Sebastian Engelskirchen (right) hands over the position of Chief Executive Officer to Tobias Schäfer (left) Sebastian Engelskirchen will leave the association after four years as Chief Executive Officer to pursue new opportunities outside the association landscape currently Director – EU Policy at the European General Galvanizers Association who brings with him extensive industry and association experience thanks to his many years at Wirtschafts-Vereinigung Metalle he will join the association as Managing Director on May 1 and will work closely with Engelskirchen during a two-month transition period “It is very important to me to convince key contacts in politics and industry even more strongly of the benefits of hot-dip galvanized steel the most sustainable corrosion protection on the market,” emphasizes Schäfer welcomes the swift appointment of the new executive management The IST International Surface Technology Newsletter informs you regularly about current news reports and interviews in the field of surface technology https://www.ist-surfacetechnology.com/news/change-in-management-at-supfina-3444148.html https://www.ist-surfacetechnology.com/news/thomas-auinger-is-new-head-of-indusferica-3442575.html https://www.ist-surfacetechnology.com/news/change-of-management-at-basf-coatings-3437380.html © 2025 Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH. Part of Springer Nature There’s more than one way to crack an egg – or a market Just look at the new OEMs breaking into Europe We asked Christof Engelskirchen (Chief Economist Autovista Group) and José Pereira (Mobility Group Director “The two main strategies that newcomers initially apply are what I would call ‘covert’ versus ‘pureplay’,” says Dr Engelskirchen A covert strategy implies that a new brand tries to present itself as This Chinese group began its European journey in 2010 but closely linked to a ‘Nordic’ design language thus benefiting from the perceived association with Volvo.” “Geely are also majority shareholders of Lotus a brand with a European heritage transitioning to a BEV-only brand in the high-performance premium car segment Only more recently have Geely introduced other brands from their portfolio so the ‘pureplay’ alternative is favoured by most newcomers “BYD is the world’s largest producer of EVs – both BEVs and PHEVs they have also presented other brands in their portfolio but they have no immediate plans for introducing them in Europe.”  is making its European debut with Wey and Ora which are also as yet unknown quantities to European car buyers.  Other Chinese players have mixed up both strategies right from the start another European-origin brand acquired by a Chinese group, and with Maxus which was not known to Europe’s car buyers ahead of its launch.” Dr Pereira zooms in on three brands with different strategies: BYD “BYD has pursued a phased market entry in Europe They’re focusing on establishing a local presence via partnerships and dealership networks they’re planning to introduce their Tang EV SUV in core European market segments They’re also sponsoring major events like Euro 2024 to raise brand awareness (pictured).” Lucid’s approach is very different: “They’re adopting a direct-to-consumer model with digitally oriented premium experiences at their studio hubs which can be tailored to consumer preferences emphasize the brand’s California-inspired brand aesthetic.” VinFast is positioning itself as a more accessible premium “They’re prioritizing setting up country headquarters VinFast customers have access to Bosch’s network of 700,000 charging points throughout Europe They’re using aggressive pricing and attractive financing to quickly gain market share VinFast is competing with the likes of Chery and Great Wall Kia and Tesla have created the blueprint on how pureplay works across Europe effectively lowering the barrier to entry for any new brand launching in Europe “Pureplay can scale well and may offer a greenfield for the deployment of alternative distribution models such as the agency model a multi-brand market entry which dips into existing European-origin brands may also carry some advantages and being able to build or revive brand image more quickly.” is it too early to tell which of these new players – and we’re counting Tesla among the ‘old’ ones – is having any success with their strategies Dr Pereira thinks we must wait a little before the dust settles but he offers this preliminary evaluation:  BYD has benefits in terms of brand awareness and perceived reliability and it is unlikely to go bankrupt any time soon European customers will take longer to get used to some of the lesser-known brands so it’s difficult to predict whether they can achieve market success.” picking the right sequence of markets to enter is crucial” “Several markets are more advanced in terms of EVs and some have considerably higher levels of consumer spending power is that 80% of new vehicle transactions are conducted via either leasing or financing – for EVs So you need strong residual values in order to compete and you need strong partnerships with leasing and financing companies in order to thrive.”  Nobody was waiting for new car brands to appear out of the blue and you must meet high quality requirements – real and perceived a physical sales and aftersales network is a core requirement for success as well.” Want to capture the attention of the International Fleet and Mobility leaders Contact us and become our partner! WIKIFLEET is a free collaborative encyclopaedia providing knowledge about car fleet management all over the world The Global Fleet MARKETPLACE is the ONE guide to find fleet & mobility providers worldwide Marketplace directories and magazines in our knowledge center Knowledge Center Contact us Chinese carmakers will help galvanize the vehicle market in Europe, but if they want to secure a foothold, they need to gain a deep understanding of the destination, said the chief economist of London-based Autovista Group, a pan-European and Australian automotive data, analytics and industry insights provider. In an interview with China Daily on Saturday, Christof Engelskirchen said he felt "so much excitement and energy" at the Beijing auto show that runs from April 25 to May 4, which boasts an atmosphere of innovation rarely seen elsewhere. "If we can bring that over (to Europe) and create the excitement about what the car can offer, that would be a positive development, for the (European) customers and also for competition," he said. Engelskirchen said China's automotive industry has "waken up" in the past 10 years and now they offer better products and better technology. At the auto show, some of the exhibitors have made it a point to prepare information for overseas visitors, including potential dealers and reporters. "You feel like that you are at an international show, not a regional one. It is more international than I had expected," he said. Many Chinese carmakers have unveiled their go-global strategies. Among others, Voyah, which has already opened showrooms in some European countries, is planning to be available throughout Europe in two years. Europe and Southeast Asia are two major destinations of Chinese NEV makers' increasing exports, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. Great Wall Motor, China's largest SUV maker, expects to scale up its overseas sales to 1 million units by 2030 from 300,000 units in 2023. Engelskirchen said Chinese brands, due to their speed, innovation as well as vertical integration, have a good chance of winning their shares in China and across the globe. But he was also quick to add that they should study each of the destination markets carefully because they could be "extremely different". In the eyes of Chinese carmakers, Europe is usually seen as one region, but European countries differ from each other in so many aspects such as customer preferences, automotive policies, as well as the availability of a strong local automotive industry. In other words, they need to first find out in what segment and what country lies the potential for their vehicles and the size of the market, he said. Another thing is that the residual value of the vehicles matters, which will prove crucial when the carmakers work with local banks to tailor financial solutions, because roughly 50 percent of new car sales in Europe are lease deals. Facing the general car buyers, the carmakers need to differentiate themselves from those already established in the market, said Engelskirchen. "There are already so many brands, so many models. So if someone comes with a new product, there must be something new, " he said. "It cannot just be 'good product, good quality, good price and good design', it is too 'me too'." Engelskirchen also emphasized the importance of the consistency of a brand's tag, be it better connectivity and a longer range. "It is not all about 'luxury' or the best quality. That is not it. It is a consistent story that sticks." He said Xiaomi, which launched its first model in March, seems a "fantastic story" in China. Its CEO Lei Jun moved from booth to booth at the Beijing auto show, followed by hundreds of cameras and mobile phones. "This type of hype around a brand, I think, will be difficult to be replicated in Europe." Volume 8 - 2020 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fchem.2020.613388 This article is part of the Research TopicMembrane Structure and Dynamics Studied with Neutron ScatteringView all 12 articles Lipase-catalyzed reactions offer many advantages among which a high degree of selectivity combined with the possibility to convert even non-natural substrates are of particular interest A major drawback in the applicability of lipases in the conversion of synthetically interesting non-natural substrates is the substantial insolubility of such substrates in water by lipases generally involves the presence of a water–oil interface we exploit the fact that the presence of lipases in particular the lipase from Candida antarctica B (CalB) changes the bending elastic properties of a surfactant monolayer in a bicontinuous microemulsion consisting of D2O/NaCl -n-(d)-octane-pentaethylene glycol monodecyl ether (C10E5) in a similar manner as previously observed for amphiphilic block-copolymers small angle neutron scattering (SANS) and neutron spin echo (NSE) spectroscopy The time-averaged structure from SANS showed a slight decrease in bending elasticity while on nanosecond time scales as probed with NSE which was attributed to adsorption/desorption mechanisms of CalB at the surfactant monolayer The results allow to derive further information on the influence of CalB on the composition and bending elasticity of the surfactant monolayer itself as well as the underlying adsorption/desorption mechanism The non-natural substrates used in these organic reactions are usually poorly water soluble such that a vehicle needs to be found to bring the lipases into contact with these kind of substrates it was found that the temperature Tm drops continuously with increasing CalB amount CalB thus obviously induces the surfactant monolayer Figure 1. (A) Phase diagrams of microemulsions of type H2O/NaCl (0.4wt%)– n-octane–C10E5–lipase Candida antarctica B at equal volume fractions of water and oil ϕ = 0.50 with increasing concentration of lipase from 0 to 100 mg/ml referred to the water phase. Adapted with permission from Subinya et al. (2014) (B) X-points of the respective microemulsions as a function of lipase concentration the efficiency of the microemulsion runs through a maximum we combine neutron small angle scattering (SANS) and neutron spin echo spectroscopy (NSE) to measure the effect of the addition of the lipase CalB on the amphiphilic interface inside the investigated bicontinuous microemulsions of the ternary system D2O/NaCl–n-(d)-octane–C10E5 Changes in the bending elastic constants observed upon the introduction of CalB at different concentrations up to 100 mg/ml provide deep insights into the mechanisms underlying the adsorption/desorption of the lipase to the interfacial layer Unlike emulsions and nanoemulsions, microemulsions are thermodynamically stable, fluid mixtures of at least water, oil, and surfactant (Strey, 1994; Schwarz and Gompper, 2002) Such mixtures may adopt a variety of complex structures depending on the nature of the components The structural properties of the interface depend strongly on the surfactant packing parameter which measures the ratio of the size of the hydrophilic headgroup and the length of the lipophilic alkyl chain The topology of the amphiphilic interface is characterized by its curvature and mechanical properties such samples show scattering patterns with a broad peak and a steep decay of the scattered intensity at higher scattering angles respective higher values of the scattering vector Q If the sample is prepared in bulk contrast, which provides high scattering contrast between the protonated oil and the deuterated water phase, the scattered intensity can be described by the Teubner–Strey (Teubner and Strey, 1987) equation: Q is the magnitude of the scattering vector defined as Q = 4π/λ sin(θ/2) with the scattering angle θ and 〈ν2〉 being the mean square scattering length density fluctuation which is a measure of the scattering contrast The quantities p2=(2π/DTS)2+1/ξTS2 and Qmax2=(2π/DTS)2-1/ξTS2 can be used to calculate the mean size of the oil and water domains DTS and the mean correlation length ξTS of this structure The contribution of the elastic properties of the amphiphilic interface of a microemulsion to the free energy can be described by the Helfrich Hamiltonian: The bending elasticity constant is sensitive to changes in topology and interfacial composition and directly accessible by scattering Thermally excited undulations lead to a softening of the interfacial film and to a length scale-dependent modification of the bare bending rigidity κ0 which is called the renormalized bending elasticity constant: It is related to the structural length scales inside the bicontinuous structure by Pieruschka et al. (1995): These corrections have been applied for the values of the bending rigidity from SANS measurements presented in this paper Contributions to dynamic properties in bicontinuous microemulsions result from collective hydrodynamic motions of the sponge-like structure (Holderer et al., 2007) and local thermally excited undulations of the interfacial film (Safran, 1999) The bending elasticity constant κ of the interfacial film and the viscosity η of the surrounding solvent dissipate the undulation energy 0) as according to the following equation: with a stretching exponent β = 2/3 The underlying model assumes an ensemble of randomly oriented and independently fluctuating membrane patches dispersed in the viscous solvent the relaxation rate of the membrane undulations is given by the following equation: due to limited statistics and measurement time in a typical neutron scattering experiment Pentaethylene glycol monodecyl ether (C10E5) was obtained in a purity of >97% from Sigma Aldrich The lipase Candida antarctica B (CalB) was ordered in lyophilized form from Biocatalytics Purification was performed using ion-exchange chromatography and carried out in the Institute of Technical Biochemistry and n-octane in analytical grade was purchased from Fluka D2O and d(18)-octane were obtained from Sigma Aldrich CalB was purified using a cation-exchange chromatography system A XK 16/20 column (Amersham Biosciences) filled with 7 mL Source 15 S (Amersham Biosciences) was equilibrated with 10 mM sodium formate A sample volume of 2 mL of the enzyme was loaded onto the column at a volumetric flow rate of 5 mL/min the column was washed with a threefold column volume of buffer A CalB was eluted with five column volumes of 10 mM sodium formate Chromatography columns and resins were purchased from Amersham Biosciences All chromatography experiments were carried out at room temperature (20°C) using an ÅKTA explorer chromatography system (Amersham Biosciences) controlled by Unicorn software 3.21 All samples were prepared at a constant oil to water plus oil volume fraction of (ϕ) = 0.50: A mass fraction ϵ of 0.004 (0.4wt.%) of sodium chloride in D2O was kept constant for all samples: Each sample was prepared at a surfactant mass fraction of γ = 0.15 (15 wt.%) irrespective of the CalB concentration This value was chosen from the previously obtained phase diagrams for microemulsions consisting of H2O/NaCl–n-octane–C10E5–CalB shown in Figure 1 (Subinya et al., 2014) This value was chosen to ensure that a single phase bicontinuous microemulsion would exist for every CalB concentration thus taking into account the development of the efficiency of the microemulsion as a function of CalB concentration the density differences of H2O and D2O as well as n-octane and d-octane were also taken into account All samples were prepared on site and phase boundaries were detected via visual inspection as a function of temperature The respective components were weighed into glass vessels within an accuracy of ±0.0005 g closed with a polyethylene stopper and sealed with Parafilm A thermostated water bath setup consisting of thermostat (DC30 and a microscopy lamp (Gerhardt Optik and Feinmechanik Germany) was used to obtain the phase boundaries Phase transitions were determined to an accuracy of ±0.05°C The lipase CalB was introduced into the microemulsion from a concentrated stock solution of 100 mg/ml enzyme in D2O/NaCl solution and respective dilutions The temperature was operated by remote control to allow temperature-dependent measurements and plexi-glass) were carried out to adjust the spectrometer parameters The raw data for the two detector distances were joined and the scattering signals were converted to absolute intensity using the supplied on-site software qtiKWS and qtiSAS The resulting scattering curves were fitted to the Teubner–Strey model using Sigma Plot Neutron spin-echo measurements were carried out on the small angle spin-echo spectrometer J-NSE located at the NL2a neutron guide of the high flux neutron source FRMII (Garching, Germany)(Holderer et al., 2008) The normalized intermediate scattering functions S(Q 0) were measured in a momentum transfer range of Q = 0.05–0.2 Å-1 using neutron wavelengths of 8 and 12 Å exploring a Fourier time window of τNSE = 0.08–120 ns here we focus on an analysis of the short time dynamics we restrict the measured data to Fourier times of up to 40 ns The sample temperature was adjusted in a thermostated bath according to the previously determined phase behavior The samples were prepared in film contrast and measured in Hellma Quartz cells of 2 mm thickness The film contrast allows for thicker samples and multiple scattering plays only a minor effect due to the weaker contrast and due to the circumstance that multiple incoherent scattering quickly depolarizes the beam The aim of the presented study is to investigate the influence of the lipase CalB on the bending elasticity of a bicontinuous microemulsion with neutron scattering techniques The symmetric microemulsion (with the same amounts of water and oil) was always held in the right temperature where it forms a sponge phase The surfactant concentration was kept constant Only the concentration of the lipase was varied as the main question Figure 2 shows small angle scattering curves obtained for bicontinuous microemulsion samples containing no enzyme (reference Small angle scattering data of the bicontinuous microemulsions from the ternary system H2O/NaCl–n-octane–pentaethylene glycol monodecylether (C10E5) with different amounts of lipase Candida antarctica B (CalB) The data were shifted by a factor of 10 for better visibility All scattering curves show the characteristic plateau region in the low Q-range followed by the broad structure peak and the steep decay with a Q−4 dependence of the scattered intensity in the high Q-range. The solid lines are fits to the Teubner-Strey model, which describes the scattering around the structure peak. The Porod contribution at high-Q is included into the model (Frank et al., 2007): It is Rg the radius of gyration, σ a surface roughness parameter, and G the amplitude of the Porod scattering contribution. The calculated values of ξTS and DTS are summarized in Table 2 no significant dependence of the values was observed when the concentration of CalB was increased up to 100 mg/ml Table 2. Parameters obtained from small angle neutron scattering (SANS) and phase diagram measurements: Correlation length and domain size determined from SANS experiments and deduced bending rigidity κSANS, saddle-splay modulus κ̄0,Phase from the phase diagram, and κ̄0,SANS from SANS as well as κ0,SANS|NSE from SANS and neutron spin echo (NSE) measurements as lined out in Holderer et al. (2013) the renormalized bending elastic constant κSANS can be calculated from DTS and ξTS by applying Equation (4) Since the addition of CalB did not affect the structural parameters the calculated values for κSANS remain constant as a function of CalB concentration Figure 3 shows a set of normalized intermediate scattering functions S(Q The data were measured with the bicontinuous microemulsions prepared in film contrast where in addition to the deuterated water phase also the oil phase was deuterated or 100 mg/ml (d) in deuterated sodium chloride solution were used the curves fully decay to zero level within the observed Fourier time window This is the general behavior observed for all measured lipase concentrations Semi-logarithmic representation of the normalized intermediate scattering functions S(Q 0) obtained at momentum transfer values Q = 0.05 A bicontinuous microemulsion in film contrast with four enzyme concentrations of 0 mg/ml (A) The solid lines are fits to the data according to Equation (5) the diffusive component from large-scale density fluctuations may be neglected because the Q3 dependence of the membrane fluctuations dominates at large Q over the Q2 dependence of the density fluctuations A numerical computation routine of S(Q,τNSE) was previously developed to avoid further approximations and complementary measurements: For sake of comparison, in Figure 4 the curves measured at two Q values are plotted for the four CalB concentrations no significant difference in the decay of S(Q a splitting occurs indicating a slight slowing down of the relaxation with increasing concentration of CalB Comparison of the normalized intermediate scattering functions S(Q 0) measured at Q = 0.05Å-1 and Q = 0.18Å-1 for all enzyme concentrations in semi-logarithmic representation corresponding to length scales close to 2π/Qmax no significant difference in the decay rates is visible while at length scales much smaller than 2π/Qmax the decay of the intermediate scattering function slows down with increasing enzyme concentration Solid lines are fits according to Equation (5) Additional dashed lines in the right image show fitting results with a fixed amplitude of S(Q while the solid line uses this amplitude as additional free fitting parameter the bending rigidities κ0,SANS and κ0,NSE obtained from the fits to the SANS and NSE data are plotted as a function of the CalB concentration in the deuterated aqueous phase Figure 5. Bending rigidity constant κ0 obtained from fitting Equation (5) to the normalized intermediate scattering functions shown in Figure 1 for four samples with different lipase concentrations Results from neutron spin echo (NSE) measurements are compared with the resulting values from analyzing the small angle neutron scattering (SANS) data These results agree with previous theoretical and experimental work leading to the expectation of κ0 ≈ 1kBT for bicontinuous microemulsions for the host microemulsion the SANS and NSE measurement yield κ0,SANS ≈ κ0,NSE which illustrates that the determination of the bending elasticity constants is independent from the method the values of κ0,SANS slightly decrease from 0.85 to 0.8 kBT when more CalB was added κ0,NSE significantly increases from 0.9 to 1.1 kBT for the same concentrations of CalB SANS measurements time-average different configurations of a fluctuating and highly flexible sample structure over a time period of a few minutes this counting time is required to achieve a sufficient signal to noise ratio of the recorded 2D scattering pattern NSE inherently measures thermal fluctuations in the nanosecond time range at lengths up to a few ten nanometers a SANS measurement averages innumerable topological arrangements of the highly flexible amphiphilic interfacial layer while NSE detects undulations and height fluctuations of this interface The lipase CalB consists of hydrophilic and hydrophobic parts it is very likely that CalB can reside in the interfacial layer and act as a cosurfactant or amphiphilic block-copolymer it is entirely possible that CalB changes the bending elasticity of the interface with SANS the time and space averaged bicontinuous structure was probed where CalB is either solubilized in the aqueous phase or resides as a cosurfactant or block-copolymer inside the amphiphilic interface between the aqueous phase and the interfacial layer the SANS measurement includes an averaging of the two states Schematic of the enrichment and exchange of Candida antarctica B (CalB) in the amphiphilic interface of a bicontinuous microemulsion with the surfactant layers and the aqueous phase (light blue) and the oil phase (yellow) The lipase CalB is assumed to reside temporarily at the interface A fraction of the macromolecules is able to detach and return to the aqueous phase (in light blue) the opposite process might take place to some extend (sizes of the surfactant and enzymes are not fully to scale) Contrary, in SANS and NSE measurements on the enzyme DFPase incorporated into the aqueous phase of a sugar surfactant-based microemulsion, there was no different behavior of the two bare bending elasticities. This spherically shaped enzyme shows no amphiphilicity and remains in the aqueous phase (Wellert et al., 2011) the results presented in the present paper in light of the previous phase studies allow for the following interpretation Adding the lipase CalB to the water phase of a microemulsion of type H2O/NaCl–n-octane–C10E5 appears to induce two effects the efficiency of the microemulsion runs through a maximum with the efficiency at high CalB concentrations leading to a decrease in efficiency even below the blank microemulsion despite the efficiency running through said maximum value the values of κ0,NSE significantly increase from 0.9 kBT to 1.1 kBT for the same concentrations of CalB While this appears to be counterintuitive at first it is noted that both phenomena do not necessarily have to correlate as the underlying effects are different While the observed trend in the efficiency may be attributed to an increase in osmotic pressure as a result of an increasing presence of CalB in the water phase the significant increase in κ0,NSE may be attributed to an increasing presence of CalB in the interfacial layer Due to presumably fast adsorption and desorption processes this effect can only be observed by NSE that provides access to the nanosecond time range at lengths up to a few ten nanometers an increasing concentration of CalB in the water phase may also lead to an increase in bending stiffness on a local scale in the vicinity of the adsorbed enzyme The effect of CalB on the pure (NSE) bending rigidity seems to be especially pronounced already at low concentrations of CalB if saturation effects occur and the change in κ is slowed down with increasing CalB concentration remains speculative with the present set of experiments the application of CalB-catalyzed reactions involving non-natural substrates may thus be determined by a counterbalance between efficiency and interfacial access of the lipase While solubilization of a non-natural substrate is a matter of efficiency yield on the other hand may be a matter of interfacial access Future investigation would need to show as to whether efficiency or interfacial access should be preferred in lipase-catalyzed reactions involving non-natural substrates we have studied how the introduction of the lipase CalB alters the bending elastic properties of the amphiphilic interface in a bicontinuous microemulsion of the ternary system D2O/NaCl–n-(d)-octane–pentaethylene glycol monodecyl ether (C10E5) We have determined the renormalized bending elastic constant κ0 using two scattering techniques The results of both types of measurements show differences when the concentration of CalB is increased up to 100 mg/ml While no significant influence of adding CalB to the aqueous phase of the microemulsion is observable for κ0 κNSE increases when the concentration of CalB rises This indicates a stiffening of the amphiphilic interface We attribute this effect to an increasing adsorption of CalB at the amphiphilic interface of the bicontinuous microemulsion The difference between the structural parameters extracted from SANS on longer times and from NSE detecting the local short time fluctuations suggests that the lipase CalB temporarily adsorbs to the interface We assume the respective residence time to be longer than the typical observation time of NSE of a few 10 ns The complex situation of this dynamical equilibrium with the lipase being partly adsorbed at the membrane for some time with the details of the interaction of the lipase with the membrane not exactly known for example with molecular dynamics simulations to shed more light into the lipase-membrane interaction The results from NSE experiments are in line with previous results (Klemmer et al., 2017a,b) suggesting that the approach of measuring the elastic constants at different time scales leads to information on the interaction of the additives with the microemulsion membrane the residence time at the membrane at the oil–water interface might be an important parameter for catalytic activities in particular regarding non-natural substrates The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors and BNeb: sample preparation and phase diagram measurements and OH conducted the neutron scattering experiments Data evaluation and writing of the paper by SE All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest This work was based upon experiments performed at J-NSE and KWS-1 operated by JCNS at Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum Garching We want to acknowledge Peter Busch (JCNS) for support at the KWS-1 beamline The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fchem.2020.613388/full#supplementary-material Freeze fracture direct imaging: a new freeze fracture method for specimen preparation in cryo-transmission electron microscopy Microemulsion efficiency boosting and the complementary effect Microstructure and transport in midrange microemulsions CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Promiscuity of lipase-catalyzed reactions for organic synthesis: a recent update Kws-1 high-resolution small-angle neutron scattering instrument at jcns: current state Nonionic surfactants with linear and branched hydrocarbon tails: compositional analysis and film properties in bicontinuous microemulsions Strategies for removing multiple scattering effects revisited CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Kws-1: Small-angle scattering diffractometer Recent developments in the characterization of microemulsions CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Effect of protein incorporation on the nanostructure of the bicontinuous microemulsion phase of winsor-III systems: a small angle neutron scattering study Shape fluctuations of microemulsion droplets: a neutron spin-echo study Neutrons for the study of dynamics in soft matter systems CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Hydrodynamic effects in bicontinuous microemulsions measured by inelastic neutron scattering Experimental determination of bending rigidity and saddle splay modulus in bicontinuous microemulsions The JCNS neutron spin-echo spectrometer J-NSE at the FRM II Polymer effects on the phase equilibrium of a balanced microemulsion: adsorbing versus nonadsorbing polymers Google Scholar Influence of the amphiphilicity profile of copolymers on the formation of liquid crystalline mesophases in microemulsions The effect of amphiphilic polymers with a continuous amphiphilicity profile on the membrane properties in a bicontinuous microemulsions studied by neutron scattering Structure and dynamics of balanced supercritical co2-microemulsions CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Dynamics of bicontinuous microemulsion phases with and without amphiphilic block-copolymers and thermal fluctuations of microemulsions as seen by scattering experiments a neutron spin-echo spectrometer with optimized superconducting precession coils at the MLZ in garching Peltomäki Scattering intensity of bicontinuous microemulsions and sponge phases Comment on “fluctuating interfaces in microemulsion and sponge phases” Kws-2: small angle scattering diffractometer CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar “Bicontinuous surfaces in self-assembling amphiphilic systems,” in Morphology of Condensed Matter Google Scholar A small-angle neutron scattering study of nonionic surfactant molecules at the water-oil interface: area per molecule Microemulsion microstructure and interfacial curvature CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Physicochemical aspects of lipase b from candida antarctica in bicontinuous microemulsions Origin of the scattering peak in microemulsions CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Dynamics of the interfacial film in bicontinuous microemulsions based on a partly ionic surfactant mixture: a neutron spin-echo study The dfpase from loligo vulgaris in sugar surfactant-based bicontinuous microemulsions: structure Dynamics of proteins confined in non-ionic bicontinuous microemulsions: a FCS study Undulations and dynamic structure factor of membranes PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Efficient data extraction from neutron time-of-flight spin-echo raw data Nebel B and Hauer B (2021) Surfactant Monolayer Bending Elasticity in Lipase Containing Bicontinuous Microemulsions Received: 02 October 2020; Accepted: 04 November 2020; Published: 05 January 2021 Copyright © 2021 Engelskirchen, Wellert, Holderer, Frielinghaus, Laupheimer, Richter, Nestl, Nebel and Hauer. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited in accordance with accepted academic practice distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms *Correspondence: Olaf Holderer, by5ob2xkZXJlckBmei1qdWVsaWNoLmRl Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher 94% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or goodLearn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page The dates displayed for an article provide information on when various publication milestones were reached at the journal that has published the article activities on preceding journals at which the article was previously under consideration are not shown (for instance submission Science of the Total EnvironmentCitation Excerpt :Under the high concentration of ATZ the effectiveness of the photosynthetic system was almost lost so mixotrophic Ochromonas might be completely dependent on heterotrophy which may reduce their niche and weaken their metabolic plasticity in herbicide-contaminated waters thereby increasing the competition for food and space with obligated heterotrophs (Graymore et al. the cost of activated photosynthetic machine maintenance in mixotrophic Ochromonas might be exacerbated with the increase of ATZ and higher as compared with true heterotrophs (Bock et al. unique responses of mixotrophic Ochromonas to ATZ will influence the structures of aquatic microbial food chain Environmental PollutionCitation Excerpt :However the removal of heavy metals by microorganisms is mostly affected by the environment factors initial heavy metal concentration (Zeng et al. Although there were many studies on the removal of heavy metals by algae or protozoa at present most of them only focused on the adsorption capacity or used organisms only with a single nutrient strategy for the adsorption research (Mehta and Shakoori and there was few study on the responses and adsorption capacity of mixotrophic protists to heavy metals (Bock et al. (2013) studied the toxicity and bioenrichment effect of CdTe quantum dots in a mixotrophic organism Ochromonas danica and found that although quantum dots are significantly enriched in algae cells their toxic effects are mainly derived from the dissolved metal ions (such as Cd2+) All content on this site: Copyright © 2025 Elsevier B.V. Dutch drug criminals were involved in multiple recent explosions and a hostage situation in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, according to the German broadcaster WDR The recent violence reportedly revolves around a shipment of stolen cannabis the German police freed two hostages from a house in Cologne The pair were abducted from a home in Bochum earlier that morning The local authorities have arrested seven suspects in connection with the hostage situation The explosions happened at the end of June and early in July at buildings in Cologne the German police announced that they’ve found indications that the explosions and hostage situation are linked and that Dutch criminals may be involved WDR reported that this is a feud between Dutch and German drug criminals According to WDR, the feud revolves around 300 kilograms of cannabis. German drug criminals allegedly stole the shipment from Dutch criminals. The broadcaster also linked the recent violence to a fatal explosion in Solingen on June 25, in which a 17-year-old Dutch boy was killed Michael Esser of the Cologne police spoke of “a new dimension of violence in the field of organized crime.” Freeing the hostages from a home in the middle of a Cologne residential neighborhood was one of the most complicated operations for the North Rhine-Westphalia police in years “The most extreme threat scenarios occurred,” he said raising concerns about the danger to innocent bystanders New webinar! Driving the future: EV trends transforming the global and European market Sign up How will the automotive industry be influenced by wider economic trends in 2024 editor Tom Geggus asks Autovista Group’s chief economist what can be expected this year Speaking in a webinar with Assurant’s European business development and commercial director Optimising the year ahead EV-volumes.com In recent years, economies around the world have experienced several severe shocks. The COVID-19 pandemic, supply-chain disruptions and major international conflicts have all acted as extreme stress tests It appears that economies have managed to overcome these challenges demonstrating an impressive amount of resilience Engelskirchen pointed out that global trade has continued to develop side-by-side with economies So, what does this mean for new-car markets specifically? According to forecasts from EV-volumes.com (part of Autovista Group) it will take some time before registrations return to pre-pandemic levels One country which has seen its automotive market grow at a rapid rate in recent years is China ‘The Chinese automotive market is in a situation where there is a lot of supply and necessity to grow and to create economies of scale,’ Engelskirchen explained China currently plays host to a lot of brands all looking to accelerate their growth and cement their market position this goal cannot be achieved by focusing solely on their domestic automotive market Carmakers are therefore looking to establish themselves in fresh regions with new models, featuring the latest technology at a competitive price. While North America poses a challenge, Chinese brands have already got to work in Europe However, with demand coming under stress in the region the success of these new entrants will be determined by how the European market reacts to this additional supply of vehicles Certain European countries are now trying to ensure a level playing field through the use of incentives Some subsidies are now dependent upon where a car and its components originate meaning several brands from China no longer qualify European countries should try to avoid over-regulating the market This could prove detrimental for many European car brands that are dependent on exporting models to China ‘You have to be quite careful in how to address these topics because otherwise which in the end would create a situation where we would have less global trade,’ said Engelskirchen ‘This is from an overall economic wealth perspective not the better solution to the challenges at hand.’ Welcome Mickeymickey@disney.comManage MyDisney AccountLog OutNew search warrant details possible source of live bullet fired by Alec Baldwin in 'Rust' shootingThe trail traces back to Thell Reed father of the film's armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed New details about the fatal movie set shooting involving Alec Baldwin could emerge after investigators searched a gun store.ALBUQUERQUE -- Investigators may have found the source of the live bullet fired by actor Alec Baldwin on the "Rust" set in New Mexico last month that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins said in a statement to investigators that ammunition once in his possession "may match the ammunition found on the set of Rust," according to a search warrant issued Tuesday by the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office as part of the ongoing investigation The new warrant authorized the search of an Albuquerque prop house Kenney told detectives that he was hired to supply "Rust" with guns as well as dummy rounds and blanks from a manufacturer identified as Starline Brass MORE: Alec Baldwin speaks out on 'Rust' shooting in exclusive ABC interview Reed told investigators that he worked with Kenney on another production in August and September Kenney reportedly asked Reed to bring live ammunition to a training session with actors on a firearms range "in case they ran out of what was supplied," according to the affidavit Reed told investigators he brought an "ammo can" with 200 to 300 live rounds to the range "This ammunition was not factory made rounds," the affidavit stated Reed told investigators that Kenney took the ammo can and remaining ammo back to New Mexico and told Reed to "write it off" when the armorer tried to get it back Kenney denied providing live ammunition to the set Kenney is fully-cooperating with the authorities as he has been since the tragic incident took place," Kenney's attorney LLC provided live ammunition to the Rust production." SEE ALSO | District attorney investigating 'Rust' movie-set shooting: 'We do not have any proof' of sabotage Engelskirchen said the search warrant affidavit "includes material misstatements of fact particularly with regard to statements ascribed to Mr "Reports in other media outlets that Mr Kenney was part of the crew of Rust or was employed by the production to provide any sort of supervisory services are patently false," he added Albuquerque ABC affiliate KOAT captured footage of the search warrant being served at the facility Tuesday afternoon Authorities were looking for several items including live or spent ammunition; all boxes that may hold ammunition with the "Starline brass" logo for "evidence comparison"; documents related to products equipment and ammunition supplied to "Rust"; and "any record documented on any media which establishes and/or tends to establish the state of mind(s) action(s) or intention(s) of any person(s) with knowledge or apparent knowledge of a crime(s)," including diaries or videotapes called the execution of the latest search warrant "a huge step forward today to unearth the full truth of who put the live rounds on the Rust set." "We trust that the FBI will now compare and analyze the 'live rounds' seized from the set to evidence seized in the search warrant to conclusively determine where the live rounds came from," Bowles told ABC News in a statement " The questions of who introduced the live rounds onto the set and why are the central questions in the case." 21 at the Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe "Rust" director Joel Souza was also wounded in the incident MORE: 'Rust' crew member lawsuit alleges negligence caused 'severe emotional distress' The film's first assistant director handed a Colt .45 revolver to Baldwin while proclaiming "cold gun," to let the crew know a gun with no live rounds was being used according to an earlier search warrant affidavit The assistant director told investigators he did not know there were any rounds in the gun he gave to Baldwin Gutierrez-Reed was in charge of all weapons on set Her attorney has stated that Gutierrez-Reed had no idea where the live rounds came from Kenney was present on set six days after the shooting to give authorities access to a gun safe on the prop truck Kenney "advised he may know where the live rounds came from," according to the search warrant affidavit "Seth described how a couple years back he received 'reloaded ammunition' from a friend" with the Starline Brass logo on it Investigators initially seized 500 rounds of ammunition from the set -- a mix of blanks dummy rounds and what appeared to be live rounds Industry experts have said live rounds should never be on set Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies has previously said "everything is on the table" and any decision to bring charges could take weeks or months ABC News' Vera Drymon and Doug Lantz contributed to this report 2017The National Museum of Mexican Art opened its doors 30 years ago.WLSCHICAGO (WLS) -- The National Museum of Mexican Art opened its doors 30 years ago Though it had a different name in the beginning the mission has remained the same: to display the beauty and depth of Mexican culture to develop a Mexican art collection and to cultivate Mexican artists we're looking back at how the museum began its community outreach and what visitors can expect in the future with museum curator Cesareo Moreno and Barbara Engelskirchen the chief development officer but smaller power-storage units can reduce costs and purchase prices of battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) chief economist of Autovista Group (part of J.D explores the economies of smaller batteries not all brands offer a variety of battery-size options as focusing on larger power-storage units helps to tackle both range anxiety and charging anxiety This means peace of mind and conveys an impression of being future-proof This is especially true as charging infrastructure continues to develop across Europe where it currently may struggle to meet demand Few will question the logic of choosing a larger battery while selecting a smaller one may raise some eyebrows But is it rational to opt for the biggest battery unit available especially as it is the most expensive BEV component To understand whether bigger really is better, some facts need to be unpacked. This can be achieved by comparing the standard and the long-range variants of the Tesla Model Y and Volvo EX30 with a focus on the rear-wheel drive (RWD) single-motor variants The Model Y was not only the best-selling car in Europe last year, but it also took the global title the recently introduced EX30 emphasises mass-market compatibility in a vehicle segment where this has been absent for so long When comparing online transaction prices for new vehicles after fees and applicable company discounts the initial challenge for bigger batteries is revealed An additional range of approximately 140km costs between €3,400 and €4,500 (net) This price increase is smaller for Tesla than for Volvo and Volvo needs to offer an additional discount of €2,100 (net) to maintain the required distance between transaction prices The larger Model Y also offers three times the boot volume of the EX30 while also being around 50cm longer and nearly 10cm taller and wider Transaction price difference by battery size for Tesla Model Y and Volvo EX30 in Germany the WLTP consumption figures do not differ much between each model’s battery variants the long-range versions seem to operate more efficiently Both carmakers use different battery technologies according to the intended range Their smaller batteries use a lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) chemistry while the larger units use a lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) makeup This is the primary contributing factor to the different battery efficiencies how are battery sizes handled in leasing contracts of 36 months and 60,000km Tesla charges a moderate €42 (net) per month for more range This takes the range of the Model Y from an already considerable 455km (WLTP) to 600km (WLTP) Across one year this accumulates to €504 of additional cost This is less than half of what would be paid if the vehicle was purchased outright the carmaker’s long-term rental and subscription service model This adds up to €708 a year and approximately €2,100 over three years the EX30 goes from a lower range of 337km (WLPT) to a solid 476km (WLTP) the price still clearly points towards the smaller battery being the more economical choice it is important to consider how usage impacts utilisation costs BEVs with a smaller range may require substantially more frequent public charging stops which are more expensive and less convenient Two scenarios can be used to simulate these economic conditions 80% of the annual 20,000km mileage covers short trips where all charging takes place at home or the workplace The remaining 20% of the annual mileage (4,000km) is made up of long-distance trips This consists of four short weekend or business trips of 500km each and two larger journeys of 1,000km each It is assumed that the driver charges the vehicle to 100% ahead of each trip public charging points are only used when the remaining range reaches 40km at which point the battery is recharged to 80% as it takes roughly the same time to charge from 20% to 80% as it does from 80% to 100% The costs of fast charging at public infrastructure are set at €0.5 per kWh (net) in Germany real-life ranges are assumed to be 80% of the respective WLTP values for short distances and 65% for longer journeys These assumptions are in line with real-life consumption levels which have been observed recorded and published in the public domain the overall results are not sensitive to these assumptions the driving pattern is modified so that half of the mileage This equates to 10 weekend or business trips of 500km each and five longer journeys of 1,000km public-charging costs come down when switching from a short-range model to a long-range one This is the case for both the Model Y and the EX30 the savings are not as significant as some might hope The annual cost savings accrued due to less public charging is only between €59 and €62 a year in scenario one and between €149 and €154 in scenario two Savings partially erode as the car still needs to be charged albeit at more affordable domestic or company wallboxes Annual cost difference when moving from a standard to a long-range BEV in Germany Overall, with net cost savings, it is still more economical to opt for the smaller battery in both scenarios. This means the total cost of ownership (TCO) advantages remain for the smaller battery versions after simulating the more expensive stops at public chargers There is a noticeable difference between Tesla and Volvo The annual TCO difference for the Model Y is only between €406 and €475 in both scenarios This is because of the smaller premium required for the long-range model versus the standard-range version when compared to Volvo the TCO difference is between €614 and €669 per year when choosing the larger battery over the standard one The added convenience of fewer public charging stops must also be considered for those BEVs with a bigger battery The standard Tesla Model Y offers such a good range it can handle the use case of scenario one quite well the long-range version reduces the annual number of stops from 16 to 10 the case for a smaller battery may be economically apparent the long-range version offers added flexibility at a small additional cost The longer-range variant of the Volvo EX30 reduces the number of stops more significantly from 26 to 16 the added convenience of the longer-range version is considerable with budget and actual use case the likely deciding factors the standard-range Model Y makes 40 stops a year at public chargers This will be enough to push most customers towards the long-range version The TCO disadvantage of the bigger battery comes down to only €406 a year investing the additional €614 a year in scenario two would make sense This would bring the stops down to 40 from 65 with the standard range version and costs €25 per saved stop if the price or leasing rate increase for a larger battery is small going big will mean an extra layer of convenience and security This also reduces stress on developing infrastructure while remaining the more economical choice This is especially true if shorter trips define a person’s driving pattern when longer journeys underline a person’s driving pattern it will be worth assessing the number of stops needed with the given battery variant This will ensure a well-balanced decision between added costs With tariffs imposed by the EU on battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) built in China how will the automotive industry be affected Autovista Group experts investigate the impact of definitive duties in a webinar moderated by Autovista24 editor Tom Geggus Autovista Group experts set out to address these questions and fears This included Autovista Group’s chief economist Dr Christof Engelskirchen regional head of valuations of DACH and CEE regions and regional head of valuations for Southwest Europe and Poland Import tariffs are not a new phenomenon, with all goods imported into the EU already impacted by duties of 10%. Then in September 2023, the European Commission launched an investigation into the unfair subsidisation of the BEV value chain in China It found that ‘the BEV value chain in China benefits from unfair subsidisation which is causing threat of economic injury to EU producers of BEVs.’ So definitive tariffs were imposed at the end of last month These measures will now be in place for five years Duties were based on the findings of the investigation and how companies cooperated with the process. The EU also confirmed that the prior provisional rates imposed on 4 July Engelskirchen highlighted that some carmakers hoping to increase their imports may now be looking to review their strategies. This could include switching to other powertrain technologies including plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) and extended-range electric vehicles (EREVs) these technologies will not be affected by the duties will probably make a switch in their portfolio to push for plug-in hybrid technology rather than battery-electric vehicle technology,’ he said cannot do anything different from what they have done before.’ Some vehicle manufacturers might be able to simply absorb the additional costs into their margins Others may look to set up production locations in Europe to navigate around the duties Companies will want to avoid passing on the costs to the consumer where possible especially as they try to launch in Europe Lange pointed out that BEVs sold in the bloc are still predominantly built domestically but regional deliveries have been declining ‘There is a general trend that we have a dip in BEV registrations in Europe which is not necessarily attached to China as a production company,’ she explained all-electric models made in China have not yet seen accelerating non-domestic demand ‘Chinese BEVs are most successful in China where there is a large rise in BEV registrations,’ Lange added Using examples from France and the UK, Madas illustrated how BEVs have seen residual values (RVs) trend downwards ‘After the all-time high RVs in 2022 and early 2023 we have seen a constant negative trend for all powertrains,’ he said The reason for this is that more of these models have been hitting the used-car market than in previous years Three-to-four-year leasing contracts for popular all-electric models have also recently come to an end Azofra pointed towards similar trends in other countries like Italy Spain and Portugal have seen greater RV stability ‘Portugal is a country with a clear orientation towards innovation and it is more willing to adopt new technologies,’ Azofra commented good charging infrastructure and geographical conditions.’ Both Spain and Portugal are also very price-sensitive including the introduction of more affordable models this was not the result of tariffs being imposed Lange examined other major used-car market indicators like days to sell The country saw overall volatility as EVs have not yet gained market maturity ‘The marketplace has changed as more models are entering Now that the EU has imposed its definitive tariffs attention is turning towards China to see how it will react Engelskirchen pointed out that China has set duties of 39% on brandy coming from France a point is also being made about the country’s support of the EU’s tariffs on BEVs built in China 'There is always the risk that if you introduce or increase tariffs, that this could escalate,’ he said. Engelskirchen optimistically highlighted that both regions are dependent on international trade to boost local wealth and welfare there is not a huge risk of these tariffs spiralling,’ he commented imports of BEVs built in China will be lower than in a comparable scenario with no tariffs Price competition will be lower for all-electric models because of tariffs However, the market still needs to brace itself for greater supply pressure of BEVs and PHEVs. This effect will be felt in the run-up to stricter CO2 emission standards in 2025 ‘We do need a powerful and European-wide coordinated industrial policy in place to support the transition to EVs,’ Engelskirchen stated With Donald Trump claiming victory in the 2024 US election Engelskirchen explained that while the president-elect can decide to implement measures on his first day in office putting policies in place will still take time ‘They will of course create more problems for Europe,’ he said Even with Donald Trump taking office in January the US already enforces strong protectionist policies such as the Inflation Reduction Act ‘There is already strong policy making in the US which makes it more difficult for Europe to compete for investment in the automotive space,’ Engelskirchen added as consumers pay more for imported products Enjoyed Blessing or curse: The impact of EU tariffs on BEVs made in China? Then sign up for the next webinar: Autovista Group’s 2025 residual value outlook. It will take place on 30 January 2025 at 9.30am BST / 10.30am CET. Find out more and register for your place today. The automotive industry has been going through massive upheavals with the COVID-19 pandemic forcing carmakers to rethink their sales models Instead of relying on traditional car dealerships manufacturers are exploring opportunities to sell their new vehicles directly to consumers One potential path to gain greater control of the sales process is by introducing the agency model This turns the car dealer into an agent between the OEM and the consumer in effect giving the carmaker ownership of pricing responsible for the customer experience in the offline part of this omnichannel approach to car sales Eurotax Switzerland and Eurotax Austria, both part of Autovista Group analysed the agency model in their latest webinars The trend towards the agency model in the automotive trade ‘The biggest difference between the traditional sales model and the agency model is that asset credit and the majority of commercial risks lie with the manufacturer or importer,’ said Engelskirchen ‘It is also important to note that many variants are possible with the agency model and they all have to be examined in detail under competition law.’ The agency model, dubbed the future of automotive retail, is something major car producers including BMW, Ford, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen Group, Volvo and Stellantis, aim to roll out across European markets. While this business model has a direct impact on new-car sales, it will also leave its mark on the used-car market and residual values (RVs) Engelskirchen explained that the agency model is not a new concept but that the pandemic served as a catalyst for adoption Compared to the traditional means of selling a vehicle – which focuses on maximising car volumes – the agency model is deemed more suitable for margin optimisation in combination with an improved customer-buying experience selling fewer cars at higher transaction prices could compensate for the potential loss in the number of transactions under the agency model manufacturers could take charge of whom they sell cars to but the agency model would somewhat turn the tables allowing manufacturers to obtain and leverage these insights at scale buying a car directly from the manufacturer is a hassle-free and seamless process It distributes the roles and responsibilities between the carmaker and the dealer with the former in charge of pricing and the latter in offering advice This approach leaves very little room for up-front discounts and negotiations when it comes to single-vehicle purchases It also means consumers do not find themselves having to bargain Engelskirchen explained that car manufacturers can still adjust their pricing strategy in light of competitor activity This could include offering additional equipment loyalty programmes with kick-backs for returning customers or special models and colours during vehicle ramp-up or run-out phases the agency model offers a lot of flexibility for carmakers the carmaker will have to bear a share of the agent’s overhead costs as well as financing the cars displayed in the showroom and used for test drives The agent might have to pay usage fees for test drives The exact contractual arrangements will vary though and depend on the negotiations between stakeholders The agency model offers advantages and disadvantages for both manufacturers and dealers some of which are not too happy about the prospect of becoming mere intermediaries in the future fewer discounts and higher residual values as well as an easier way to build a direct relationship with consumers the agency model means fewer economic risks a clear focus on facilitating the sales process and not having to negotiate the price Attention can also be shifted to additional services such as car-sharing or electric-vehicle (EV) charging Car dealers will still play a dominant role in buying and selling used cars. Engelskirchen recently explained that the list of disadvantages for car manufacturers is significant and could include a loss of business Carmakers will face higher costs for storage and setting up pricing intelligence centrally while there could also be legal disputes with dealerships will be severely impacted by the agency model as they face lower profit margins and a loss of customer contact and retention They will also be less flexible when it comes to offering payment options and discounts The agency model will have a largely positive effect on RVs giving carmakers the option to lower list prices as well as providing attractive configurations and leasing offers instead of having to present the customer with certain discounts ‘We believe that the agency model will have a positive impact on the residual value level of brands The biggest plus point is the avoidance of discount battles It is simpler to adjust the list prices,’ said Engelskirchen Higher leasing quotas and improved marketing for battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) are also likely as they gain ground in the used-car market the agency model will allow carmakers to focus on margins and not so much on volumes will the agency model truly dominate the future of automotive retail ‘We have to emphasise that the agency model will coexist with other sales models,’ said Engelskirchen ‘Some of the established European brands and several Chinese brands have already announced that they will concentrate on the traditional sales model We will see whether the agency model can successfully operate in an environment where it competes with the traditional sales model that can push volume quite successfully,’ he added Rainer Hintermayer, market analyst at Eurotax demonstrated the growing significance of the agency model in Austria where many car manufacturers are experimenting with pilots Tesla was one of the first carmakers to roll out the sales model in the country the agency model will be a lot more prevalent in Europe although there will still be manufacturers that will abstain from introducing it recordings of the webinars (in German) about the Austrian and Swiss automotive markets are available below Switzerland: https://register.gotowebinar.com/recording/2911414862270044847 Austria: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/6376720370896930987 During the recent Remarketing Expert Track on March 7th, 2024 delivered an insightful outlook on the European market and shared essential forecasts on emerging concerns Engelskirchen offered a perspective on the used vehicle market by juxtaposing current trends with the pre-pandemic era The post-pandemic landscape is characterized by what Engelskirchen terms "slowbalisation." Both business and consumer confidence remain below pre-pandemic levels and there is a discernible downward trajectory in the residual values of both light commercial vehicles (LCVs) and passenger cars despite LCVs experiencing significant growth over the past four years These trends are consistent across various countries and markets Examining total car registrations in the five major European markets Engelskirchen suggests that the levels observed in 2018 and 2019 are unlikely to return soon Leasing continues to be a prominent acquisition method positively impacting the renewal cycle and expediting the adoption of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) the BEV segment recorded a 14% increase in registrations across the top five European markets in 2023 and EV sales will claim a significant share of new registrations." residual values for BEVs experienced a drop exceeding the market average Engelskirchen identifies three primary reasons for this: "The price index for pure electric vehicles has been under particular pressure over the past six to nine months." This pressure stems from list price reductions during mass market adoption Technological Depreciation: A trend known as high-life cycle depreciation exists in the BEV market wherein technological advancements lead to depreciation this trend is expected to slow as technology matures and charging infrastructure expands Supply-Demand Dynamics: A third element is high supply and low demand as the transition to a mass market occurs which were top picks of early adopters and were sold at higher prices now trail the much smaller and more economical variants of vehicles announcing a better residual value performance in the mass market buyers of used cars Engelskirchen emphasizes significant market uncertainty noting the resilience of labour markets and decreasing inflation rates Europe's prosperous market can potentially increase supply through imports from China there is pressure from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to transition from internal combustion engines (ICEs) to BEVs likely resulting in supply pressure on BEV registrations newly registered cars are becoming more economically viable and may gain traction in the used car market over time are poised to elevate BEV remarketing to new heights Wikifleet The Global Fleet MARKETPLACE is the ONE guide to find fleet & mobility providers worldwide Marketplace répertoires et magazines dans notre e-shop e-shop Voulez-vous attirer l'attention des gestinnaires internationaux de flotte et de mobilité Contactez-nous et devenez notre partenaire! Contactez-nous The Autovista Group Residual Value Awards celebrate cars with market-leading value retention across eight categories Autovista24 editor Tom Geggus reveals this year’s winning models and market trends After analysing data from 17 European countries the results of the 2024 Autovista Group Residual Value Awards are in With multiple categories split across segments the outcomes highlight an important industry trend ’Premium and affordable models are major money makers for carmakers,’ explained Dr Christof Engelskirchen, chief economist at Autovista Group. ‘So, it is unsurprising that both premium and budget brands performed well in the 2024 residual value awards (RV) awards.’ After securing prominent placing in three categories last year Dacia enjoyed enormous success in 2024 with three models crowned winners The carmaker provided sensible upgrades to its models as consumers opted for greater affordability amid more economic uncertainty Contenders in the Small Car category compete for price-sensitive buyers who do not need a large vehicle 42 models made the 2024 category shortlist reaching the top five in at least one of the 17 countries analysed However, the grouping has become narrower, with fewer very small models appearing. Diesel and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrains were also absent. Instead, most cars in the category were equipped with either petrol engines or full-hybrid (HEV) drives Several battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) did compete within the grouping. Yet, these cars were unable to compete with the RVs of their internal-combustion engine (ICE) competitors This is why small BEVs also competed within a unique category The category did see a range of body types and sizes as hatchbacks went up against SUVs and small vehicles This meant competition between the Fiat 500 (3.6 meters long) and the Toyota Yaris Cross (4.2 meters long) The Dacia Sandero claimed victory in the Small Car category this year Dacia also offers a rugged Stepway version which has SUV styling with high suspension and roof rails ‘The Dacia Sandero was introduced in 2021 but got equipment and design upgrades in 2024 Its price-performance ratio is unbeaten for many buyers in the smaller-vehicle segment,’ said Engelskirchen ‘What works well on new-car markets seems to work equally well on used-car markets for Dacia.’ Many European countries are recording historically high demand for smaller cars from the A and B-segments, explained Christian Schneider, director of content at EV Volumes ‘Recent years have seen rising new-car prices alongside marginal economic growth it is not surprising that Europe’s most affordable car reached pole position in this price-sensitive category,’ he added the latest edition of the Mini took second while its new Countryman sibling came third While both small cars competed from a strong premium position The Toyota Yaris Cross claimed fourth thanks to a remarkable used-car market performance The model is clearly benefitting from the Toyota hybrid brand effect The new Citroën C3 Aircross finished fifth as a fresh SUV offering in the segment the number of large and expensive BEVs being launched has only grown mass market adoption is the real challenge facing the powertrain,’ Engelskirchen explained The number of small BEVs available on used-car markets is still limited there has been a significant number of new launches recently This meant that 24 different models were short-listed in the Small BEV category this year All of these vehicles made it into the top five in at least one of the 17 countries analysed This collection of models included all body types between the A and B-segments There were high-performing BEVs in the top five Many small BEVs performed consistently in multiple European markets ‘But the brand new Mini Aceman beat them all,’ Engelskirchen revealed ‘It features the typical Mini DNA in terms of style Its futuristic look makes it stick out in the segment while it conserves and upgrades Mini design cues.’ BEVs still struggle for wider mass-market traction A primary reason for this is the lack of small and affordable cars there is still a lack of affordable cars for many customers the Dacia Spring demonstrated how targeting this gap in the market can pay off Lifecycle depreciation is now playing a crucial role for BEVs with the recently launched Mini Aceman leading the pack The compact segment combines good size with attractive prices and offers an abundance of choices SUVs made such a big impact on this part of the market that they now dominate the segment SUVs are therefore excluded from the Compact Car category the classic hatchback is still alive and kicking,’ Engelskirchen outlined ‘Another high-performer in this category is the multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) which could see a comeback in the coming years.’ Buyers looking for high efficiency and good prices can still be overwhelmed by what is on offer A total of 33 models made it into the top five in at least one of the 17 markets analysed The winner in the Compact Car category this year was the Dacia Jogger It offers all the qualities of a seven-seater van and is available for around €21,000 ‘Consumers tightened their purse strings while inflation climbed making economic choices vitally important,’ said Engelskirchen Volkswagen (VW) Golf and Mercedes-Benz CLA.’ ‘Compact cars offer a great alternative to the compact SUV segment It contains a diverse range of powertrains as well as a wide variety of models and body types MPVs have fallen out of favour in new-car markets over the last few years Many compact MPVs saw their production come to an end Others experienced a conceptual shift towards an SUV design ‘This has meant a lower supply of used MPVs Combined with Dacia’s unbeaten value for money the Jogger successfully took first place in the Compact Car category,’ Schneider added The highly competitive Compact SUV category saw 31 vehicles make it into the top five across the 17 countries analysed ‘The compact SUV segment is currently the most popular in Europe offering a wide variety of options for all needs,’ Schneider said ‘There was a wide range of BEVs in the category as well This included established OEMs like BMW and Stellantis as well as new players such as BYD and Zeekr.’ ‘The economic choice once again beat premium offerings,’ Engelskirchen commented ‘Dacia claimed victory in the category with the new Duster Europe’s best-seller is now available as a hybrid and features improved quality as well as a larger price tag which found a remarkable sweet spot among the other SUVs in the segment The BMW X2 came fourth while the reputable Hyundai Tucson followed in fifth The BMW iX2 was the highest-ranking BEV in the category ‘We are very proud to receive this triple award which rewards the residual values of Dacia Sandero Dacia’s senior vice president of marketing ‘It is the result of a long-term strategy that applies to all our lineup: a unique business model based on offering net prices rather than discounts and focusing on retail customers with a very limited usage of tactical channels,’ he continued ‘This sales and marketing policy is the best protection for our residual values These high RVs are one of the fundamental elements explaining the growth of the Dacia brand in Europe as we are posting best-level loyalty rates Two out of three Dacia customers opt to stay in the brand when they renew their vehicle ‘Our objective is clearly to continue applying this successful strategy in the future which will be even more important as we are about to enter the C-SUV segment in Europe for the first time with the all-new Dacia Bigster,’ Martinet concluded The Large Car category saw more than 30 models make it into the top five across the 17 countries reviewed This underscores the diversity of the segment Vans were included in the segment while SUVs were excluded Incumbent OEMs with more premium offerings saw the greatest levels of value retention These marques excelled thanks to considerable brand strength each with several models making it high up the rankings The Mercedes-Benz V-Class held on to its title from 2023 taking the top spot in the Large Car category The overall winner also finished in the top five of 10 different markets ‘The V-Class was not the brand’s only high-performing model in the category Mercedes-Benz also took third with the elegant E-Class and fourth with the stylish CLE,’ said Engelskirchen Mercedes-Benz was up against some tough competition which had a facelift in 2022 and received some feature touch-ups in 2024 It is a force to be reckoned with in used-car markets with a long-lasting appeal Brand and versatility are strong sales points carrying weight on the new and used-car markets vans are very attractive in the used-car market ‘The European large-car segment is traditionally dominated by premium manufacturers from Germany and is characterised by a high fleet share,’ Schneider commented There is a low supply of MPVs hitting the used-car market as fewer of these vehicles are produced This category is also heavily influenced by the desire for premium quality This has helped push the RVs of the Mercedes-Benz V-Class skywards this segment is where SUVs began their journey to become the dominant body type,’ said Engelskirchen A total of 30 models made it to the top five across the 17 countries examined ‘Large SUVs show the highest RV levels among all cars in Europe due to their high desirability,’ Schneider explained ‘Unsurprisingly many brands are offering a big range of models in this popular European category.’ The Mercedes-Benz G-Class celebrated category-leading RVs following a refresh in 2024 It made it into the top five across 11 markets where it consistently outperformed its contenders It was followed by the Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupé the Toyota Landcruiser and the Porsche Cayenne ‘It is remarkable that in this highly competitive category three off-road-legends made it into the top five table the Land Rover Defender and the Toyota Landcruiser,’ Schneider said combined with relatively low sales numbers and an image of indestructibility help them achieve the highest RVs in Europe,’ he added There were also a sizeable number of BEVs present in this category they could not compete with the value retention of ICE models ‘The iconic G-Class and standard-setting V-Class both received significant updates and upgrades this year It is great that their enduring popularity has been recognised with these Autovista Group Residual Value Awards,’ said Rob Halloway director of communications at Mercedes-Benz cars and vans ‘There is a wide variety of body types in the rapidly growing Compact and Large BEV category,’ said Engelskirchen ‘The aim here was to give non-SUVs a chance to shine.’ A total of 28 different non-SUV BEVs reached the top five at least once in the 17 countries analysed The model with the greatest value retention in this category was the BMW i5 The brand-new BEV was able to beat last year’s winner The Tesla Model 3 continued to perform well It made it into the top five for value retention in 12 of the 17 markets The VW ID.7 claimed fourth ahead of the Porsche Taycan which recently received several technical upgrades across its variants This category highlights the rapid improvement of electric vehicle (EV) technology. A vehicle that had a fantastic range two or three years ago is average by today’s standards, Schneider explained. ‘Used-car buyers are seeing this too and models which are further along in their lifecycle are penalised due to their technology,’ he added. ‘All of the models in the top five are relatively new and feature state-of-the-art batteries.’ ‘We are delighted to accept this Autovista Group Residual Value Award for the BMW i5,’ said Nicole Mattig, head of corporate sales for Europe, BMW. ‘Available with an all-electric powertrain for the first time, the eighth-generation BMW 5 Series marries benchmark driving dynamics with an array of innovative technology, including advanced driver-assistance systems, the BMW curved display and My Modes for a customisable driving experience. ‘This, combined with an exceptionally high level of standard specification, ensures a compelling product offering for our most discerning customers across Europe,’ she said. SUVs dominate the BEV market, with an ever-growing number of competing models. A total of 40 vehicles made it into the top five in at least one of the 17 markets analysed. This was up from only 27 models in 2023. Porsche risked it all when offering the brand-new Macan with only a BEV powertrain. This strategy appears to have paid off with the model claiming the lead in such a competitive category. ‘Desirability has always been a strong selling point for Porsche, helping to boost its RVs,’ commented Engelskirchen. ‘This holds true for the Macan, which also comes with a solid WLTP range over 600km.’ The Kia EV9 took second, beating the BMW iX2 in third and the Volvo EX90 in fourth. The Mini Countryman was renewed this year, helping it to claim fifth. Schneider pointed towards an ongoing conceptual conundrum for OEMs. They are trying to decide between dedicated BEVs and those built on mixed architectures, with ICE versions also on offer. ‘From an RV perspective there is currently no clear choice, he said. ‘In this category, the top five featured pure BEVs like the Porsche Macan, Kia EV9 and Volvo EX90. But there were also mixed-platforms like BMW iX2 or Mini Countryman.’ ‘The Macan has been a successful model for Porsche for over ten years,’ said Jörg Kerner, vice president of the Macan product line. ‘With the sportiest offering in the B-SUV segment, we have been able to win new markets and target groups for the brand. We have now taken the Macan to a completely new level, with exceptional E-performance, the new driver experience and expressive design. ‘We currently offer four models that cover a wide spectrum at a high-performance level with up to 470kW. In addition, Porsche combines its design DNA with aerodynamics designed to optimize range and consumption. The drag coefficient of 0.25 is the benchmark in the segment. ‘The overwhelming response from our customers and the media as well as winning the 2024 Autovista Group Residual Value Award make me confident that the Macan's success story will continue in the all-electric version,’ Kerner concluded. Inc: Bag fillerThe FA 118 and FA 118 R bag fillers from Fawema (Engelskirchen-Ründeroth, Germany) take premade bags or bags taken from a vertical bag-forming machine to be filled, transported, and closed via a cycling cantilever arm system Quick-release change parts allow for a changeover to a different bag size in minutes With speeds to 80 bags/min depending on weight and product to be filled machine can accommodate bag sizes from 4 oz to 22 lb Other features include user-friendly operator interface; the ability to combine machine with different fillers such as net weighers and auger fillers; a vibration track adjustable in frequency and amplitude; precise pre-folding and integrated folding stations; designed shaping in the transport system; and effective de-aeration by prefolding Machines are ideal for products such as flour