UAE may very well be one of the first few countries in the Middle Eastern region to promote the use of electric cars on its roads; however, it still lacks proper policies and procedures required to govern its use as well as a comprehensive mechanism that would enable such cars to effectively compete with their conventional counterparts. This is in spite of the government’s rather speedy response erecting a system that involved the inspection and registration of such vehicles as well as the launch of several electric vehicle (EV) charging stations.
According to Michel Ayat, CEO of Arabian Automobiles, the distributor of Renault’s electric cars in the UAE, there are several ways in which the UAE government can encourage the increased use of electric cars. These include import duty exemption, discounts on registration fees and free parking. This, he believes, will go a long way towards establishing a strong position in the market.
A representative of Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority (RTA) confirmed that while there are currently 200 registered electric cars with 50 light passenger and other commercial vehicles, there exist no regulations to govern these cars. He said, in order for such regulations to be introduced, the Emirates Standardisation and Metrology Authority (Esma) needs to come into action.
He still maintained, however, that the government is in fact well equipped with the necessary tools and knowledge to effectively inspect and register such cars, as many of their aspects are similar to regular vehicles currently functional in the UAE.