Austria

On March 22, the Federal Ministry for Climate Protection, Austria (BMK) announced Emission-free Commercial Vehicles and Infrastructure (ENIN) funding program. Non-fossil-powered commercial vehicles and the construction of the necessary charging and refueling infrastructure are funded.
The funding is divided into two calls. In the first tender, vehicles of class N1 (vans up to 3.5 tons) are funded, and in the second tender, vehicles of class N2 (trucks up to 12 tons), N3 (heavy trucks over 12 tons), and articulated vehicles. Both calls start on March 22, 2023.
A total of EUR 365 million re available until 2025 - of which EUR 330 million is provided by the BMK and EUR 35 million come from the funds of the EU development plan (Recovery and Resilience Facility). In the tenders that have now started, EUR 85 million will be awarded.

Based on press release from the Federal Ministry for Climate Protection

On March 22, voestalpine AG announced that an investment of around EUR 1.5 billion is being made into constructing one electric arc furnace (EAF) at each of the two sites, Linz and Donawitz. As part of its “greentec steel” plan, the plant and supplier decision will be made in 2023, construction will start in 2024, and the commissioning of the two units will take place in 2027. This will allow the Group to reduce its CO2 emissions by up to 30% from 2027. The exact start of implementation depends on clarifying unresolved funding issues in Austria.
An EAF uses green electricity to produce crude steel in a single step. It uses scrap, liquid pig iron, and HBI (hot briquette iron), with the mix adjusted according to the quality requirements.  voestalpine sources most of the HBI it requires from the direct reduction plant in Texas, USA. The two electric arc furnaces allow it to produce around 2.5 million tons of CO2-reduced steel from 2027. From 2030, voestalpine plans to replace another blast furnace at each of the sites in Linz and Donawitz.

Based on voestalpine AG press release

Renesas Electronics Corporation (Renesas Electronics) announced that it will acquire Panthronics AG (“Panthronics”), in an all-cash transaction. The acquisition will enrich Renesas’ portfolio of connectivity technology, extending reach into high-demand Near-Field Communication (NFC) applications in fintech, IoT, asset tracking, wireless charging, and automotive applications. Panthronics has been offering advanced NFC chipsets and software that are easy to apply, innovative, small in size, and highly efficient for payment, IoT, and NFC wireless charging. Renesas and Panthronics have already launched four joint designs of NFC system solutions to date. The merits of Panthronics’ technology are also expected to be leveraged for Renesas’ automotive solutions, such as digital key management. (From a press release dated March 22, 2023)