Dubai has seen a substantial 59 percent surge in electric vehicle (EV) charging sessions over the past year, according to the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa). This green leap forward highlights the emirate’s accelerating commitment to sustainable mobility and the ongoing rise in the number of EVs on the roads.
As part of its EV green charger initiative, Dewa announced that it enabled a remarkable 1,145,427 charging sessions in 2023 alone. Demonstrated in figures provided by Dewa to Arabian Gulf Business Insight, the initiative has been pivotal in providing a total of 23,419.821 megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity to power EVs since its inception in 2015, enabling electric vehicles to travel a combined distance of 117 million kilometers.
Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of Dewa, articulated the emirate’s steadfast dedication to bolstering the UAE’s net zero ambitions. He said: “We are committed to advancing the UAE’s efforts to achieve net zero. This is by lowering the carbon footprint in the transport sector, reducing energy consumption in the transport sector by 40 percent, reducing carbon emissions by 10 million tonnes by 2050, and increasing the share of EVs to 50 percent of the total vehicles on UAE roads by 2050.”
Dewa now operates 382 EV charging stations.
The UAE actually boasts one of the world’s highest ratios of charging stations to electric vehicles and it is the fourth cheapest place in the world to charge an EV. The number of EVs in Dubai has seen a consistent increase since 2015, with the count reaching 25,929 by the close of 2023. Remarkably, the number of EV owners registered with Dewa’s initiative has escalated from a mere 14 in 2015 to an impressive 13,959 by December 2023.
Against a backdrop where SUVs have traditionally dominated UAE car sales, the shift towards green mobility is gaining momentum. And in a move to support the adoption of eco-friendly EVs, Dewa has strategically positioned 382 EV green charging stations throughout the emirates, many of which are equipped with dual charging capabilities. This initiative not only propels Dubai forward in its green mobility journey but also positions the emirate as a regional pioneer in the adoption of sustainable transportation practices.
