The number of electric vehicles on Dubai’s roads has risen by 5.41% in a year, surpassing 39,000 by early 2025. This was boosted by the more widespread availability of chargers. For example, DEWA’s expanding Green Charger network which now boasts over 1,100 stations supporting the city’s green mobility ambitions.
Electric vehicle (EV) adoption in Dubai is gaining remarkable momentum, with the number of electric vehicles on the road surpassing 39,000 by the end of the first quarter of 2025. This figure marks a notable 5.41% increase compared to the same period in the previous year, reflecting a growing public enthusiasm for sustainable transportation and robust policy support from the emirate. Central to this progress is the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority’s (DEWA) Green Charger initiative, which has been instrumental since its launch in 2015 in fostering an EV-friendly environment.
DEWA’s Green Charger programme has delivered over 39,159 megawatt-hours of electricity to date, enabling EVs to traverse a combined 195 million kilometres across Dubai. According to HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of DEWA, charging sessions alone increased by 23.6% in Q1 2025 compared to the same quarter in 2024. This surge in usage aligns closely with the UAE’s Net Zero 2050 Strategy and Dubai’s Green Mobility Strategy 2030, which are both ambitious plans targeting significant reductions in carbon emissions and aiming to elevate Dubai’s status as a global pioneer in sustainable transport.
The growth in EV adoption has necessitated a rapid expansion of charging infrastructure. DEWA, in collaboration with licensed charge point operators (CPOs), now runs a network of over 1,100 charging stations throughout Dubai, available 24/7 and strategically placed for ease of access. The Green Charger network offers a variety of chargers, including ultra-fast, fast, public, and wall-box options. Users can easily locate these through DEWA’s website, mobile app, or numerous other digital platforms. One notable feature is that once a vehicle is registered with the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), an EV Green Charger account is automatically created for the owner, streamlining access and often enabling charging sessions to be completed in under an hour. For those without an account, a guest mode is available, widening accessibility.
The programme’s user base has ballooned from a mere 14 registered users in 2015 to over 20,900 by early 2025, mirroring the overall rise in public interest. Supporting this trend, a recent survey revealed that 73% of UAE residents now prefer electric vehicles. DEWA’s ongoing commitment to expanding and upgrading its network appears to be striking a chord with the wider population, which is increasingly ready to embrace cleaner, smarter mobility solutions.
The growth trajectory has been impressive in recent years. In December 2024, DEWA reported having surpassed 740 charging points across Dubai, underscoring the rapid infrastructural rollout supporting the city’s burgeoning fleet, which exceeded 34,970 EVs by October 2024. Earlier figures from 2023 had shown a 59% increase in charging session usage compared to the previous year, with over 1.14 million sessions recorded, further illustrating rising demand. By 2023, the network had grown more than threefold compared to 2015, expanding from 100 to 350 charging stations, even as the numbers of both battery electric and hybrid vehicles climbed substantially.
Looking ahead, DEWA has ambitious plans to push this network beyond 1,000 stations by 2025, aiming to nurture Dubai’s goal of having over 42,000 electric cars on its roads by 2030. This move is part of a broader UAE vision aiming for 50% of all vehicles to be electric by 2050, alongside targets to reduce energy consumption in the transport sector by 40% and cut carbon emissions by 10 million tonnes. DEWA is also encouraging private sector involvement through licensing to accelerate this green mobility infrastructure expansion.
