are already in place or in their infancy across the UAE. Taking EVs, all necessary components are in place to rapidly accelerate the transition from ICE to electric and hybrid powertrains. Though the UAE currently lacks the availability (around 90% of vehicles in dealerships are ICE) and infrastructure to make EVs a viable mass-market consumption option, its government and individual operators have repeatedly demonstrated a strong willingness to work together, reinforce these early successes and approach each factor necessary to make EV ownership more attractive. With ambitious targets to massively upscale the availability of EV models and charging stations, while keeping operating costs low with favourable policies, the UAE is on the right course to make EVs a sizeable proportion of vehicles on its roads by the decade’s end. By then, EVs should represent at least 15% of all new vehicles sold to the public, and 25-30% of all government-owned vehicles. Similarly, the first four years of the 2020s have already shown that there is significant appetite from the UAE government and private sector to implement advanced public transportation projects. While many are impressive in scale and design, such as Dubai Green Spine and the Hyperloop, equally important are the smaller and more gradual integrations of smart solutions into citywide, emirate-wide and nationwide transport systems. For every autonomous taxi, driverless tram car and cashless bike hire available to the public, the broader smart transport agenda is pushed forward, proving the commercial case for such technologies and encouraging other institutions (private and public) to reinforce their success. Policy and commercial prospects are creating a smart transport boom The UAE’s strengthening prospects as
SOPHIA SHEIKH Sophia Sheikh is the Director of Marketing and Content for the World Future Energy Summit, a leading global event focused on renewable energy and sustain- ability. With extensive experience in strategic marketing and con- tent creation, Sophia is responsi- ble for driving the summit’s brand presence and shaping its engag- ing content strategy. Her exper- tise in global communications and thought leadership positions her at the forefront of the en- ergy transition, where she works to highlight innovative solutions and foster industry collaboration. Passionate about sustainability and the future of energy, Sophia is committed to advancing im- pactful conversations that inspire change on a global scale. just in government policy, but also in the minds of commercial enterprises that see the UAE as fertile ground for their ideas and capital investments. If this pace of change and level of ambition can be maintained, the rest of the decade should be pivotal in turning the UAE into a global standard bearer for smart transportation. Just as each technology and new mode of transportation enjoys greater presence and market share, there is a broader opportunity to demonstrate their full potential by joining up the entire ecosystem and allowing everyday users to complete their journey of any distance using clean, affordable, safe and convenient public transport options that best suit their schedule.
a global leader in e-mobility and smart transportation are driven by three factors – substantial investments, a willingness to embrace technological advancements, and a consistent commitment from the government towards sustainable development. At every turn, we can see a deepening acceptance that advanced digital technologies are vital to overhauling and futureproofing the UAE’s entire transportation network. This visualisation of transport systems that are increasingly cashless, seamless and autonomous has become ingrained, not
Sources: https://www.mofa.gov.ae/en/Missions/Paris/The-UAE/UAE-Economy; https://www.pwc.com/m1/en/publications/emobility-out- look-2024-uae-edition.html; https://www.assetmanagement.hsbc.co.uk/en/institutional-investor/news-and-insights/frontier-opportuni- ties-the-uae; https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/united-arab-emirates-smart-and-sustainable-mobility; https://www.pwc.com/m1/ en/publications/documents/2024/emobility-outlook-2024-uae-edition.pdf; https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/energy/2024/02/04/dubai- ev-numbers-hit-nearly-26000-in-2023-amid-green-mobility-drive/#:~:text=The%20number%20of%20electric%20vehicles,Dewa%20statement%20 reported%20last%20February; https://www.thenationalnews.com/future/technology/2024/12/06/uber-launches-its-first-international-driver- less-taxi-service-in-the-uae/#:~:text=Abu%20Dhabi%20already%20has%20a,bus%20service%20for%20race%20fans.; https://www.wam.ae/en/ article/b1mlejw-uae-shortens-distances-land-sea-air-through-smart; https://www.moec.gov.ae/en/future-economy ;https://www.designboom.com/ architecture/urb-worlds-greenest-highway-dubai-solar-powered-trams-green-spine-07-09-2024/ ;https://en.vogue.me/culture/dubai-green-spine- worlds-greenest-highway/; https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/2024/02/17/new-hope-of-uae-hyperloop-system-as-italian-passenger-line-gets- green-light/
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THE FUTURE OF ENERGY
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