The UAE leads the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) in the adoption of electric vehicles with its charging station to vehicle ratio among the world’s highest, according to a newly released whitepaper, GD Online reports.
The UAE now boasts 240 grid-linked slow charging public stations – 80% of which are in Dubai, says the whitepaper produced by the Clean Energy Business Council (CEBC).
The 24-page whitepaper – Electric Vehicles in the UAE: Challenges and Opportunities – and its five-point recommendations will be presented at Hypermotion Dubai 2021, the region’s first and only event to address major mobility transformation, which will run at the Dubai Exhibition Centre at Expo 2020 from November 2 to 4.
“This white paper provides recommendations for policymakers in the UAE and around the region and a comprehensive overview of the EV market in the UAE, covering the current policy landscape, infrastructure, challenges hindering the growth of the market and the opportunities for businesses,” explained Stephan Gobert, Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at Engie and Board Member at CEBC.
“While the paper mainly analyses the UAE market, many of the learnings could be extended to the rest of the Mena countries.”
The paper shows that while the UAE has made significant advances in EV infrastructure development, the models available and consumer and corporate appetites to shift from conventional vehicles implementation of the transition is slow.
“The existing EV infrastructure is not perceived as sufficient. Many companies may install their own charging stations to tackle this issue. Furthermore, most companies plan to make their charging stations available for public use and be used for internal needs.
“This effort by the private sector could support the UAE in strengthening its EV infrastructure,” says the report. “While new models are coming to the market and prices are going down with time, compared to previous years, we can still see that one of the barriers to entry is the purchase price of EVs, which are set to change shortly with economies of scale and advances in battery technologies.”
The Clean Energy Business Council Mena is on the advisory board of Hypermotion Dubai, which is a hybrid event of three strategic conferences, high-end networking, competitions, and pitches covering all aspects of the future of intelligent transport systems, and the region’s only event for the disruption, decarbonization, and digital transformation of transport, logistics, and mobility.
“This whitepaper provides essential insights into the infrastructure and perception challenges and solutions impacting the pace of electric vehicle uptake throughout the Mena region,” explained Simon Mellor, CEO of Messe Frankfurt Middle East, organizer of Hypermotion Dubai.
“Transport and sustainability are inextricably linked, and as countries throughout Mena look to expand their environmental credentials, the role, scale, and scope of electric vehicles need to be fully understood. This whitepaper and its recommendations will go a long way to enabling that vital comprehension.”
Hypermotion Dubai is held under the patronage of Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman & CEO Emirates Group, and Chairman Dubai Airports.—
