The Hague is the first world city to ban fossil fuel ads by law
The Hague, Netherlands’ third-largest city, has passed a local ordinance banning fossil fuel advertisements and ads for other highly-polluting services in the city, becoming the first city in the world to do so.
The ban encompasses not just fossil fuel advertising, but also for highly-polluting services like airline and cruise vacations, fossil gas suppliers and, best of all, gasoline-powered vehicles (but really, who would ever want to waste money on an inferior gas vehicle anyway, right Electrek readers?).
It will apply mainly to outdoor advertising in the form of billboards, displays in outdoor walking areas, ads on and inside transit, and so on.
The Hague had previously announced its intent to be climate neutral by 2030, so the city finds this to be a necessary step towards that goal. “The Hague wants to be climate neutral by 2030. Then it is inappropriate to allow advertising for products from the fossil industry. Fortunately, the city council now recognizes this,” said Leonie Gerritsen of the Party for the Animals.
The fossil ad ban was first proposed by the Party for the Animals. It builds on a previous motion to ban fossil ads from bus shelters, which had gained broad support from the representatives of the Greens, Labor, Socialists, centrist minority-rights party DENK, progressive pro-Europe party Democrats 66, and the center-right Christian Union.
The Netherlands, particularly in its cities, has one of the more advanced transportation systems in the world. Bicycles are heavily used within Dutch cities, and bike infrastructure is ubiquitous. This results in high safety as cyclists are properly protected on the road, high throughput from bicycles that take up a lot less space than cars, and low transportation emissions through the use of the most efficient transportation method man has ever devised.
The country is also among the best in electric car penetration, with just under half of new vehicles being electric – lagging only behind (all of the) Nordic countries in electrification of its automobiles.
However, as a nation, Netherlands lags behind standout countries in terms of per capita emissions. Despite heavy use of bicycles and EVs, each Dutch person emits about 50% more CO2 than the citizens of nearby France, UK or Denmark, or twice as much as nearby Sweden. (Though all of these countries have lower emissions than the US, the world’s largest all-time emitter, and even better than the cleanest US states like California and New York)
This is primarily due to Netherlands’ energy system, where fossil gas coal still make up a large part of the country’s grid, as opposed to the heavy use of nuclear in France, wind in UK and Denmark, and hydro in Sweden. Netherlands also uses fossil gas for home heating, and is one of the most gas-reliant countries in Europe with over 90% of homes using it for heating. This has also affected their energy security during the continent-wide gas crisis that came with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Fossil advertising bans could help to bend the needle on both of those aspects – while consumers don’t always have direct purchasing power over electricity generation or home heating choices, reducing the amount of propaganda from fossil companies means more might make the choice to install home solar (you can too, with our affiliate link) or to replace their fossil gas heating system with a more efficient heat pump.
Some other cities have “banned” fossil fuel ads, such as Amsterdam, Edinburgh and Sydney. However, these bans are different than The Hague’s, because they will be done through contract amendments with advertising companies, rather than through a local law.
That method can be easier to achieve at first, but can take longer to go into effect as the city needs to wait for rolling contracts to be renewed or to buy out existing contracts. The Hague’s method will go into effect immediately in just over three months, on January 1, 2025.
Electrek’s Take
Fossil fuel companies have spent more than a century propagandizing to the public about their benefits, and they wouldn’t do it if it didn’t work.
While oil company ads greenwashing their contributions to renewable power may seem harmless, there’s a reason they run those ads, and it’s not because they genuinely want to improve the world. It’s because they want you to think they’re better than the other evil oil companies, and to continue giving money to support their environmental terrorism.
And ad bans like this do work. Tobacco – another horribly harmful product pushed by an evil industry – has been subject to ad bans, and those ad bans have helped to reduce smoking rates… as long as the bans are comprehensive. Unfortunately, The Hague can only ban ads in its own purview, and doesn’t have control over the airwaves or the internet. That would take a national or supranational agreement, so that might be the next step needed to ensure that a ban like this is effective.
Regardless, it’s about time that we stop oil companies from engaging in the decades-long campaign of lies that they have engaged in. Good on the Hague for being the first to do it, hopefully they can be a model for many other cities, countries, and the world.
(Incidentally, The Hague is also the seat of the International Criminal Court… but unfortunately this ban was passed by the local city government, rather than being enforceable with criminal prosecutions worldwide on oil executives who have lied for decades while doing untold damage to humanity, animals and the climate in general. Maybe next time (one can hope…))
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Robinhood stock hit an all-time high Friday as the financial services platform continued to rip higher this year, along with bitcoin and other crypto stocks.
Robinhood, up more than 160% in 2025, hit an intraday high above $101 before pulling back and closing slightly lower.
The reversal came after a Bloomberg report that JPMorgan plans to start charging fintechs for access to customer bank data, a move that could raise costs across the industry.
For fintech firms that rely on thin margins to offer free or low-cost services to customers, even slight disruptions to their cost structure can have major ripple effects. PayPal and Affirm both ended the day nearly 6% lower following the report.
Despite its stellar year, the online broker is facing several headwinds, with a regulatory probe in Florida, pushback over new staking fees and growing friction with one of the world’s most high-profile artificial intelligence companies.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier opened a formal investigation into Robinhood Crypto on Thursday, alleging the platform misled users by claiming to offer the lowest-cost crypto trading.
“Robinhood has long claimed to be the best bargain, but we believe those representations were deceptive,” Uthmeier said in a statement.
The probe centers on Robinhood’s use of payment for order flow — a common practice where market makers pay to execute trades — which the AG said can result in worse pricing for customers.
Robinhood Crypto General Counsel Lucas Moskowitz told CNBC its disclosures are “best-in-class” and that it delivers the lowest average cost.
“We disclose pricing information to customers during the lifecycle of a trade that clearly outlines the spread or the fees associated with the transaction, and the revenue Robinhood receives,” added Moskowitz.
Robinhood is also facing opposition to a new 25% cut of staking rewards for U.S. users, set to begin October 1. In Europe, the platform will take a smaller 15% cut.
Staking allows crypto holders to earn yield by locking up their tokens to help secure blockchain networks like ethereum, but platforms often take a percentage of those rewards as commission.
Robinhood’s 25% cut puts it in line with Coinbase, which charges between 25.25% and 35% depending on the token. The cut is notably higher than Gemini’s flat 15% fee.
It marks a shift for the company, which had previously steered clear of staking amid regulatory uncertainty.
Under President Joe Biden‘s administration, the Securities and Exchange Commission cracked down on U.S. platforms offering staking services, arguing they constituted unregistered securities.
With President Donald Trump in the White House, the agency has reversed course on several crypto enforcement actions, dropping cases against major players like Coinbase and Binance and signaling a more permissive stance.
Even as enforcement actions ease, Robinhood is under fresh scrutiny for its tokenized stock push, which is a growing part of its international strategy.
The company now offers blockchain-based assets in Europe that give users synthetic exposure to private firms like OpenAI and SpaceX through special purpose vehicles, or SPVs.
An SPV is a separate entity that acquires shares in a company. Users then buy tokens of the SPV and don’t have shareholder privileges or voting rights directly in the company.
OpenAI has publicly objected, warning the tokens do not represent real equity and were issued without its approval. In an interview with CNBC International, CEO Vlad Tenev acknowledged the tokens aren’t technically equity shares, but said that misses the broader point.
“What’s important is that retail customers have an opportunity to get exposure to this asset,” he said, pointing to the disruptive nature of AI and the historically limited access to pre-IPO companies.
“It is true that these are not technically equity,” Tenev added, noting that institutional investors often gain similar exposure through structured financial instruments.
The Bank of Lithuania — Robinhood’s lead regulator in the EU — told CNBC on Monday that it is “awaiting clarifications” following OpenAI’s statement.
“Only after receiving and evaluating this information will we be able to assess the legality and compliance of these specific instruments,” a spokesperson said, adding that information for investors must be “clear, fair, and non-misleading.”
Tenev responded that Robinhood is “happy to continue to answer questions from our regulators,” and said the company built its tokenized stock program to withstand scrutiny.
“Since this is a new thing, regulators are going to want to look at it,” he said. “And we expect to be scrutinized as a large, innovative player in this space.”
SEC Chair Paul Atkins recently called the model “an innovation” on CNBC’s Squawk Box, offering some validation as Robinhood leans further into its synthetic equity strategy — even as legal clarity remains in flux across jurisdictions.
Despite the regulatory noise, many investors remain focused on Robinhood’s upside, and particularly the political tailwinds.
The company is positioning itself as a key beneficiary of Trump’s newly signed megabill, which includes $1,000 government-seeded investment accounts for newborns. Robinhood said it’s already prototyping an app for the ‘Trump Accounts‘ initiative.
WATCH: Watch CNBC’s full interview with Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev
Korean auto giants Hyundai and Kia think lower-priced EVs will help minimize the blow from the new US auto tariffs. Hyundai is set to unveil a new entry-level electric car soon, which will be sold alongside the Kia EV2. Will it be the IONIQ 2?
Hyundai and Kia shift to lower-priced EVs
Hyundai and Kia already offer some of the most affordable and efficient electric vehicles on the market, with models like the IONIQ 5 and EV6.
In Europe, Korea, Japan, and other overseas markets, Hyundai sells the Inster EV (sold as the Casper Electric in Korea), an electric city car. The Inster EV starts at about $27,000 (€23,900), but Hyundai will soon offer another lower-priced EV, similar to the upcoming Kia EV2.
The Inster EV is seeing strong initial demand in Europe and Japan. According to a local report (via Newsis), demand for the Casper Electric is so high that buyers are waiting over a year for delivery.
Hyundai is doubling down with plans to introduce an even more affordable EV, rumored to be the IONIQ 2. Xavier Martinet, CEO of Hyundai Motor Europe, said during a recent interview that “The new electric vehicle will be unveiled in the next few months.”
The new EV is expected to be a compact SUV, which will likely resemble the upcoming Kia EV2. Kia will launch the EV2 in Europe and other global regions in 2026.
Hyundai is keeping most details under wraps, but the expected IONIQ 2 is likely to sit below the Kona Electric as a smaller city EV.
More affordable electric cars are on the way
Although nothing is confirmed, it’s expected to be priced at around €30,000 ($35,000), or slightly less than the Kia EV3.
The Kia EV3 starts at €35,990 in Europe and £33,005 in the UK, or about $42,000. Through the first half of the year, Kia’s compact electric SUV is the UK’s most popular EV.
Like the Hyundai IONIQ models and Kia’s other electric vehicles, the EV3 is based on the E-GMP platform. It’s available with two battery packs: 58.3 kWh or 81.48 kWh, providing a WLTP range of up to 430 km (270 miles) and 599 km (375 miles), respectively.
Hyundai is expected to reveal the new EV at the IAA Mobility show in Munich in September. Meanwhile, Kia is working on a smaller electric car to sit below the EV2 that could start at under €25,000 ($30,000).
According to the report, Hyundai and Kia are doubling down on lower-priced EVs to balance potential losses from the new US auto tariffs.
Despite opening its new EV manufacturing plant in Georgia to boost local production, Hyundai is still expected to expand sales in other regions. An industry insider explained, “Considering the risk of US tariffs, Hyundai’s move to target the European market with small electric vehicles is a natural strategy.”
Although Hyundai is expanding in other markets, it remains a leading EV brand in the US. The IONIQ 5 remains a top-selling EV with over 19,000 units sold through June.
After delivering the first IONIQ 9 models in May, Hyundai reported that over 1,000 models had been sold through the end of June, its three-row electric SUV.
While the $7,500 EV tax credit is still here, Hyundai is offering generous savings with leases for the 2025 IONIQ 5 starting as low as $179 per month. The three-row IONIQ 9 starts at just $419 per month. And Hyundai is even throwing in a free ChargePoint Home Flex Level 2 charger if you buy or lease either model.
Unfortunately, we likely won’t see the entry-level EV2 or IONIQ 2 in the US. However, Kia is set to launch its first electric sedan, the EV4, in early 2026.
Ready to take advantage of the savings while they are still here? You can use our links below to find deals on Hyundai and Kia EV models in your area.
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As EVBox shuts down its Everon business across Europe and North America, EV charging provider Blink Charging is stepping up to offer support to customers caught in the transition.
EVBox’s software arm Everon recently announced it’s winding down operations alongside EVBox’s AC charger business. That’s left a lot of charging station hosts and drivers wondering what comes next. Now, EVBox Everon is pointing its customers toward Blink as a recommended alternative.
Blink says it’s ready to help, whether that means keeping existing chargers up and running or replacing aging gear with new Blink chargers.
“EVBox has played a significant role in the growth of EV charging infrastructure across the UK and Mainland Europe, and we recognize the trust hosts have placed in its solutions,” said Alex Calnan, Blink Charging’s managing director of Europe. “With the recent announcement of Everon’s withdrawal from the EV charging market, it’s natural to have questions about what this means for operations. At Blink, we want to assure Everon customers that we are here to help them navigate this transition.”
Blink says it’s able to offer advice, replacements, and ongoing network management to make the changeover as smooth as possible.
Everon users who switch to Blink will get access to the Blink Network portal via the Blink Charging app. That opens up real-time insight into charger usage and lets hosts set pricing, manage users, and download performance reports.
“At Blink, our charging technology is future-ready,” added Calnan. “With advancements like vehicle-to-grid technology on the horizon, our chargers are built to support the future of electric vehicles and charging habits.”
The company says its chargers are in stock and ready to ship now for any Everon customers looking to make the jump.
In October 2024, France’s Engie announced it would liquidate the entire EVBox group, which it said posted total losses of €800 million since Engie took over in 2017. EVBox is closing its operations in the Netherlands, Germany, and the US.
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