road

transforming desert sand into the cheapest and most durable road material in Africa

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Honda is experiencing one of its most complicated moments. On the one hand, it has canceled several launches of its electric cars in North America, has paralyzed the development of Afeela which it developed in collaboration with Sony and has announced losses of around $15.7 billion. Now they are in a moment of restructuring to get out of the slump, but they have not left aside some of their most experimental projects. One of them is PathAhead, a startup that emerged from its internal incubator that has presented a construction material made of desert sand with which it intends to pave roads in Africa. The problem they want to solve. Only about 20% of African roads are paved, according to data from Honda itself. This figure has a direct impact on the region’s economy, since in the end a place where transportation access is difficult makes logistics more expensive, limits access to markets and slows down development. Furthermore, according to the firm, conventional materials for road construction (natural sand and crushed stone) present variations in resistance depending on their geological origin, which makes it difficult to guarantee uniform quality. The solution: desert sand turned into arid. As we have mentioned before, the company behind this project is called PathAhead, and it has developed a material that it calls Rising Sand. The company describes it as the world’s first artificial aggregate made from desert sand. The process consists of agglomerating fine grains of sand (about 100 micrometers in diameter) into larger, more uniform particles using heat and pressure, increasing their resistance. Image: Nikkei Asia The result, according to the company, is roads with a useful life of more than 20 years, double that of those built with conventional materials, and a life cycle cost that is 60% lower, according to its estimates. The deployment plan. PathAhead plans to begin demonstration trials in Kenya in 2027, followed by Tanzania and South Africa. If the results are positive, mass production will begin in 2028 in its own factory in that country. The startup’s financial goal is to reach revenue of $270 million by 2034. The company has so far raised about 136 million yen (approximately $850,000), with Honda as one of its investors. Where PathAhead comes from. The startup was born within the Ignition program, which Honda launched in 2017 to encourage the creation of new businesses among its employees. Masayuki Iga, its founder and CEO, worked for years at Honda’s research center developing automotive materials. “I created PathAhead with the desire to apply the technologies and knowledge accumulated in that experience to directly address the challenges of our society,” declared Iga during the presentation in Tokyo. Why it draws attention now. Sling has increased its spending on R&D by 55% in the last five years, to exceed one trillion yen in the recently closed fiscal year. That the company maintains and even expands its commitment to internal innovation while undergoing a profound restructuring of its core business is, at the very least, a sign that it does not want to reduce its long-term bets. If PathAhead can prove that its material works on an industrial scale, it could become more than just an experimental project. We’ll see if it ends up having a place in the industry. Cover image | Sling In Xataka | The car industry has condemned the manual gear shift to extinction. A company wants to avoid it: BMW

paint a road red

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There is nothing like installing a speed radar (or simply warning it) to make a driver take their foot off the accelerator. But there is a more effective method: painting the road. It has been proven that when we see colors, lines and shapes painted on the asphalt, drivers slow down. So in India they have not thought twice. That’s why they painted the road red. Because? Madhya Pradesh is known as “the Heart of India”. The region has been growing at a good pace for some time, especially supported by tourism that is attracted by its ruins, its temples and a truly striking nature. But this region is also famous for something else: tigers. And those tigers are the reason India is building “the first red road”. Or what is the same, two kilometers where the asphalt has been painted a striking red color with the aim of alerting drivers and reminding them that they are traveling through a space where tigers, one of the protected animals in the area, roam freely. Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve. A wildlife sanctuary. This is how they define the website from this reserve to the area in which the road we are talking about is located. An area of ​​about 2,339 km² where tigers but also bears, leopards and wild dogs roam. The problem is that the NH-45 highway also runs through that space, a road that connects Bhopal and Jabalpur, two cities with a total of more than four million people if their metropolitan areas are added. Click on the image to go to the original post A road painted red. One of the solutions devised has been to paint the road red to signal to drivers that they are passing through a particularly sensitive space. The road has been renovated to redirect animal traffic to 25 underpasses and 11 cameras control that they do not sneak onto the asphalt. However, one of the most effective measures is to paint the road with huge red squares. And although various measures can be taken to reduce speed on a road, painting the asphalt is one of the simplest in terms of effort and money invested. In Spain, the DGT is trying to paint some sections with a huge red line. In Catalonia (the DGT has no powers there), try the same with circles at the entrance to curves to warn motorists. And in the United States it has been proven that painting the streets is a good method to protect children and prevent accidents. Our brain. In this case, in addition to being painted, the squares also create a small noise in the tires to convey to the driver a greater obligation to take their foot off the accelerator. However, it’s just about tricking our brain. When a road is painted with squares of this type or a red line is added in the center, the perception we have as drivers is that the lane is narrower and, almost immediately, we lift our foot off the accelerator a little when we perceive that it is more unsafe to travel at the same speed than on an asphalt that has not been modified. It is, simply, a sensory illusion. Playing with the shapes and their sizes is enough for the driver to understand that something is happening there and that he should take his foot off the accelerator. In some Spanish cities like Madrid they have what are known as “dragon teeth” on streets with schools or hospitals to create the sensation that they are narrower and make drivers lift their feet. and it works. The most surprising thing is how something so simple delivers results. In Bloomberg pointed out a long time ago that the city of New York implemented Asphalt Art Initiativeto draw enormous murals at the most conflictive intersections in the city. After painting them, drivers began to pass more slowly and the number of serious injuries after a hit went from 50% to 37%. Something similar was used in a Beuné crossing (a town located near Angers, western France). There, his neighbors, tired of the town’s road being crossed as if it were a highway, decided to paint the ground. The result was immediate, the cars took their foot off the accelerator. Photo | Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve and Google Maps In Xataka | A huge red line: the DGT’s experimental measure in one of the most dangerous stretches in Spain

There is only something more intimidating, dangerous and outside of road regulations than a Cybertruck: a Russian Cybertruck

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A Russian startup has recently presented what Tesla has not dared to create: an electric van with the same angular design and stainless steel body that characterizes the Cybertruck. It’s called Russo-Balt F200.was recently sighted in the country and already has a production date for January 2027. A particular project. From the middle CarScoops they count that it is not a simple prototype or a digital render. And the F200 already circulates through the streets snowfall in Russia, and specifically it was sighted in the city of Perm. The company has revived the name of Russo-Balt, a historic Russian automobile and railroad car manufacturer that operated between 1869 and 1918, to give life to this project that mixes a bit of industrial heritage with futuristic aesthetics. In detail. The F200 measures 5,950 mm long, 2,000 mm wide and 2,550 mm high. It has a monocoque structure, unusual in vans of this size that usually use ladder chassis, and supports a payload of up to 1,000 kg. The startup counted The stainless steel panels are hand-welded and, although the body comes unpainted, buyers will be able to customize it with polyurethane wraps in various colors and graphics. under the hood. A 200 HP electric motor drives the front wheels, powered by a 115 kWh battery that promises 400 kilometers of autonomy. According to account In the middle, the van supports direct current fast charging through a port located on the front fender. Standard equipment includes ABS, ESP, climate control, rear air suspension and a 360-degree camera system. The startup insists that practically all surfaces are heated: seats, steering wheel, mirrors and even the windshield wipers, especially thinking about the harsh Russian winters. A possible Chinese brother. Initially it was debated that the vehicle could be a modified version of the V90a van from the Chinese company Weiqiao New Energy. However, Russo-Balt insists that the F200 is his own design. The company highlights that its team has previous experience in the manufacture of stainless steel water dispensers, knowledge that they now apply to the production of the vehicle, which they confirm will be made to order. Between the lines. Following the massive withdrawal of Western manufacturers from the country following the invasion of Ukraine, Chinese brands They have quickly occupied that space and now represent the majority of new car sales in Russia. The F200 perhaps represents an attempt to once again develop local production capacity with a product that is, of course, very striking. How to get one. The price is set at 6.5 million rubles, approximately 72,400 euros at the exchange rate. The company asks for a refundable deposit of about 10,000 rubles, about 111 euros. Russo-Balt also offers a curious 100-year warranty for stainless steel panels. It’s a fairly ambitious figure, but also difficult to verify even considering that the car hasn’t even gone into production yet. And now what. Russo-Balt is already working on a second modelthe F400, which will incorporate a gasoline engine as a range extender and all-wheel drive through two electric motors, adding 400 HP of combined power. It will also add front air suspension to the rear that already includes the F200. Although no pricing details have been revealed, this model targets a more premium segment. It remains to be seen if the startup delivers on its promises and if demand follows. In Xataka | You can now bid on the most exclusive Ford GT prototype in history. The only handicap is that you won’t be able to drive it.

China is filling up with “quadricycles” that do not require a driving license. And they are a problem for road safety

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The two times I have been to China, two things about its automobile fleet have caught my attention: the furor for electric cars in terms of brands, models and dealerships, because you can almost find one on every corner of any central street in the big cities. And on the other side of the coin, I was also struck by the enormous amount of motorbikes (scooter is saying a lot) and cars without licenses parked in any side and circulating any manner. Don’t call it a light quadricycle, rather say laotoule. There they are known as “laotoule”, something like that like the joy of the old man. Because if in Spain the light quadricycles you see are usually driven by older people, in China too. They began to be seen back in the 90s from tuk-tuk modifications three wheels in rural areas, although today they have capacity for up to five people and a very diverse aesthetic. From occasional mobility to a vehicle for everything. Although the older ones are the star group, they are not the only ones: they are vehicles with very clear profiles of occasional use and short and (relatively) simple trajectories. As collects China Dailythese vehicles are the main means of transportation for running errands or picking up elderly grandchildren, but in recent years they have expanded their range to younger people: they offer a closed space and solve the problem of having to travel at a low cost. According to the China Electric Vehicle Associationannual sales of these lightweight non-highway quadricycles increased from 1.1 million in 2017 to 2.1 million in 2023, of which 1.4 million went to seniors. According to an investigation According to Banyuetan, the magazine linked to the official Chinese news agency Xinhua, these cars are flooding rural roads and urban peripheries. And its proliferation has aroused the suspicion of the authorities. The legal vacuum of laotoule. Because unlike Spain, where any motor vehicle requires a technical sheet and a license plate, in China they have been marketed as if they were devices for personal mobility, something like a scooter or an electric wheelchair. Thus, the bulk of laotoule are sold without registration or approval or the need to pass your MOT. In fact, they are increasingly sold online. like low cost imitations of luxury cars. There is even a Porsche Cayenne without a license. Because there are brands and models of Chinese electric cars to bore, in a light quadricycle version, too. In fact, There are even Maseratis and Porsche Cayenne modelsor rather, Maserati style and Porsche style, because they are not official from the respective houses. And because the Maserati costs about 3,200 euros in exchange. Is take a look at the Alibaba website and find models for all tastes, such as this Mini. Also There is a version without a license of Xiaomi’s second electric car, the ambitious Xiaomi YU7as you can see below these lines. From afar they hit the mark, up close already such. Under that attractive bodywork they hide electric motors of low or medium power and a top speed of up to 70 km/h. Tap to go to the post. The card-free version of the Xiaomi YU7 The real problem is road safety. Leaving aside industrial property issues, laotoules look like miniature cars but they are not: they lack basic elements that are found in passenger cars, such as steel frames or airbags. The Banyuetan report echoes of a fatal hit by a 59-year-old driver in a laotule in Hebei, northern China. From prohibition to regulation. Some local administrations have already made a move: since January 1, 2024, cities such as Luoyang or Beijing banned circulation on public roads to low-speed three- and four-wheel electric vehicles. However, there is a middle way: China issued a regulation of technical specifications and safety requirements for electric vehicles, finally classifying laoutoule as motor vehicles. From here and as explained by Lu Yong, researcher in the low-speed electric vehicle sector for Sixth Tone: “We must recognize the real demand for low-speed vehicles and strengthen the design at national level, both for industry development and traffic management. Clear and enforceable rules must be quickly introduced for both product and driving standards, as well as for road access.” In Xataka | China has so many electric cars running on its streets that it is going to use them to generate energy for homes In Xataka | China is the only country in the world where car prices are falling. So much so that the Government is taking measures

is not to collapse the road

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Although each mega-construction that occurs always represents a technical challenge, doing so on one of the busiest points in Spain makes the process even more difficult. The one of Sales Park aims to build a park of more than 16,000 square meters on 16 traffic lanes at the point with the highest vehicle intensity in Spain. Hence the challenge, since the operation must advance without collapsing Madrid. Night operations. Raising a 197-meter structure supported by 128 pillars on the M-30 is complex, but feasible. Just like they count From El Mundo, the truly complicated thing is to do it without paralyzing the traffic of a city of more than three million inhabitants. Javier Nájera, head of the City Council’s structures service, told the media that working on that stretch during the day could cause traffic jams of up to 14 hours a day. That is why they decided to concentrate the most critical works in summer, when traffic intensity drops by 40%, and carry out the most delicate operations at night. Technical challenge. At night, two cranes weighing more than 500 tons take position on the M-30 to advance the construction process. According to counted Nájera in the middle, nothing more than the assembly of these cranes requires about four hours, but they are very useful for lifting concrete beams of up to 200 tons and 40 meters in length. The structure requires 96 of these beams, and at six in the morning of each day worked, everything must be collected as if nothing had happened so as not to hinder traffic. Huge beams that force a plant to close. The beams arrive from factories in Rivas Vaciamadrid and Seville. According to what they tell the media, this is because the Community of Madrid does not have more production capacity for this type of structural elements. Manufacturing a single beam of these characteristics requires the complete closure of an industrial plant. Nájera tells El Mundo that transportation from Andalusia is more expensive, but it would be unfeasible to produce them in a single factory for the pace they need. Rehabilitation. During the initial excavation, pools of water appeared on the hard ground that were not foreseen in the geotechnical studies, Nájera told the outlet. The work had to be readjusted on the fly. Unforeseen events are common in this type of construction, but when working on the main traffic artery in Spain, each day of delay multiplies their impact. In fact, the start of construction on the last day of June coincided with several accidents that caused significant delays, a brief reminder of how tight the margin of error can be. Prepare the land for 1,060 trees. The future platform will support 110,031 tons, including permanent loads and intended uses. Najera account that would resist even the passage of tanks crossing from one side to the other. For the park to function, a triple layer of waterproofing will be installed with asphalt sheets, anti-root meshes and a system of aeration cells so that the trees can grow and develop without problems. The same method was also used in Madrid Río. Eight walkways to save centuries-old cedars. The intention is to connect both banks of the M-30 through eight pedestrian walkways that will meander to avoid damaging the ancient cedars. These walkways will connect the Quinta de la Fuente del Berro park with the green area of ​​Ciudad Lineal, a corridor that would benefit more than 140,000 residents. The lanes are now open, but a lot of work remains. The M-30 recovered all its lanes operational a month and a half in advance of what was planned. Traffic effects are now limited to nighttime hours, although speed is still limited to 50 km/h on this stretch. Of the 128 piles that will support the roof, 73 have already been installed, and the first transverse beams began to be placed at the end of November. With an investment of 78.9 million euros, the project is scheduled to be completed by spring 2027. What comes next. Once the main structure is completed, the installation of the garden areas, playgrounds, calisthenics elements, a small outdoor auditorium, kiosks and LED lighting systems will begin. Of course, until the park shows its first trees, there is still work to do. Cover image | Google Maps In Xataka | The collapse of the most famous bridge in history not only ended the life of a dog: it also changed engineering forever

Madrid had a plan to put all cars without a DGT label off the road in 2026. It has changed its mind

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In 2024 it was December 12. In 2025 it was December 11. 20 days after all cars without a label were prohibited from entering the city of Madrid, the capital’s City Council has once again confirmed that those who are registered in Madrid will be able to continue driving for another year. That is to say, like last yearwith less than three weeks left before the ban would exclude unlabeled cars registered in Madrid and those registered outside the city, the City Council has extended the extension that will allow them to continue circulating. So, who can and cannot circulate in Madrid? What does the great ZBE that is now Madrid look like? In September 2024, a figure began to move: 1.2 million cars circulating in Madrid were going to be left out if the ban on any car without an environmental label circulating in the capital was activated, as planned, in 2025. This figure was, as we contrast in Xatakafalse. Or inaccurate, at least. In reality, the Madrid City Council estimated that there were 246,000 vehicles that were going to be left out of circulation in the city. This year, The figure that had moved was 300,000 cars which does not seem real because it would imply that the vehicle fleet of gasoline with more than 25 years and diesel with more than 19 years has grown in the city in the last year. In fact, Borja Caravante, delegate of Urban Planning, Environment and Mobility, has assured that prohibiting the circulation of cars without environmental label of registered in Madrid would only affect about 14,000 or 15,000 vehicles, according to words collected by The Country. The Madrid City Council alleges, therefore, that the measure would have a “low impact” and that they therefore prefer to extend the exception to the rule. Whatever the vehicles may be, the truth is that if the ban were applied, no car without a label could circulate in the capital, regardless of whether or not the car is registered in the city. And the thing is, right now, the only cars without a label that can circulate in Madrid are those registered in the city. That is, it is not enough to reside in the capital, it is necessary that the car be registered in the city. If not, there is no possibility of moving with a car without a label except for few exceptions, such as going to a hotel in the city. In summary, right now there are two possibilities for cars without a label and they will remain active next year: If the car is registered in Madrid: it can circulate If the car is not registered in Madrid: it cannot circulate In addition, it must be taken into account that cars without a label (whether or not they are registered in the capital) cannot enter the Central District Special Protection Low Emission Zone (what was previously Central Madrid). Only cars with an environmental label can enter this space. Of these, in addition, the B and C labels have the obligation to park in a parking lot, so only the ECO and Zero emissions vehicles have total freedom of movement. If you want to know more details, in this Guide to know if your car will be able to circulate through the Madrid ZBE in 2026 We clarify all these concepts. Photo | Jordi Moncasi and NuKi Chikhladze In Xataka | The intrigue of cars with the DGT B label: what we know about whether or not they will be able to enter large cities

“The Silk Road AI”

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The CEO of NVIDIA has a mission: to get the US to allow him to sell his chips in China. Over the past few weeks, Huang has been taking advantage of every time a microphone is placed in front of him to warn about the dangers of this blockade. Their argument is that if China does not have access to NVIDIA chips, then they will make their own and create a new Silk Road with AI, thus expanding their influence around the world. The situation. NVIDIA is a key player in the development of AI due to the superiority of its chips, which in turn places it at the center of the trade and technological war with China. Broadly speaking, this is the sequence of events: The AI ​​route. The CEO of NVIDIA has been in Washington and has taken advantage of his visit to criticize the United States’ decision to continue blocking the sale of its most powerful chips. Huang has assured that by blocking NVIDIA, the US “has essentially given up the second largest AI market”, as stated in Nikkei Asia. According to its logic, the decision has left room for China to develop its own technology and make it reach the world, expanding its influence beyond its borders. The Silk Road Economic Belt. Huang has referred to this concept, which refers to the global infrastructure development strategy promoted by the Chinese government in 2013. In other words, a new silk roadbut with technology as a product. Thanks to this initiative Huawei managed to expand its 5G around the world and Huang fears that they will now do the same with AI. “They will undoubtedly spread Chinese technology as quickly as possible, because they understand that the sooner they arrive, the sooner they will build their ecosystem,” he assured. Huawei. It is the company that has the most possibilities of creating alternatives to NVIDIA technology. Jensen Huang has said of them that “they are one of the most formidable technology companies the world has ever seen. We compete with them (…) They are agile. They move at incredible speed.” Huawei is already trying achieve powerful technologies for AI, although they have not yet reached NVIDIA, but it seems that Huang sees that moment very close. Nuclear power. Energy has become the choke point for AI. Data centers consume a lot of energy and there China has a clear advantage; They have a more powerful infrastructure and also The government is subsidizing energy. Recently the CEO of NVIDIA already drew attention to this situation and assured that “China is going to win the AI ​​race” due to these subsidies. Now he has brought up the energy issue again, saying that the United States should “use every form of energy” it can and that the government “should try to accelerate the development of nuclear energy.” Interests. That there is a technological race for the dominance of AI is undeniable, but that catastrophic speech by Jensen Huang is better understood if we take into account that he is the CEO of a company, and what interests him is selling more products. China is not only the US’s competitor, it is also one of the largest markets in the world. Image | Wikipedia, Gary Lerude on Flickr In Xataka | Investing in data centers for AI is insane, and it’s going to get worse. much worse

the road is from 1995

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When the invasion began in Ukraine, Germany activated a plan of the future, preparing for a scenario that he believed had been buried since the end of the Cold War: in the midst of wave of sabotageespionage and rising tensions with Russia, Berlin has accelerated a quiet transformation to ensure the country can sustain, move and protect allied forces in any crisis that erupts in Europe. The return of total logistics. Germany conceived the so-called as OPLAN DEUa 1,200-page classified document born in a Berlin barracks just two years ago, as the operational core for a future war with Russia in which the country would once again be NATO’s great strategic corridor, one where the continuous movement of forces, supplies and reinforcements must be frictionless even under extreme pressure. We are talking about a plan where it is anticipated that ports, rivers, highways, bridges and railways should move up to 800,000 soldiers allies to the East, a corridor with a logistical precision never seen since the Cold War, in a context where the Russian invasion of Ukraine itself has returned the idea of ​​an “entire defense society” and where espionage, sabotage and airspace violations indicate that Moscow could act sooner of the expected 2029. Aging infrastructures and vulnerabilities. It we have counted before with the European rearmament plans. The real state of infrastructure Germans acts as an uncomfortable mirror of decades overconfident in peace, exposing structural weaknesses that, if not corrected, would compromise the credibility of any collective European response. In 1995, no one thought that 2025 would be like it is. The problem goes further of physical deterioration: many of the recent civil works were conceived 30 years ago without considering load, width or resilience requirements for heavy military traffic, which generates a hidden fragile points map whose management requires an analysis of engineering, security and territorial planning of enormous complexity. Added to this is the single path dependency in ports and critical stations, which turns any breakdown or accident into a possible strategic bottleneck. The urgency lies not only in repairing, but in redesigning infrastructure that were never intended as defensive elements and that now must be integrated into a continental military architecture. The army experiment at home. The Journal told that the Bundeswehr is discovering that adapting a society to a defense horizon It requires much more than military exercises: it involves coordinating ministries, city councils, service companies, emergency bodies and transport operators under the same operational scheme. The recent essays have reflected how the speed of reaction, the management of urban space, the interoperability between civil and military and the ability to absorb unforeseen events constitute the decisive factors for an entire country to function as a reliable rearguard. Practice shows that any seemingly minor detail (a sign, a poorly managed intersection, the absence of a protocol for drones or spontaneous demonstrations) can derail the convoy cadence. That is why each exercise has become a laboratory to detect errors that were not seen on paper and that require a continuous review of procedures, responsibilities and institutional habits. Hybrid Warfare and sabotage. The growing attack frequencycable cuts, infrastructure fires and covert sabotage operations demonstrate that the real risk no longer comes solely from a conventional attack, but from the progressive wear and tear of logistics capacity through selective coups that seek to destabilize without formally crossing the threshold of war. This modality requires distributed surveillance ranging from power stations to railway tunnels, including computer systems and private companies that were unaware of being potential targets. The difficulty is not only in neutralizing sabotage, but in anticipating it in an environment where state and parastatal actors act with tactics that exploit legal loopholes, demilitarized zones of responsibility and civil regulations designed for times of calm. In this gray terrain, each administrative or technological gap can become the entry point to affect the military mobility of all of NATO. Between peace and war. Germany is immersed in a complex transition in which a political culture must be reconciled deeply pacifist with the need to build a highly capable defensive scaffolding. This delicate balance explains both the speed with which resources are mobilized and the caution with which the magnitude of the effort is communicated. Internally, the challenge is not small: preparing the population for a tense scenario without generating alarm nor social fractures, while the image is projected abroad of a country capable of supporting the alliance without becoming a provocative actor. In this context, time emerges as the most determining factor: each technical or legislative advance compete against a marked international environment because of the unpredictabilitywhere the border between deterrence and vulnerability depends on the speed with which Germany manages to transform its civil structure into a competent instrument in the event of any eventuality. Image | RawPixel In Xataka | Russia boasts of shooting down 13 drones with shotguns from a boat in a video. The editing is so bad that it reveals the true cost In Xataka | Europe has realized something disturbing: if Russia wants to invade it in less than 45 days, it has no impediment

They depend on road transport and there is a lack of 3.6 million truck drivers

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Today almost everything you buy, from supermarket food to the latest mobile phone, has traveled by truck before reaching your hands, and in Europe three out of every four tons of goods move by road. 75% of the goods are transported by road and 85% of the transportation of perishable products is done in fleets of trucks that, currently, do not have enough drivers. The International Road Transport Organization (IRU) calculate that in 36 countries that add up to around 70% of the world’s GDP there are 3.6 million truck driver vacancies, which represents around 7% of the total existing positions. With the progressive aging of the templates, the problem it’s not going to get better in the coming years. One million truck drivers by 2026. For Europe, the IRU predicts that in 2026 there will be a shortage of around one million professional truck drivers. Meanwhile the rise of online commerce demand has skyrocketed of road transport and, according to calculations presented by IRU, the volume transported in Europe will grow by approximately 11% until 2030, which aggravates the tension between the supply of drivers and the real needs of the market. The data provided by IRU show that the driver shortage is a structural problem that affects America, Asia and Europe equally and is not limited to a specific crisis in the road transport sector. Sector sources warn that, if decisive action is not taken, the number of vacancies could exceed seven million drivers by 2028, with 4.9 million unfilled positions in China, about 745,000 in Europe and around 200,000 in Turkey. “If concerted and continuous measures are not taken, this demographic time bomb will explode, seriously affecting economic growth and competitiveness around the world,” said Umberto de Pretto, secretary general of the IRU in his report. Spain needs 30,000 drivers. This lack of professional drivers It is already visible in Spain, where it is estimated that there are around 30,000 unfilled truck driver positions and around 4,700 additional vacancies in bus transportation to meet the growing demand. The IRU and national carrier associations warn that, if the trend continues, the combination of more cargo to move and fewer available drivers could translate into uncovered routes, delays in deliveries and strong pressure on transportation costs. An aging sector with little relief. One of the underlying problems is the age of those who are already working behind the wheel of a truck. In Europe, the average age of drivers is around 47 years old, while in Spain the average is over 50 years old. 50% of Spanish truck drivers are over 55 years old. IRU points out that some 3.4 million truck drivers on the continent will retire in the coming years, which means that millions of professionals will leave the sector in a relatively short period, further aggravating the shortage of labor for the transport of goods. Without quarry. At the same time, the freight transport sector does not have a enough generational change. Less than 12% of professional truck drivers are under 25 years of age on a global scale and in Europe that percentage falls to around 5%, with countries such as Spain or Poland where those under 25 years of age barely represent around 3% of the workforce. To attract new drivers, some governments have begun to make moves, although for now in a limited way. In Spain aid has been approved up to 3,000 euros per person to get a truck permit or class C and D bus. Job improvements. Faced with a scenario of labor shortage, professional drivers’ associations they regret the few proposals aimed at improving the working conditions of professionals. According to a study by the transportation sector employment platform TDRJobs, salary increases (24.3%) and improved working conditions (22.1%) are among the main reasons for driver turnover. In Xataka | That Japan has 100,000 people over 100 years old explains a problem: they are literally running out of drivers. Image | Unsplash (Konstantin Kitsenuik)

China has always dreamed of a “Polar Silk Road” so that its ships reach Europe sooner. It is already a reality

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Monday was an important day in Felixstoweone of the largest container ports in the United Kingdom. Towards the end of the afternoon, their workers saw the silhouette of the Istanbul Bridgea container ship loaded with lithium batteries and parts for the photovoltaic industry. In itself, the appearance of the Istambul did not represent anything new, the curious thing was where it came from or (more precisely) where it arrived: with its arrival at the docks of Felixstowe the ship completed a historic voyage of 20 days through the Arctic Ocean. Its journey to the British coast has allowed China to take a key step in achieving one of his big dreams: a ‘Polar Silk Road’ with Europe. What has happened? That China has achieved a milestone in maritime trade. Perhaps more symbolic than decisive, but still important. Late on Monday the container ship Istanbul Bridge arrived in the United Kingdom after a trip that had started 20 days before in Ningbo-Zhoushana very important port hub on the coast of the East China Sea. So far nothing strange. The key is that the Istanbul Bridge did not reach Felixtowe in the usual way, after detouring south to cross the Suez Canal and advance through the Mediterranean and the Atlantic towards Europe. No. He did it on the voyage that took the ship through northern waters, through the icy Arctic Ocean and the North Sea. AND that is relevant. Why is it important? The Istanbul, a ship with capacity for 4900 containers standard (TEU), 299 meters in length and flag of liberia (although in reality it has operated bound to the Chinese Sea Legend and Haijie Shipping) it is not the first ship that sails along what is known as the Northern Sea Route, but its voyage has had a special meaning. As remember CNNthe first ships loaded with containers began sailing through the Arctic more than a decade ago, but it is normal for them to do so on special and specific trips. The Istanbul Bridge has another approach. Since his departure from Ningbo-Zhoushan has been presented as proof that the northern route can be used as “a traditional line service”, with commercial stops. “It’s something we haven’t seen in the Arctic until now,” recognize Malte Humper, from the Arctic Institute. The ship took 20 days to complete its journey between China and the United Kingdom loaded with about 4,000 containers and its objective, beyond Felixstowe, is to unload merchandise in other ports in Germany, Poland and the Netherlands. As required According to the Chinese agency Xinhua, the ship was mainly transporting lithium-ion batteries and parts for the photovoltaic industry, goods that are sensitive to heat and in which delivery times are a strategic factor. And why this interest? Because the ultimate objective is not to stop at the feat of the Istanbul Bridge, but to promote the trade route known as “China-Europe Arctic Express”, an itinerary that connects first-class ports such as Ningbo, Shanghai, Qingdao, Dalian, Felixtowe, Rotterdam, Hamburg and Ganks. In fact even Ningbo Customs has referred to the expedition as “the official opening of the first China-Europe Arctic Express container route.” State broadcaster CCTV it is very clear in fact when referring to the voyage of the ship. In his opinion, “it represents the maiden voyage of the first Arctic express container route between China and Europe and demonstrates the commercial viability of the Northwest Passage.” High North News precise that at least for now the route will be seasonal and the shipping company Haijie Shipping plans a single sailing in 2025 (the navigation window is still limited and lasts a few months), but the company seems to have noted the interest of manufacturers and shipping platforms. e-commerce. Is it that interesting? Yes. And it is because its main advantage is speed. The container ship has taken only 20 days to complete its journey, two more than those initially planned. The reason for the delay was a storm passing through the Norwegian Sea that forced him to slow down. Despite this, it represents a notable time saving on China-Europe trips when compared to other much more established alternatives in the sector. As remember Xinhuathe China-Europe Express Railway requires 25 days of travel, transporting goods through the Suez Canal route requires 40 and doing so through the Cape of Good Hope 50. “Trade between China and the European Union has remained strong despite the volatility of the global trade landscape and having a third route, in addition to the traditional shipping corridors and the China-Europe rail service, will bring stability and inject new vitality into bilateral trade,” highlights Cui Hongjianfrom the China Institute of International Studies in Global Times. The Asian newspaper (linked to the Government) does not leave much room for doubt in its report on the Istanbul Bridge: “It represents an emerging international shipping artery of great value to optimize the global supply chain.” Why right now? For several reasons. The main one, because the Arctic of 2025 is not the same as the one of three, four or five decades ago. And it probably won’t be the same in the future either. As climate change progresses and ice fractures and melts, the Arctic is gaining interest as a navigable space. Nikkei assures that its loss has caused the number of ships accessing Arctic waters to have increased by nearly 37% while the total distance traveled has doubled. All in the last 10 years, according to the data managed by WWF. More factors come into play, the reinforced interest that the European market has gained for China in the midst of a tariff war with the United States or the challenges that maritime traffic has encountered in other latitudes, such as the Suez Canala key logistics point that has demonstrated its vulnerability. The northern route also offers extra advantages, such as considerable time savings for shipments destined for Christmas shopping in Europe and low temperatures. Are they all advantages? At all. Perhaps the Arctic has changed, … Read more

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