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Europe EV Sales BEVs Jump 50% & Reach 26% Market Share
2 months ago
- Europe saw 366,000 BEV registrations in June, up 50% YoY, a new record.
- Plugin vehicles reached 37% market share, with BEVs dominating plugin sales (71%).
- Year-to-date BEV share is 23%, already surpassing 2025's full-year result.
- Overall auto market grew 13%; electrified vehicles (HEV+plugin) made up 72% of sales.
- Petrol and diesel shares fell to 21% and 6% respectively.
- Tesla Model Y and Model 3 topped the EV charts; BYD Atto 2 took third.
- Chinese OEMs doubled their market share to 10%, with BYD up 147% and Leapmotor up 568%.
- Volkswagen remains the top plugin brand, but Tesla climbed to third.
- Volkswagen Group leads all groups, while BMW Group overtook Stellantis for second.
- Renault had strong BEV performance with five models above 3,000 units in June.
One big winner in War on Iran: US natural gas exporters. Big loser: Europe
2 months ago
- The US is a major beneficiary of the Iran war, with LNG exports skyrocketing as Qatar's production is offline for years due to Iranian strikes.
- Europe is heavily reliant on US LNG after banning Russian energy, but faces a severe gas shortage as Asian buyers outbid them for spot market cargoes.
- Asian countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh pay record prices for LNG, diverting shipments that previously went to Europe, worsening Europe's supply crisis.
- US natural gas companies enjoy massive profit margins due to low feedgas costs and high global LNG prices, with LNG set to become the US's second-largest export industry within five years.
- Japan's LNG imports from the US surged 15 times from February to July 2026, after Qatari supply collapsed due to the war.
- Europe's storage deficit is 158 TWh, equivalent to 15 million households' yearly demand, forcing it to pay soaring spot market prices to refill reserves.
Cloud Naïve: Europe and the 'Bijenkorf' Megascaler - Bert Hubert's writings
2 months ago
- European organizations like SIDN claim they must outsource to US cloud providers because European providers cannot deliver their computer needs.
- European providers can deliver services but lack the automated, self-service 'cloud-native' infrastructure offered by hyperscalers like AWS, Azure, and GCP.
- The essential cloud-native services (S3, managed Kubernetes, IAM, etc.) are not adequately provided by European providers, who often misunderstand these requirements.
- European IT industry offers a catering model (custom setups) rather than the self-service model that cloud-native users expect.
- Solutions include European collaboration to create a 'Bijenkorf Megascaler'—a credible package of core cloud-native services, with government support in standards and procurement.
SPRIND Podcast Transcript: Innovation, Europe, Secret Services - Bert Hubert's writings
2 months ago
- Bert Hubert discusses his journey from a 'geeky entrepreneur' starting PowerDNS to working with Dutch intelligence agencies, emphasizing that innovation often arises from constraints and necessity.
- He highlights that open-source mechanisms accelerate innovation by allowing rapid testing and collaboration, contrasting with Apple's closed, expensive model that sucks up external innovations.
- European governments lack technological appreciation and prioritize risk aversion, hindering innovation, while China's faster innovation cycle and US's surveillance-heavy tech present challenges.
- Hubert suggests Europe's privacy reputation offers an opportunity, but warns that future automation and boredom could lead to societal harm, advocating for communication innovations that reward constructive engagement.
Europe's executives need to skill up to solve our total US cloud dependency - Bert Hubert's writings
2 months ago
- Europe's nearly total dependence on US big tech (Amazon, Microsoft, Google) is a crisis of digital autonomy.
- Upper management in governments and companies lack technical expertise and rely on consultants who exclusively promote US cloud providers.
- Contrary to claims, it is possible to store data fully in Europe using local servers and generic IT capabilities.
- Examples include the Dutch tax agency moving to Microsoft cloud despite vulnerabilities and the CCB director's mistaken belief that full European data storage is impossible.
- Leadership must skill up and reengage with European generic IT to break free from US tech hegemony.
France and Spain wildfires: more than 300k people displaced
2 months ago
- More than 300,000 people have been displaced by wildfires in France and Spain, driven by climate change, with temperatures expected to rise.
- In Bordeaux, 7,000 people are sheltered in the largest French evacuation since WWII, while firefighters in Spain work to prevent two fires from merging.
- Europe is the fastest-warming continent, with temperatures rising over twice the global average, exacerbating wildfire risks.
- The 2026 wine vintage in Bordeaux is currently safe from smoke taint, as unripe grapes are less vulnerable.
- A wet winter followed by record-hot temperatures and drought, known as 'flash drought,' has fueled the wildfires.
- Additional evacuations in France and Spain have occurred, with thousands of firefighters injured and international aid arriving.
80k people flee as wildfires spread in France and Spain
2 months ago
- Over 90,000 people have fled wildfires in Spain and France, with Spain declaring a national emergency and France ordering total evacuation of a major holiday spot.
- France's Cap Ferret peninsula is being evacuated due to an intense, unpredictable wildfire that has burned over 12,500 hectares of forest.
- Spain declared its first wildfire national emergency as two blazes merged near Madrid, with extreme heat and dry conditions fueling the fires.
- Both countries sought EU help; officials described the situation as unprecedented and a 'perfect storm' of high temperatures and strong winds.
- About 800 firefighters and water-bombing planes are battling the fires, but conditions remain highly dynamic and unfavorable.
- Climate breakdown is cited as a factor, increasing the frequency and severity of extreme weather events and wildfires.
- There have been 29 major forest fires in Spain by mid-2026, compared to an average of 9 per year in the past decade, burning over 114,796 hectares.
- Arrests have been made in Spain related to causing the fires, with suspects ignoring bans on heavy machinery use.
Show HN: A Job Board for European Defence Companies
2 months ago
- Europe needs skilled professionals to ensure safety in a fast-changing world.
- High-impact careers in the defence sector across the EU are being promoted.
- Users can sign up to receive the latest job listings via email with no spam.
- Recent job postings include companies like Milrem Robotics and Blackshark.
Interrail: 6,379Km and 13 Countries over 7 weeks
2 months ago
- The author and spouse embarked on a 7-week Interrail trip covering 6,379 km and 13 countries, using a 15-travel-day pass over 2 months, after a more intense 30-day trip the previous year.
- Key experiences included issues with train delays, refund complexities, occasional access to lounges despite restrictions, varied onboard amenities (e.g., vegan options, WiFi, seating), and ferry travel with Interrail discounts.
- Practical tips highlighted: using RealTimeTrains for platform info, booking vegan meals in advance, dealing with ticket inspections, and navigating disruptions like train failures or crowded connections.
- The trip involved multiple legs across Europe (e.g., London to Brussels, Hamburg to Copenhagen, Oslo to Stockholm, Helsinki to Tallinn, Warsaw to Berlin), with reflections on the balance between planned travel and spontaneity.
- Overall, Interrail is praised for being relaxing, city-center convenient, and eco-friendly, though it can be exhausting; future plans may involve combining trains with flights or longer stays in single countries.
I Survived Europe's Heat Wave Without AC
3 months ago
- The author experienced sleepless nights due to lack of AC during Europe's heat wave, highlighting widespread suffering.
- High heat-related deaths in Europe (e.g., 3,000 in UK in 2022) due to low AC adoption in homes.
- Historical colder climates explain low AC popularity, but adaptation barriers include regulations, NIMBYism, and cultural snobbishness.
- EU energy rules, post-Ukraine crisis limits, and medical need requirements in places like Geneva restrict AC use.
- NIMBY attitudes and preservation laws hinder installations, with incidents like Portofino's crackdown on illegal AC units.
- Cultural snobbishness includes debates on AC selfishness, false health warnings, and stigma, contrasting with elite exemptions.
- AC's carbon intensity depends on energy source; nuclear-powered France still stigmatizes AC despite cleaner grids.
- Elites like the European Commission maintain AC access, revealing hypocrisy in progressive European attitudes.
Europe's new climate in seven charts
3 months ago
- Europe experienced two record-breaking summer heatwaves in May and June, with temperature records shattered across the continent, driven by human-induced climate change.
- The UK saw unprecedented June temperatures, including a high of 37.7°C, breaking previous records by up to 2°C or more, and experienced rare 'tropical nights' where temperatures did not drop below 20°C.
- More than a dozen European countries broke June temperature records, with some exceeding 40°C, due to a 'heat dome' effect and Europe's rapid warming from factors like melting snow and reduced air pollution.
- Europe's seas are also exceptionally warm this summer, with marine heatwaves likely to intensify future land heatwaves by reducing cooling effects from sea breezes.
- Scientists warn that heatwaves will continue to get hotter and more intense until global net zero greenhouse gas emissions are achieved, as average temperatures rise due to continued carbon emissions.
June heatwave may have killed around 20k people in Europe
3 months ago
- A preliminary estimate suggests Europe's most extreme heatwave killed between 17,000 and 25,000 people.
- The estimate used a statistical model based on past temperature-mortality data, projecting approximately 20,390 deaths during 22-28 June 2026.
- Official counts, like the WHO's report of over 1300 excess deaths, are lower due to incomplete data and delays in reporting.
- Some experts argue the model may overestimate deaths, citing improved adaptation and seasonal timing factors, proposing a lower figure around 15,000.
- Heat is highlighted as the deadliest weather hazard, with preventable deaths calling for urgent adaptation measures in health and infrastructure systems.

europe

Europe EV Sales BEVs Jump 50% & Reach 26% Market Share

One big winner in War on Iran: US natural gas exporters. Big loser: Europe

Cloud Naïve: Europe and the 'Bijenkorf' Megascaler - Bert Hubert's writings

SPRIND Podcast Transcript: Innovation, Europe, Secret Services - Bert Hubert's writings

Europe's executives need to skill up to solve our total US cloud dependency - Bert Hubert's writings

France and Spain wildfires: more than 300k people displaced

80k people flee as wildfires spread in France and Spain

Show HN: A Job Board for European Defence Companies

Interrail: 6,379Km and 13 Countries over 7 weeks

I Survived Europe's Heat Wave Without AC

Europe's new climate in seven charts

June heatwave may have killed around 20k people in Europe