In an effort to decrease carbon emissions and reduce pollution, the Emirate of Dubai in the UAE has witnessed an increased Electric Vehicles (EV) trend aimed at creating a more sustainable environment for future generations. In recent years, Dubai has witnessed an increase in EVs in accordance with the EV Green Charger Initiative, which caused a rapid increase in users from 14 in 2015 to 11,000 until May of 2023. The EV Green Charger Initiative is—launched by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) -- to promote green transportation.
According to the DEWA, the first public charging infrastructure for electric vehicles was developed in the region. In 2015, the authority developed and installed 100 EV Green Chargers in highly frequented areas across the city, to encourage electric vehicle adoption in Dubai. Dubai aims at achieving its green economy and sustainable development strategy to meet the city’s carbon neutrality goals of 2050.
In Dubai, there are around 1,000 EV charging stations to encourage the use of environment friendly transportation, an effort, which managed to reduce carbon emissions by about 237,7000 tons by April of 2023. To view the impact of the initiative on the ground, KUNA met with several users and EV clients to see their views on the issue. Omair Al-Sayed, a consumer, indicated that EVs used less energy than fuel-based cars, adding that maintenance was also reasonable. Fellow consumer Ghazi Faisal touted the use of EVs, saying that it was quieter than using regular vehicles, which in turn reduced noise pollution.
Lina Ahmad and Marhaf Mir, fellow EV enthusiasts, also commended the use of EVs in Dubai, noting that air quality had improved tremendously in Dubai. Mir, on his part, indicated that EVs are the way of those who care about the environment mostly, saying that the expansion of the charger stations in the city was a positive step. The UAE had a great interest in achieving the global 2050 climate neutrality initiative, announcing that 2023 would be the year for sustainability.
This announcement comes, as the UAE will be hosting later this year the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC COP28 Summit. Electrical Vehicles were first invented in the 19th century but became more prominent in recent years with global estimates from the International Energy Agency (IEA) showing that 26 million EVs were in use in 2022.—KUNA