buying electric cars in a letter to MPs.

Schiphol experiments with new scanner to speed up security checks

DutchNews, November 7, 2016

Photo: Schiphol airport 

Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport has begun testing a new form of security scanner which removes the need for passengers to take liquids and laptops out of their luggage.

The new scanner makes a 3D picture of the luggage so that controllers can look at it from every angle. Researchers also want to know if the new scanner will speed up security checks. 

The pilot project is taking place at two security lanes: one in departure hall 3 and one in transfer hall E/F. Passengers will, however, still be required to put liquids and gels in a sealed plastic bag. 

If everything goes according to plan and the pilot project is successful, Schiphol will gradually introduce new scanners to all 67 security lanes. The process will be completed at the end of 2017.

US regulator finds another cheat device in Audi car

A year on since the parent party Volkswagen was hit with near bankruptsy, German media has reported the discovery of a second illegal software function in automatic transmission Audis.

Deutsche Welle, 6 November 2016

German newspaper "Bild am Sonntag" reported on Sunday that the Californian Air Resources Board (CARB) had discovered another illegal software function in an automatc transmission in Audi last summer.

The paper said the device, which was not the same as the one which triggered last year's diesel emissions scandal at Audi's parent company, Volkswagen, was also used in gasoline and diesel-powered cars in Europe.

The illegal software deactivated pollution controls on more than 11 million diesel vehicles sold worldwide, triggering the deepest business crisis in the German carmaker's history.

Investigators found that the cars emitted more than 40 times the legal limit of nitrogen oxide, which can cause respiratory problems.

Unorthorized

VW said earlier this week, however, that the use of the software  “did not constitute an unauthorized shutdown device under European law.”

According to "Bild am Sonntag" the most recently discovered software was installed on many Audi models with a certain automatic transmission. If the steering wheel does not turn, this indicates laboratory testing conditions, and a gear shifting program which produces less carbon dioxide is activated.

If the driver turns the steering wheel by more than 15 degrees, however, the "warm-up strategy" deactivates, "Bild am Sonntag"said.

Audi reportedly stopped using the software in May 2016, just before CARB discovered the manipulation in an older model, the paper said, adding that the carmaker had suspended several engineers in connection with the matter.

ksb/jm (Reuters, AFP)

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Air France – KLM to launch new ‘competitive’ airline, nicknamed Boost

DutchNews, November 3, 2016

Air France.com via Wikimedia Commons

Air France – KLM is going to set up a new airline to compete with Gulf state airlines as part of a nine-point plan to win back market share and turn loss-making routes into profit centres. 

The new initiative, dubbed Boost, is the Air France – KLM ‘response to Gulf State airlines which are developing at low production costs in key markets,’ the airlines said in a statement. 

Based at Charles de Gaulle airport, the new company will be ‘simple, modern and innovative’ and will not be positioned as low cost, the statement said. ‘It will offer its customers business and leisure destinations with standards comparable to those of Air France in terms of product quality and the professionalism of the crews.’ 

The planes will be staffed by Air France pilots on a voluntary basis and talks with the unions on staffing arrangements will begin soon. 

The new strategy, named Trust Together, also aims to boost competitiveness, improve links between the various airport hubs and set up lobbying activities on competition issues. 

Air France – KLM also said on Thursday it had booked net profit of €544m in the third quarter of the year, up from €481 in the same period last year. Revenue was almost €7bn, down €400m on a year ago.