MH17 may have been shot down ‘by mistake’, investigator tells NRC

DutchNews, December 30, 2017

A fragment of the BUK missile. Picture: JIT 

There is an ‘extremely large amount of material’ which suggests flight MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine by accident, the leader of the team investigating the incident has told the NRC. 

Fred Westerbeke, who heads the international team which is carrying out the criminal investigation into the attack, says it is still too early to draw conclusions but that a number of questions must be asked. 

In particular, the team wants to know why the Malaysia Airways plane was shot down rather than one from the ‘enemy’ Ukraine airforce. ‘It is really important for us to know this,’ he said.

‘Why was the BUK used to bring down a passenger airline rather than a jet fighter or an Antonov from Ukraine,’ he said. ‘What was the aim?’ 

All 298 people on board flight MH17 were killed when it was struck by a missile on July 17, 2014, and crashed into fields in eastern Ukraine. Two-thirds of the passengers on the flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur were Dutch. 

The JIT’s preliminary investigations concluded last year that the plane was shot down from Ukrainian farmland by a BUK missile ‘controlled by pro-Russian fighters’. That conclusion has been disputed by Russia, which claims that Ukrainian fighters were responsible.

Uber suffers new blow as EU court rules it's a taxi service

Yahoo – AFP, Alex PIGMAN, Danny KEMP, December 20, 2017

Spanish taxi drivers have staged protests, complaining that Uber flouts local
regulations (AFP Photo/GABRIEL BOUYS)

Brussels (AFP) - The EU's top court ruled on Wednesday that Uber is an ordinary transportation company instead of an app and should be regulated as such, in a decision that is being closely watched around the world.

Hailed by the plaintiffs -- a Spanish taxi association -- as "a social victory", the case is yet another thorn in the side for US-based Uber, which has drawn the fury of taxi drivers and officials for flouting local regulations.

It also comes the same week as one of its drivers admitted to the attempted rape and murder of a British embassy worker coming home from a night out in Beirut, Lebanon.

"The service provided by Uber connecting individuals with non-professional drivers is covered by services in the field of transport," said the Luxembourg-based European Court of Justice.

"Member states can therefore regulate the conditions for providing that service."

Uber, the biggest name in the growing gig economy, claims it is a mere service provider, connecting consumers with drivers in more than 600 cities.

Uber has run into huge opposition from taxi companies and other competitors who say this allows it to dodge costly regulations such as training and licensing requirements for drivers and vehicles.

The case was brought by a taxi drivers' association in the Spanish city of Barcelona, where belief runs high that Uber is a taxi company that should be subject to rules governing such vehicles.

"This will truly represent a social victory, and the whole of society will benefit from this," Ivan Esma, spokesman for the Elite Taxi association, told reporters, adding that "the road will be long" for the ruling to be enforced.

Ruling 'won't change things'

Uber said the ruling would make little difference in practice.

"This ruling will not change things in most EU countries where we already operate under transportation law," an Uber spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

"However, millions of Europeans are still prevented from using apps like ours."

In a dense legal judgement, the ECJ said that Uber was a service that connects "by means of a smartphone application and for remuneration non-professional drivers using their own vehicle with persons who wish to make urban journeys."

That means it is "inherently linked to a transport service and, accordingly, must be classified as a 'service in the field of transport' within the meaning of EU law."

The EU court's senior adviser had said in a legal opinion in May that Uber was indeed a transport company.

Uber has had a rough ride in Spain, where a judge ruled in 2014 that its UberPop service risked breaking the law, leading to the Barcelona submission to the ECJ.

Early last year, it decided to only operate a limited a version of its UberX service in Spain which uses licensed, professional drivers instead of the amateurs who had previously worked via the UberPop application.

Uber has already had problems with the law in several European countries, particularly France where the company was forced to overhaul its business model.

The French transport minister, Elisabeth Borne, said the ruling "reinforces the government's determination" to regulate the sector "in favor of both the safety of customers, the working conditions of drivers and fair competition between the players."

In November a labour court in London, where the company is threatened with losing its license, said it had to pay the drivers a minimum wage and give them paid leave.

Uber does not employ drivers or own vehicles, but instead relies on private contractors with their own cars, allowing them to run their own businesses.

Licensed taxi drivers meanwhile often have to undergo hundreds of hours of training, and they accuse Uber of endangering their jobs by using cheaper drivers who rely only on a GPS to get around.

The EU's top court rules that Uber is an ordinary transportation company instead of an app and should be regulated as such pic.twitter.com/YswoejzwNz

— AFP news agency (@AFP) December 20, 2017

Delta orders 100 Airbus planes in blow to Boeing

Yahoo – AFP, John BIERS, 14 December 2017

Delta orders 100 Airbus planes in blow to Boeing

Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL - news) announced Thursday that it has ordered 100 Airbus planes with an option to buy 100 more, in a blow to Airbus' American rival Boeing (NYSE: BA - news) .

Delta said it was buying the A321neo aircraft to renew its narrow-body fleet, which have 197 seats and are used for domestic or short international flights.

The Airbus order comes amid public friction between Delta and US giant Boeing over a trade dispute involving a separate Delta deal to buy planes from Canadian company Bombardier (Toronto: BBD-A.TO - news) .

Airbus deliveries to Delta will begin in 2020 and go through 2023 under the order, worth an estimated $12.7 billion based on the aircraft catalogue price.

Delta said in an investor presentation that the new planes would result in 40 percent fuel savings compared with the jet they are replacing.

"This is the right transaction at the right time for our customers, our employees and our shareholders," Delta CEO Ed Bastian said in a statement.

US built planes

Airbus in 2015 opened a manufacturing plant in Mobile, Alabama to build single-aisle planes with an eye towards competing more aggressively in the US market.

Toulouse, France-based Airbus highlighted its growing connection to the US in the announcement, saying most of the new planes would be delivered from Mobile.

"This purchase furthers our commitment to US aviation -- a commitment that has never been stronger," said John Leahy, chief operating officer for customers at Airbus Commercial Aircraft.

"Today, there is more US content in Airbus aircraft than from any other country, with more than 40 percent of our aircraft-related procurement coming from the United States."

Delta also announced that it picked United Technologies' Pratt & Whitney as the engine provider, and for engine maintenance. Delta also selected Pratt engines for the Bombardier order, which is at the heart of the Boeing trade dispute,

Boeing has argued Delta's planes were underpriced due to illegal Canadian government subsidies to Bombardier.

"Delta remains a valued customer, and we'll continue exploring ways to best meet their needs in the future," a Boeing spokesman said.

"We competed with a strong but disciplined offer in the Delta campaign. While Delta has chosen to go with Airbus and Bombardier in recent single aisle campaigns, we are proud of the 737 MAX family's superior value and performance."

Canada-based Bombardier in October unveiled a production alliance with Airbus that granted the European company a stake in the Bombardier C-Series program. Delta has said it will not pay for any punitive tariffs sought by the US government in response to Boeing complaints.

Boeing's actions in the trade dispute has done "significant has done significant damage to its relationship with Delta for sure," said Jim Corridore, an analyst at CFRA Research.

"Obviously today's news is a direct blowback to Boeing's protectionist stance in getting the US government to add those taxes to the Bombardier jets."

Corridore noted that Boeing also lost a major deal with the Canadian government, which dropped a deal to buy F-18 fighters from the US company following the trade dispute.

Boeing's stance "makes no sense" and has "cost them two major deals," he said, adding that Boeing's outlook is otherwise bright because of strong demand in both commercial airplane and defense businesses.

Decoy bikes with GPS trackers lead to sharp drop in bike theft, expert say

DutchNews, December 14, 2017

Photo: Depositphotos.com

The use of decoy bikes fitted with police GPS tracking systems has reduced bike theft by up to 50% in the places where they are being used, economist Ben Vollaard told Thursday’s Telegraaf. 

The paper says Vollaard’s research at Tilburg University shows that ‘professional criminals’ are more likely to disappear when the special bikes are being used. 

Vollaard looked at 14 places where the decoy bikes were placed, including Dordrecht and Gorinchem. In total, the decoy bikes were used 1,612 times last year and 1,220 arrests were made as a result, the paper said. 

Police currently have a pool of 300 bikes at their disposal, of which around 70 are electric bikes. All are new bikes from popular brands such as Gazelle or Batavus. 

By the beginning of October this year, police had received 61,063 reports of stolen bikes, down more than 13,000 on the 2016 total. 

‘I know that everyone says no-one bothers to report a stolen bike but these are the only figures we have to base policy on,’ said Mogjan Yavari of Centrum Fietsendiefstal, which unites police, insurers and manufacturers.

London's iconic black cabs go electric

Yahoo – AFP,  December 5, 2017

London's iconic black cabs go electric

London's first electric-powered black cabs hit the streets on Tuesday, the British capital's iconic taxis getting a facelift for the modern age that should help cut pollution in the city.

The new-look cabs will meet the strict new emissions regulations required for all new London taxis from 2018.

They are replacing the old diesel cabs, with more than 9,000 electric taxis -- around half the current fleet size -- expected to be plying for trade by 2021.

"The vehicle is totally new from the ground up and it's a much better experience both for the cabbie and the passengers," Chris Gubbey, chief executive of the London Electric Vehicle Company, told AFP.

"The ride and handling is much better and it's very quiet.

"It's marrying all of the cutting edge technology with vast experience of what it takes to make a good taxi."

The renamed London Taxi Company has been making London's black cabs for almost 70 years in Coventry, central England.

The manufacturer was rescued from administration in 2013 by Chinese automaker Geely.

The new cabs retain much of the familiar shape, but are marginally bigger, allowing a sixth passenger inside.

The taxis have been brought up to date with wifi, USB chargers, a plug socket and a contactless payment card reader in the back.

The new, transparent roof allows passengers to take in the cityscape above them.

Smooth and silent

"The ride quality is unbelievable. Customers are going to love it. It's so smooth and quiet," said Peter Powell, 61, a London cab driver of 22 years, who been road testing the new taxis for the past two months.

But he admitted that "a lot of old guys don't like the change" with some concerned about a dearth of charging points.

The new TX eCity taxi costs £55,000 ($73,800, 62,400 euros), compared to £45,000 for the last diesel TX4s.

However, manufacturers estimate cabbies could save £100 a week in fuel costs.

While Powell and a few other drivers have been road-testing the new taxi in London, it has also been put through its paces in the extreme conditions of the Arctic and Arizona.

London taxi drivers average 120 miles (195 kilometres) per day, including their commute to and from work.

The new taxi can do 80 miles on electric power, and has a range-extender petrol engine that runs a generator, meaning it can cover up to 377 miles, always on electric power.

It is different from many hybrid vehicles currently on the road in that the petrol engine does not drive the wheels directly.

The new taxi produces about 10 percent of the carbon dioxide emitted by the TX4 and its nitrous oxide emissions are close to zero.

They can repower in 35 minutes at rapid charging stations.

London's first electric-powered black cabs hit the streets with a face-lift for the modern age that should help cut pollution in the city https://t.co/HqO87A5bcf pic.twitter.com/Dm9MoGSAq9

— AFP news agency (@AFP) December 5, 2017

Volkswagen given fine for misleading Dutch consumers over diesel scandal

DutchNews, November 28, 2017

Pollution from car engine. Photo: Depositphotos.com

Car maker Volkswagen has received the highest possible fine for misleading consumers from the Dutch Authority for Consumers & Markets. 

On Tuesday the body announced a penalty of €450,000 for ‘unfair commercial practices’ as Volkswagen advertised certain cars as eco-friendly ‘while the results of emission tests had been manipulated by illegal software.’ 

Dutch consumer organisation the Consumentenbond believes this fine may have cleared the way for people to bring personal claims for damages, according to the NOS broadcaster. It wants to discuss compensation with the German manufacturer. 

In autumn 2015, Volkswagen admitted that it had sold 11 million cars worldwide with secret ‘defeat device’ software that ensured it would pass emissions tests in a laboratory, while the cars emitted higher levels of pollution on the road. 

Cateautje Hijmans van den Bergh, an ACM board member, said in a press release: ‘We have established that Volkswagen has misled Dutch consumers about the emission of harmful pollutants. Therefore, ACM has imposed a fine [to] send a clear signal. Consumers are entitled to [receive] reliable information.’ 

Volkswagen has set aside almost $15 billion to compensate American customers but yet discussed any payment in Europe, although customers with the cars involved do have an extra two-year guarantee, reports broadcaster NOS. 

Volkswagen told DutchNews.nl in a statement: ‘Volkswagen disagrees with the decision taken today… and intends to appeal against it. Volkswagen does not believe it infringed Dutch consumer protection laws. 

‘All Dutch customers who acquired a Volkswagen, SEAT, Audi or SKODA vehicle with an EA189 diesel engine have been treated fairly. All vehicles have kept type approval and so remain roadworthy, and there has been no violation of emissions regulations or laws. Our customers remain our number one priority and we are working hard to earn back their trust.’

Norway seeks 'Tesla tax' on electric cars

Yahoo – AFP, 12 October 2017

Abolishing Norway's tax exemptions for electric cars would slap thousands on the
purchase price of a Tesla

Norway, a world leader of zero-emission vehicles, on Thursday proposed a "Tesla tax" aimed at cutting a tax advantage granted to large electric cars in a heavily criticised move.

Electric cars, which have hitherto been exempted from heavy taxes imposed on other vehicles, accounted for 20 percent of new registrations in the Nordic country since the beginning of this year, an unprecedented market share in the world.

In a 2018 finance bill presented to the parliament on Thursday, the right-wing minority government suggested removing a one-off tax exemption for new electric cars weighing more than two tonnes.

The proposal was immediately dubbed the "Tesla tax" because it primarily affects the high-end models made by the American manufacturer. Buying a new Tesla X would cost about 70,000 kroner (7,500 euros, $8,800) more.

Justifying the proposed tax measures, Finance Minister Siv Jensen argued that these heavy sedans exhaust the roads as much as gasoline and diesel cars, and that the owners should therefore contribute.

The proposal has sparked a heated debate.

"It's a tax bomb," Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association Secretary General Christina Bu told AFP.

"This was unexpected by both the drivers and by the car industry and it sends a bad signal to the Norwegians and the world" for which the nation is often a model in this matter, Bu added.

She underlined that Norway has set an ambitious target of ending the sales of new cars with combustion engines as early as 2025.

The largest oil producer in western Europe, Norway has introduced many incentives to purchase electric cars.

In addition to generous tax exemptions, which critics say allow the richest to buy Tesla vehicles at a good price, Norway's electric car drivers benefit from free city tolls, free parking and the possibility of travelling in the bus corridors.

The government needs the support of other parties in the parliament to get its budget approved.

Its traditional centre-right allies have already spoken out against the "Tesla tax", noting a 2015 agreement has granted tax advantages for electric cars until 2020. 

Expanding bike lanes, handing out free helmets and making lessons free: New York is making great strides in encouraging pedal power

Expanding bike lanes, handing out free helmets and making lessons free: New York is making great strides in encouraging pedal power pic.twitter.com/YzZMRwo3R7

— AFP news agency (@AFP) November 21, 2017

Delhi restricts vehicles as smog envelopes India and Pakistan

Yahoo – AFP, November 9, 2017

Low winds and the annual post-harvest burning of crop stubble have caused the
 levels of dangerous pollutants in the air to spike to many times the levels
considered safe (AFP Photo/NARINDER NANU)

New Delhi (AFP) - New Delhi banned all construction, barred lorries from entering the city and announced stringent restrictions on private car use on Thursday, seeking to combat a massive spike in pollution across large swathes of India and Pakistan.

Tens of thousands of schools in Delhi and surrounding states remained closed as a hazardous fog of toxic pollution cloaked the region for a third day, bringing growing calls for urgent government action to tackle what doctors are calling a public health emergency.

"The situation in Delhi is so bad and if the pollution can be brought down in any way, we will do it," the city's transport minister Kailash Gahlot told reporters as he announced plans to limit private car use to alternate days from next Monday.

Authorities in the city had earlier ordered a ban on all construction work and barred lorries from entering the city as public pressure on the government mounted.

Around 50,000 mostly diesel-fuelled lorries pass through India's capital every night and they are a major contributor to the pollution plaguing the city.

Air quality typically worsens before the onset of winter as cooler air traps pollutants near the ground and prevents them from dispersing into the atmosphere, a phenomenon known as inversion.

Low winds and the annual post-harvest burning of crop stubble in the northern farming states of Punjab and Hariyana have caused the levels of dangerous pollutants in the air to spike to many times the levels considered safe.

Figures on the US embassy website showed levels of PM2.5 -- the smallest particulates that cause most damage to health -- spiked at over 1,000 on Wednesday afternoon in Delhi, though by Thursday afternoon they had fallen to 400.

The World Health Organization's guidelines say 25 is the maximum level of PM2.5 anyone can safely be exposed to over a 24-hour period.

Doctors say the microscopic particles can penetrate deep into the lungs, increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Chart showing air quality readings from New Delhi where schools were ordered 

shut as pollution levels went off the scale. (AFP Photo/Nick SHEARMAN)

"Delhi once again has become a veritable gas chamber with denizens finding it difficult to breathe," The Times of India said Thursday, joining growing calls for government action to curb the chronic pollution, which the Indian Medical Association this week termed a public health emergency.

"Air pollution during winter months has become a catastrophe for large parts of north India," the country's most read English-language newspaper said in an editorial blaming "political apathy".

'Burning in my eyes'

In neighbouring Pakistan's second largest city Lahore, near the Indian border, hundreds flocked to hospitals seeking treatment for respiratory illnesses and eye infections caused by the pollution.

The PakAirQuality network, which publishes unofficial air reports on social media, said the concentration of PM 2.5 in the city had topped 300.

Motorcycle riders wore green face masks and goggles as they tried to cope with the smog, but for some the protection was not enough.

"I am feeling burning in my eyes," said labourer Zawar Hussain. "I will visit a doctor in the evening."

It is the second year running that Delhi -- now the world's most polluted capital with air quality worse than Beijing -- has faced such high levels of PM2.5.

Media reports said the thick smog had also led to a series of road accidents in north India.

Eight students were killed late Wednesday when a truck ploughed into them as they waited for a bus on a roadside in Punjab.

Since 2014, when WHO figures showed the extent of the crisis, authorities in Delhi have closed power plants temporarily and experimented with taking some cars off the road.

But the temporary measures have had little effect.

Under pressure to respond, Delhi's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday sought to blame stubble burning by farmers in neighbouring states.

"We we will continue facing this every year until the neighbouring state governments resolve the issue of crop burning," he told reporters in Delhi.

The practice of burning crop stubble remains commonplace in north India despite an official ban.

Dutch bike builder Van Moof raises €2.5m through crowdfunding

DutchNews, October 25, 2017

Photo: Brbbl via Wikimedia Commons

Dutch city bike builder Van Moof has raised €2.5m through crowdfunding, on top of a €4m capital injection from venture capital group Slingshot. 

More than one thousand people put money into the company, which had been looking to raise at least €1m.

‘The faith shown in us by Slingshot and all the fans who have invested in us means we can take the next stop in our international growth,’ founder Taco Carlier said in a website statement. The cash will be used to increase production, research new technology and open bigger stores. 

The company was set up in 2009 by two brothers and now has shops in Amsterdam, Tokyo, Berlin, Taipei and New York. Its bikes are known for their sleek, simple designs and use of technology, including touch locks and anti-theft devices.

EU raids automaker BMW in post-Dieselgate cartel case

Yahoo – AFP, Alex PIGMAN, October 20, 2017

BMW headquarters in Munich, southern Germany (AFP Photo/Christof STACHE)

Brussels (AFP) - EU antitrust regulators have raided the offices of automaker BMW in Munich, the company said Friday, in a fresh blow to the beleaguered German car industry.

The European Commission, which refused to name the company targeted, said it "can confirm that as of October 16, 2017 its officials carried out an unannounced inspection at the premises of a car manufacturer in Germany."

The inspection was related to "concerns that several German car manufacturers may have violated EU antitrust rules that prohibit cartels and restrictive business practices," a statement said.

The commission added that Daimler was cooperating with the commission and could accordingly offer the Mercedes-Benz manufacturer leniency in the case.

"The inspection is linked to complaints against five auto companies that were reported in the media last July," BMW said in a statement, that confirmed the raids but denied any manipulation of diesel emissions.

News weekly Der Spiegel reported in July that German carmakers Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, BMW and Daimler secretly worked together from the 1990s on car development, construction and logistics -- including how to meet increasingly tough diesel emissions criteria.

Both buyers and suppliers of the auto giants suffered from the under-the-table deals, the magazine alleged.

BMW in July denied any collusion with industry rivals on emissions from its diesel engines, saying none of its models had been "manipulated" or violated industry regulations.

Wolfsburg-based VW, along with Daimler, was among the first to hand over details of the alleged broader collusion between the five firms to competition authorities, reported Spiegel, saying it had seen a relevant VW document.

Diesel blues

The allegations of antitrust violations are the latest cloud over Germany's auto industry.

In 2015, Volkswagen was forced to admit it had installed software in millions of its diesel vehicles to cheat emissions tests, which has already cost it tens of billions of euros.

In a separate cartel case, Daimler suffered a billion-euro fine from Brussels last summer for fixing truck prices with competitors.

In theory, the European Commission or Germany's federal competition authority could fine firms found guilty of colluding up to 10 percent of annual revenue -- or close to 50 billion euros ($58.3 billion) across all five car companies, based on 2016 sales.

BMW in its statement Friday said it wanted to make "the clear distinction" between the possible antitrust violations and the diesel emissions manipulations, "which BMW has not been accused of".

Volkswagen refused comment, but added that its offices were not targeted.

Among the areas Spiegel reported manufacturers collaborated on was the size of tanks for a liquid known as AdBlue, used to treat diesel exhaust fumes.

The fluid reacts with harmful nitrogen oxides found in the emissions and transforms them into water and nitrogen.

Carmakers agreed not to add tanks to their vehicles, Spiegel reported, preferring to save space for golf bags or profitable upgrades such as speaker systems.

Rather than call on drivers to refill tiny AdBlue tanks every few thousand kilometres, Volkswagen is alleged to have used so-called "defeat device" software to cheat emissions tests in some 11 million cars worldwide.

Other manufacturers including Daimler are suspected of doing the same.

"Vehicles made by the BMW group were not manipulated and complied with legal requirements," the firm said Friday in its statement.

BMW was one of the worst performers in late afternoon trading on Frankfurt's DAX 30 index, shedding 1.1 percent to 86.47 euros. Fellow carmakers Daimler and Volkswagen fell by close to one percent each. 

Futuristic solar-powered Dutch family car hailed 'the future'

Yahoo – AFP, 15 October 2017

Futuristic solar-powered Dutch family car hailed 'the future'

A futuristic Dutch family car that not only uses the sun as power but supplies energy back to the grid was hailed as "the future" Sunday as the World Solar Challenge wrapped up.

The innovative bi-annual contest, first run in 1987, began in Darwin a week ago with 41 vehicles setting off on a 3,000-kilometre (1,860-mile) trip through the heart of Australia to Adelaide.

Dutch car "Nuna 9" won the race for the third-straight time, crossing the finish line on Thursday after travelling at an average speed of 81.2 kilometres per hour (55.5 mph).

It was competing in the Challenger class, which featured slick, single seat aerodynamic vehicles built for sustained endurance and total energy efficiency.

But there was also a Cruiser class, introduced to bridge the gap between high-end technology and everyday driving practicality.

German team HS Bochum was the first to arrive Friday with its stylish four-seater classic coupe, featuring sustainable materials such as vegan pineapple leather seats.

But another Dutch team, Eindhoven, was set to be crowned overall champion based on a system taking into account design, practicality, energy efficiency, and innovation, organisers said.

Their family car, "Stella Vie", carried five people at an average speed of 69 kilometres per hour, with event director Chris Selwood saying it was a practical demonstration of what the future might look like.

"These incredible solar cars have been designed with the commercial market in mind and have all the features you?d expect in a family, luxury or sporting car," he said.

"Team Eindhoven are to be congratulated on their achievement to date -- clearly the most energy efficient solar car in the field, capable of generating more power than they consume.

"This is the future of solar electric vehicles. When your car is parked at home it can be charging and supplying energy back to the grid."

Cars in the race were mostly developed by universities or corporations, with teams hailing from around the world.

They were allowed to store a small amount of energy but the majority of their power had to come from the sun and the vehicle's kinetic forces.

Team Eindhoven said its vision had been to build a family car with a balance between aerodynamic, aesthetic and practical design.

"We think we succeeded very well with a car that is more efficient than its predecessors and includes some state-of-the-art technologies to not only generate energy but also supply it back to the grid," they said.

"Through a smart charging and discharging system she charges the battery when the demand of energy from the grid is high and vice versa. Any surplus energy generated can easily be supplied back to the grid."

Of the 12 Cruiser class cars that started, six finished.

As well as the German and Dutch entrants, vehicles from Australia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the United States also crossed the finish line.

And Eindhoven makes two: a second Dutch students team wins solar race

DutchNews, October 13, 2017

Students from Eindhoven University on Friday successfully defended their title for the second time in the 3,000 km race across Australia for solar driven family cars. 

The victory for Solar Team Eindhoven and their car Stella Vie in the cruiser class race mean Dutch teams took both titles at the event, which takes place very two years. 

Although the score for practicality – worth 20 points – is to be determined on Saturday, Stella Vie’s score for energy efficiency is ‘already sky high and unbeatable!’, the team said on their website. 

On Thursday, the team from Delft University won the challenger class event with Nuna9.

The partners of #Eindhoven Solar Team showing again their tech leadership. Being the the champ 3 times in a row. #innovation #worldsolarchlg pic.twitter.com/1my9FSzUSo

— InnovateSmart .org (@innovatesmart) October 13, 2017

Related Article: 

Flying Dutch win world solar car race in Australia

First hydrogen-powered train set for northern Netherlands in 2018

DutchNews, October 12, 2017 

The Coradia iLint train. Photo: Alstom

The northern provinces of Friesland and Groningen and rail operator ProRail are hoping to test run a train powered by hydrogen next year, the Volkskrant said on Thursday.

The parties involved want to determine whether a hydrogen-powered train will prove to be a cheap and sustainable alternative for the diesel trains now operating from the provincial capitals of Leeuwarden and Groningen. 

Most trains in the Netherlands run on electricity but there are no electric overhead lines on the rail network in Friesland and Groningen where the trains are powered by diesel. To switch to electric trains would cost hundreds of millions of euros, hence the potential move to hydrogen. 

The hydrogen-powered train is a realistic alternative for tracks without overhead power supplies, said Wouter Wiersema of engineering consultancy Arcadis which is conducting a feasibility study of the new train. 

But major changes are needed if the diesel engines are to be retired. Storage facilities for hydrogen – a  very light, flammable fuel – will have to be created on trains and in stations. Strong safety measures are vital, said Wiersema. 

The French train manufacturer Alstom is experimenting with a hydrogen-powered train in northern Germany. Once this train, called the Coradia iLint, has been given full safety clearance, it will also be able to travel on the Dutch rail network and the trials can take place, the Volkskrant said.

Dutch students win 3,000 km solar-powered car race for seventh time

DutchNews, October 12, 2017    

Students from Delft University have won the World Solar Challenge in Australia for the seventh time after their solar-powered car crossed the finishing line in the early hours of Thursday morning, Dutch time. 

The Nuon Solar Team took four days and six hours to complete the 3,000 km race, measuring speeds of up to 110 kph in full sunlight. 

In particular, days three and four were difficult, with rain and strong winds. ‘Nuna is so light and streamlined that we were able to reach high speeds using little energy,’ said team member Jasper Hemmes. ‘We were effectively sucked along by the wind, thanks to her aerodynamics.’ 

A good team of meteorologists also helped the team make the most of the sunshine when there was cloud cover. 

A second Dutch team, Solar Team Twente is likely to finish in fifth place, later on Thursday. 

In the other competition, the cruiser class, the Stella Vie team from Eindhoven University are set to cross the finishing line in Adelaide on Friday in first place.

And the first pictures are online with thanks to @hapevv and @Lightatwork! Keep checking for updates! #BWSC17 #nuonsolarteam #takeonthedutch pic.twitter.com/nTnBi4ihM8

— Nuon Solar Team (@NuonSolarTeam) October 12, 2017

Dutch insurance company inks first self-driving car policy

DutchNews, October 11, 2017

Artist’s impression: Amber One

Centraal Beheer, the car insurance unit of financial services group Achmea, has become the first company in the Netherlands to cover shared self-driving cars, the company said on Wednesday. 

Achmea’s subsidiaries Centraal Beheer and Interpolis insure 2.3 million vehicles between them, making the group the country’s largest car insurer. 

The arrival of self-driving cars has turned the car insurance market around, management board member Robert Otto said in a statement. What is clear is that the days of setting insurance premiums by accident history are over, he said. 

Achmea reached agreement on Tuesday afternoon to insure the Amber One, a completely electric self-driving vehicle which is to come into production in 2021. Amber is a start-up company based at Eindhoven university’s High Tech Campus. 

The Amber One is seen as an ideal shared car because it will be equipped with software which determines where and when demand for the car is highest. But this bring problems in particular with determining whether the driver, the developer of the software or the manufacturer are liable. 

Under terms of Achmea’s agreement with Amber, self-driving car insurance will be developed alongside the car itself. 

Damages are certain to be higher due to electronics and software used in the car, Otto said. A simple collision with a lamp post will far more expensive with a self-driving car than with a traditional car, he said. ‘We already have that experience with electric cars.’ The Amber One will be fully electric but the parts will be readily interchangeable.