The rise of electric mobility in the Middle East – time to make the switch?

Electric vehicles fall into three categories based on their power source: battery electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids, and hybrid vehicles.

Hybrid vehicles, like the Toyota Prius, initiated the growth in the electric vehicle sector while other manufacturers raced to release hybrid and all-electric models such as the Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Spark, and Tesla Model S.

Tesla’s launch of the Model S in 2012 along with the first superchargers put them on the forefront of the EV market, but it wasn’t until the launch of their Model 3 that they experienced rapid growth.

Tesla’s entry to the EV (Electric Vehicle) market rattled the automobile industry with its all-electric range of vehicles and gave competing manufacturers a reason to expedite the process of dedicating resources to create fully-electric models.

Read: Saudi’s PIF confirms $1bn investment in Tesla rival Lucid

The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Global EV Outlook 2020 report has found that sales of electric vehicles topped 2.1 million globally in 2019, surpassing the record year in sales in 2018.

A 40 percent year-on-year increase in electric vehicles can be credited to the continuance of ambitious policies and advancements in technology to supporting the rollout of the electric vehicles.

In the UAE, Dubai has been working towards its long-term goal of electrification and has launched several initiatives over the past few years to encourage sustainable choices among its residents.

They signed a deal for 200 Tesla vehicles to be added to the Dubai Taxi Corporation fleet in 2017 to promote the emirate’s plans of green mobility solutions and as part of its plan to have 25 per cent of the city’s trips converted into driverless journeys by 2030.

In addition, the city completed the construction of 200 charging stations in the emirate by 2018 and is currently exempting registered electric vehicles from charging fees until the end 2021 and parking fees till 2022.

Read: Free parking in Dubai for electric cars registered in the emirate until 2022

Dubai, along with Abu Dhabi, has launched e-scooters in densely populated areas in the hopes of reducing congestion and encouraging residents towards sustainable methods of transportation.

Read: TIER begins e-scooter service in Dubai after getting RTA nod

Sharjah has become an emerging hub for sustainability as it is on track to become the first zero-waste city in the Middle East with the help of its waste-to-energy plant.

Read: Abu Dhabi’s Masdar, Sharjah’s Bee’ah form waste-to-energy plant joint venture

Bee’ah – which manages Sharjah’s cleaning processes, has ordered 50 semi-electric trucks from Tesla to add to its waste management fleet by the end of this year.

The city continues to position itself as a leader in eco-friendly practices and currently offers free charging for EV owners till 2025, while working on constructing and strategically placing more charging stations around the city.