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.

UK defence giant BAE Systems to axe almost 2,000 jobs

Yahoo – AFP, October 10, 2017

BAE faces slowing demand for the Eurofighter Typhoon jet, developed with the
 help of Italy's Finmeccanica and Airbus as part of a European consortium (AFP
Photo/SAUL LOEB)

London (AFP) - British military equipment maker BAE Systems said Tuesday it plans to cut almost 2,000 jobs, mainly owing to weaker demand for Hawk and Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets.

There will be cutbacks in BAE's military, maritime and intelligence services divisions under moves to streamline the group overall.

"To ensure production continuity at competitive costs... and based on the profile of currently contracted and expected aircraft deliveries, actions continue to be taken to reduce the group's current Typhoon and Hawk production rates," BAE said in a trading update.

"As a result, the group has today announced a proposal to reduce the workforce of the military air and information business by up to 1,400 roles."

Those job losses will fall across five sites over the next three years, including Warton and Samlesbury in northwestern England, where Eurofighter warplanes are assembled.

Approximately 375 redundancies will also hit BAE's maritime servicing and support business, mainly affecting Portsmouth on the south coast.

The company's cyber intelligence business in London and nearby Guildford will lose about 150 jobs.

BAE faces slowing demand for the Eurofighter Typhoon jet, developed with the help of Italy's Finmeccanica and Airbus as part of a European consortium.

At the same time, the group is easing back Hawk production ahead of an expected order from Qatar.

Most of the military air job cuts will go in 2018 and 2019, while BAE plans to achieve as many voluntary redundancies as possible.

"The organisational changes we are announcing today accelerate our evolution to a more streamlined... organisation, with a sharper competitive edge and a renewed focus on technology," wrote BAE chief executive Charles Woodburn.

"These actions will further strengthen our company as we deliver our strategy in a changing environment."

BAE's share price was down 0.2 percent in late morning deals on London's rising stock market following the announcement.

"Those actions are necessary and the right thing to do for our company, but unfortunately include proposed redundancies at a number of operations," Woodburn added.

"I recognise this will be difficult news for some of our employees."

Britain's biggest trade union Unite blasted the announcement as a "short-sighted" move that would hurt the country's defence capability.

"These planned job cuts will not only undermine Britain's sovereign defence capability, but devastate communities across the UK who rely on these skilled jobs and the hope of a decent future they give to future generations," said Unite assistant general secretary, Steve Turner.

"These devastatingly short-sighted cuts will harm communities, jobs and skills."

Epic world solar car race begins in Australia

Yahoo – AFP, October 8, 2017

An epic 3,000-kilometre (1,860-mile) solar car race across the desert heart of
Australia designed to showcase new technology that could one day help
develop commercial vehicles got underway Sunday. (AFP Photo/Scott Barbour)

Sydney (AFP) - An epic 3,000-kilometre (1,860-mile) solar car race across the desert heart of Australia designed to showcase new technology that could one day help develop commercial vehicles got underway Sunday.

The World Solar Challenge, first run in 1987 and last held in 2015, began in a high-tech, futuristic flurry from Darwin's State Square.

Dutch team Nuon is aiming to defend its title but Belgium's Punch Powertrain led the 41 cars -- powered by the sun and mostly developed by universities or corporations -- off on the punishing journey south to Adelaide after a surprise win in Saturday's time trial.

"We knew our car was good but we never expected pole because there are a lot of competitors over here, a lot of very fast looking cars," team manager Joachin Verheyen told reporters.

The event has become one of the world’s foremost innovation challenges with teams looking to demonstrate designs that could one day lead to commercially available solar-powered vehicles for passengers.

Google co-founder Larry Page and Tesla co-founder J B Straubel are past competitors who credit the event in influencing their careers.

The main action will be the streamlined Challenger class -- slick, single seat aerodynamic vehicles built for sustained endurance and total energy efficiency.

Crews are allowed to drive between 8am and 5pm each day and simply set up 

camp wherever their car pulls off the road at the end of the day. The first car to 

cross the line in Adelaide is the winner. (AFP Photo/Scott Barbour)

Dutch team Nuon crossed the finish line first two years ago, taking 33.03 hours to make the punishing trip ahead of Japan's Tokai University, the 2011 winner, in a nail-biting climax.

Both teams are again in the hunt this year, with cars from the United States, Australia, Malaysia, India and South Africa among competitors up against them.

There is also a Cruiser class which aims to showcase solar technology for mainstream vehicles that are more practical for day-to-day use.

Entrants come from Hong Kong, Singapore and even Iran.

"Of course, the point of this challenge is not just to go fast, or to develop technology that will never reach the mainstream," said event director Chris Selwood.

"Our founder, Hans Tholstrup, and competitors past and present, are all determined to make sustainable, energy positive, solar electric cars and renewable technology a reality."

Teams are allowed to store a small amount of energy but the majority of their power has to come from the sun and their vehicle's kinetic forces.

Crews are allowed to drive between 8am and 5pm each day and simply set up camp wherever their car pulls off the road at the end of the day. The first car to cross the line in Adelaide is the winner.

There are seven checkpoints along the route where drivers can get updates on their standings, the weather, and do basic maintenance -- clearing any debris from the car and adjusting tyre pressure.

Pile in, kids: Amsterdam gets electric family car sharing

DutchNews, October 5, 2017

Photo: Hyundai

Hyundai has launched an electric family car-sharing service in Amsterdam, reports the Volkskrant on Thursday. 

Frank Meijer, director of Hyundai Eco Car & Mobility, told the paper that they had chosen the Dutch capital to launch this new service, due to its high number of public charging points, high parking costs, and public receptiveness to car sharing. 

The idea is that anyone wanting to hire a car finds it from an on-street location via a smartphone app, using this to pay and open the doors. The Ioniq electric car costs 25 cents per minute, or 12 euros an hour and registration – which will cost 10 euros – is free within two weeks of the launch. 

According to a Hyundai press release online, ‘Amsterdam has more than 2,200 public charging points and the best infrastructure for electric cars in Europe. 

The new cars can take five people and their baggage, and go 280 kilometers thanks to a better battery than earlier electric car models. 

In an initial phase, 100 cars will be put on the streets, Meijer told the Volkskrant. ‘We will learn, and look at the business case.’ 

Car sharing firms such as Snappcar and Zipcar believe that in future many more people will use shared vehicles, allowing the overall number of cars in Europe to decrease. 

But academics such as Dr Gonçalo Homem de Almeida Correia, a specialist in sustainable transport at Delft University of Technology, has said that a lot depends on the attitudes of authorities, and that ‘a good public transport system can do much for the sustainability of a city’ than vehicle sharing.

Verstappen wins Malaysian F1 Grand Prix in Sepang swansong

Yahoo – AFP, Daniel HICKS, Oct 1, 2017

Red Bull's Dutch driver Max Verstappen (C) celebrates on the podium after winning
the Malaysian Formula One Grand Prix in Sepang on October 1, 2017 as second-placed
Lewis Hamilton (L) and Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo (R) look on (AFP Photo/
MANAN VATSYAYANA)

Sepang (Malaysia) (AFP) - Red Bull's Max Verstappen won the final running of the Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday as Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton finished second to extend his championship lead over Sebastian Vettel to 34 points.

Verstappen, who celebrated his 20th birthday a day earlier, overtook pole-sitter Hamilton on lap four before clinching the second victory of his career and first this season.

Mercedes driver Hamilton finished second with Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo third and Vettel, who started at the back of the grid, fourth.

With five races to go, Hamilton is edging ever closer to the title but Ferrari had a weekend to forget, after Kimi Raikkonen didn't even make the starting grid and Vettel lost a rear wheel in a bizarre smash after the finish line.

Verstappen won by nearly 13 seconds from Hamilton to embellish what has been a tough season after he failed to finish seven races and only once reached the podium.

"The car was unbelievable, if I had to speed up I could. It was a very tough race and incredible to win," said the Dutchman.

Hamilton admitted the Mercedes had been second-best. "Big congratulations to Max and happy birthday, he did a fantastic job today," he said.

"The race was a tough one, obviously they just had the upper hand on us today... I feel good but I think we have some work to do with the car. Obviously we didn't have the pace this weekend."

Verstappen's Red Bull team-mate Ricciardo fought off a strong challenge from Vettel, who had started from the back following engine problems in qualifying.

"Seb came really quick at the end and I thought he was going to be a handful," said Ricciardo. "But he only had one strong attack and then we were able to pull away."

Ferrari's fortunes had dimmed when Kimi Raikkonen's car suffered a turbo failure before the start.

He was pushed back to the pit and the race was over before it had even begun for the former world champion, who had enjoyed his maiden win at Sepang in 2003.

'We ran out of tyres'

"Obviously we had some issue. I don't think any of us know what it is exactly. I'm pretty certain I would have had a very good car today," a disappointed Raikkonen told reporters.

Vettel, who led the championship until just a month ago, now has only five races left to overhaul Hamilton's big lead, starting next week in Japan.

"I think we have a very good car. If we start ahead, we win the race," he said. "We had a little bit of sniff at the podium but unfortunately we ran out of tyres."

Once past Hamilton, Verstappen started to pull away and by lap 14 he had a seven-second cushion.

Vettel was picking off the back markers with ease courtesy of his second new engine of the weekend, and emerged in fourth in front of Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas after they both pitted for new tyres.

As the top four entered the final 10 laps of the 56, Vettel set a new race lap record of 1min 33.864sec, smashing Juan Pablo Montoya's 2004 mark of 1:34.223, and was closing fast on Ricciardo's exhaust pipe.

Vettel made one daring attempt to grab the last podium spot up the inside of Ricciardo at the end of the pit straight with seven laps to go.

But the Australian closed him off and Vettel was forced to drop back and settle for fourth as his front tyres started to degrade.

The drama didn't end there as on his slow-down lap, Vettel collided with the Williams of Lance Stroll which left his Ferrari with one rear wheel on top of his car.

"That's impossible," Vettel thundered over the radio. "Stroll wasn't looking where he was going!"

It was the 19th and last Malaysian Grand Prix at steamy Sepang.

The race will disappear from the calendar after Malaysia's government decided it would no longer cover the $67 million a year cost of staging the loss-making event.

Max Verstappen celebrates his first Grand Prix win, taking the top spot in Spain
 on May 15, 2016 and becoming the youngest ever Formula One winner at 18 years
of age (AFP Photo/Lluis Gene)

Related Articles:

Verstappen becomes youngest ever F1 winner in Spain

"The Energy of the Future" - Dec 7, 2014 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (Text version)

“… The New 'Message' from Space

Let me tell you what the message is that is being communicated: Unlock to 44 percent! This is the message: The Human race has passed the marker and is ready for the next step in evolution. I am talking about the old soul. You are the ones who will be first to get this message. It is you, and some of your "old soul" children, who are starting to feel and accept this!

Let me tell you in this lesson today that the first thing that this unlocking will begin to create is what we're going to call Akashic acuity. You're going to start remembering, and it's about time. Can you celebrate this? It's about time that when you're born you don't start from scratch, in the dark, and doing everything all over again. Instead, you remember!

I want to talk to some individuals who are listening to this and are in this room. Have your grandchildren had the audacity to tell you who they used to be? Don't raise your hand; I know you're here. They feel it, and they know it, and out of the mouths of these babes come the most profound information that this planet has ever heard! They knew who they were! Some will point their fingers at you and say, “Don't you remember? I was your mum in another life.” That's a bit disconcerting, isn't it?

I want you to remember one of the premises of incarnation, the one that we have given you over and over. You incarnate in family groups. There's a reason for this, so there is comfort and joy. It's so you don't have to learn the energy of each related person, all over again, each time. The energies of the family stay together and you can accomplish more that way. There's always a benevolent reason for these things. Every single attribute of the esoteric system of life, whether it's your grids or reincarnation, is benevolent. Did you hear that? It's a beautiful system, and not random. It's not about judgment; it's not about punishment. It is, instead, about the love of God for you, and what I'm about to tell you is what is changing is energy.

Akashic Acuity

So we have established that you are moving into this new radiation, and we have established that it intersects the sun. The sun blasts your magnetic field with it (via the solar wind) and the magnetic field talks to your DNA. Suddenly, there is the potential some of your DNA is being unlocked. The attributes of unlocking Akashic acuity will help you to remember who you've been. Now, with this remembrance comes energy - not about who you were, but rather it gives you the energy of what you did. I don't mean physically; I mean energetically and mentally. Old souls carry with them experience. When you look into the eyes of a child, you're going to see wisdom just waiting to break out. Dear ones, these children are different. They are not going to go through what you did! They have a whole new set of issues, and most of their issues are trying to navigate the old issues you create for them!

There's something we brought up in a former channelling called the wisdom factor. Now, the wisdom factor is caused by Akashic acuity. After living Human life over and over, you start remembering the wisdom that you have gained through these past lifetimes. You don't necessarily remember who you were, but rather the fact that you were at all and the experiences you had. Imagine a child coming into the planet knowing how to read? Imagine a child coming into the planet knowing not to touch something hot? Where did it come from? You're going to see more of this, and a feeling of "been there, done that".

Akashic acuity is remembrance of experience during past lifetimes. As the child grows, that remembrance becomes pure wisdom. As the child starts to awaken and the pineal opens, something else happens. The grid starts talking to the child through the DNA, and in the grid is also the information from the time capsules we spoke about in past channellings. The time capsules start feeding the planet with increased wisdom and knowledge. You don't have to reincarnate to awaken even further! Akashic acuity means suddenly Humans know more than other children have in the past - much more. …”

Saudi university to open driving school for women

Yahoo – AFP, October 1, 2017

A Saudi woman drives her car along a street in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah,
 on September 27, 2017 (AFP Photo/Reem BAESHEN)

Riyadh (AFP) - A university in Saudi Arabia has said it will open a driving school for women, in a first for the ultra-conservative country after a ban on women driving was lifted.

"Princess Nourah University is preparing to set up a driving school in cooperation with the relevant authorities," the women's university said on Saturday.

"This is the first such announcement following this week's order by King Salman to allow women to drive," it said.

Saudi Arabia on Tuesday said it would allow driving permits for women under a royal decree to take effect in June, sparking euphoria and disbelief among activists who long fought the ban.

The Gulf kingdom was the only country in the world to ban women from taking the wheel, and it was seen globally as a symbol of repression in the Gulf kingdom.

Princess Nourah University says it has more than 60,000 female students in Riyadh and other cities.

Tuesday's decision is expected to push women into the workforce and boost car sales, especially in the coming months before a scheduled imposition of a government value-added tax in January 2018.

Car makers including Nissan, Chevrolet and Ford have rushed to congratulate Saudi women, as millions of women are expected to hit the road in the kingdom in coming years.

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"Listening to the Voice of Spirit" (2) - Feb 20, 2016 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (DNA Efficiency is on average at 35 percent now) - (Text version)

“… With free choice, the percentage of DNA efficiently started to go down as humanity grew. As soon as the DNA started to lose percentage, the gender balance was dysfunctional. If you want to have a test of any society, anywhere on the planet, and you want to know the DNA percentage number [consciousness quota] as a society, there's an easy test: How do they perceive and treat their women? The higher the DNA functionality, the more the feminine divine is honored. This is the test! Different cultures create different DNA consciousness, even at the same time on the planet. So you can have a culture on Earth at 25 percent and one at 37 - and if you did, they would indeed clash. …”

“… You're at 35. There's an equality here, you're starting to see the dark and light, and it's changing everything. You take a look at history and you've come a long way, but it took a long time to get here. Dear ones, we've seen this process before and the snowball is rolling. There isn't anything in the way that's going to stop it. In the path of this snowball of higher consciousness are all kinds of things that will be run over and perish. Part of this is what you call "the establishment". Watch for some very big established things to fall over! The snowball will simply knock them down. …”