Manufacturing EV imports rise in Saudi Arabia, but only to 779 cars Saudi imports of electric vehicles rose sharply in 2023 – but to a total of just 779 EVs, despite government hopes that it can become a green economy leader through the manufacture and use of electric cars. The kingdom imported only 210 EVs in 2022, showing the mountain it has to climb to realise ambitions […] April 16, 2024
Analysis Renewable Energy Lithium’s highs and lows – and what they mean for the Gulf For one of the world’s most critical minerals, the past two years have been the best of times and the worst of times. First, lithium prices shot skywards, hitting around $80,000 per metric tonne in 2022 amid fears that global supply would not meet demand. Then, in just a year, the soft, silvery-white metal lost […] April 12, 2024
Manufacturing Lucid price cuts result in record EV sales The Saudi-backed US electric vehicle (EV) maker Lucid set a new quarterly sales record for its luxury models in the first quarter of 2024. Shares in Lucid, which has funding from the kingdom’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), rose by 3 percent on Tuesday after it announced the delivery of almost 2,000 Lucid Air models. The […] April 10, 2024
Manufacturing Homegrown Togg dominates EV sales in Turkey Turkey’s domestic electric vehicle (EV) brand Togg dominated sales within the country during the first quarter of 2024. Togg achieved sales of 4,145 units, state-owned Anadolu Agency reported, quoting data from the Automotive Distributors and Mobility Association. EV sales surged by 276 percent to 14,158 units during the quarter ended March 31, 2024. Consequently, the share […] April 5, 2024
Manufacturing US battery manufacturer to build $3bn factory in Rakez The American battery manufacturer Statevolt is to construct a $3 billion factory in Ras Al Khaimah. Statevolt Emirates, as the venture will be known, will generate up to 2,500 jobs at its 60 hectare facility in Al Ghail Industrial Zone in Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone (Rakez). The manufacturing facility is “strategically focused on key […] April 3, 2024
Transport UAE motorists fuelling demand for second-hand EVs Demand for second-hand electric vehicles in the UAE may be in its infancy but it is accelerating fast as more people turn to the environmentally friendly option. Electric vehicles (EVs) now account for around 1 percent of the UAE’s used car market and a little over 1 percent of all cars in the country, according […] March 26, 2024
Opinion Transport If EVs can make it here, they can make it anywhere The battery powered car is on the up, even in the oil-soaked Gulf March 25, 2024
Renewable Energy Energy transition strategy ‘visibly failing’, says Aramco CEO Saudi Aramco’s chief executive believes the current global energy transition strategy is “visibly failing on most fronts” and needs an urgent reset. Despite $9.5 trillion of investment in the past two decades, other energy sources have still not scaled up sufficiently to offer an alternative to hydrocarbons, Amin Nasser told the CERAWeek by S&P Global […] March 19, 2024
Aviation Air taxi makers promise Dubai-Abu Dhabi commute in 30 minutes Flying cars could cut the commute between Dubai and Abu Dhabi to 30 minutes next year after a deal between Archer Aviation of the US and the UAE’s Falcon Aviation. Under the agreement, the two will develop air taxi vertiports at the Falcon heliport at Atlantis the Palm in Dubai and the Marina Mall heliport […] March 12, 2024
Opinion Leisure & Hospitality Dubai becomes the centre of the Rolls-Royce universe The Gulf's long love affair with the elite motor car is made official March 8, 2024
Manufacturing Stellantis hails Middle East and Africa sales surge Multinational car maker Stellantis has announced that its 2023 Middle East and Africa revenues grew by 64 percent year on year to more than $11.5 billion. Stellantis is one of the world’s biggest automakers – its brands include Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Citroën, Peugeot and Vauxhall. It said shipments to the region totalled 616,100, up 43 […] March 6, 2024
Manufacturing Abu Dhabi plans lithium plant to support EV growth A $1.4 billion lithium processing plant is being planned in Abu Dhabi by Kezad Group and Titan Lithium, a UAE-based company, to support the region’s fledgling electric vehicle (EV) industry. Kezad (Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi) and Titan have signed a 50-year land lease agreement for the AED5 billion plant. The plant, to be developed […] February 14, 2024
Analysis Manufacturing Saudi Arabia joins the dots from minerals to manufacturing Consider for a moment how many different steps there are between digging a lump of iron ore out of the ground in Mauritania and pressing the starter button on a new electric vehicle (EV) in Riyadh. The ore must be mined, concentrated, combined with other elements, put through a furnace, a casting machine, cold- or […] February 13, 2024
Sustainability Dubai records 59% surge in EV charging sessions in 2023 Dubai recorded a 59 percent year-on-year increase in electric vehicle (EV) charging sessions last year, as green mobility rapidly accelerates in the emirate. The EV green charger initiative recorded 1,145,427 charging sessions in 2023, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) said in a statement. Through this initiative, the Dubai utility provider provided 23419.821 megawatt hours (MWh) of […] February 5, 2024
Manufacturing US commercial EV company to launch UAE factory Californian commercial electric vehicle manufacturer HummingbirdEV has announced plans to establish a micro-factory in the UAE. The highly automated manufacturing facility aims to accelerate adoption of commercial electric vehicles (EV) in the Middle East and North Africa, southeast Asia and India. HummingbirdEV said the factory will produce commercial EVs for an existing e-commerce customer as […] January 31, 2024
Manufacturing Saudi’s Maaden unit strikes deal with EV maker Lucid A subsidiary of the Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden) has signed an agreement to supply aluminium sheets to US electric vehicle maker Lucid Motors. Maaden Rolling Company signed the deal with Lucid – which is 60.2 percent owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund – during the Future Minerals Forum in Riyadh. The deal will […] January 30, 2024
Manufacturing Cobalt refinery to support Saudi EV ambitions A European mining company has announced plans to develop a refinery in Saudi Arabia to process cobalt hydroxide into cobalt sulphate, which is used in electric vehicle (EV) batteries. Luxembourg-based Eurasian Resources Group (ERG) said the project aims to strengthen its position as a strategic supplier to the chemicals sector, particularly in batteries for EVs. […] January 16, 2024
Manufacturing Dubai EV maker pulls out of $500m Chinese deal Dubai’s electric vehicle maker NWTN has pulled out of a deal to invest $500 million in Evergrande, a Chinese EV manufacturer. NWTN, which operates an electric vehicle assembly facility in Abu Dhabi, said it has terminated plans to buy 27.5 percent of the shares of China Evergrande New Energy Vehicle Group. Evergrande was established in 2019 […] January 9, 2024
Sustainability Oman targets 22,000 EVs on its roads by 2030 Oman plans to have 22,000 electric vehicles on the road by 2030 as part of its decarbonisation strategy, according to local media. A combination of technological advancements and robust charging infrastructure will accelerate the adoption of EVs, Oman Daily Observer reported, citing Said Hamood Al Maawali, the minister for transport, communications and IT. “The public […] January 1, 2024
Analysis Transport Turkey’s EV production finally gets into gear Turkey has long been a manufacturing base for the global auto industry, producing vehicles for more than a dozen industry giants such as Ford, Toyota and Renault. Its transition into electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing has been slow to materialise, but the country is now making up for lost time. First announced in 2017, 2023 saw […] December 29, 2023
Transport Dubai electric bike firm plans UAE expansion Dubai last-mile delivery company Eco Way plans to replace the UAE’s many thousands of petrol motorcycles with electric bikes. The startup currently operates 45 electric bikes in Dubai and has partnered with companies including Talabat, Pizza Hut, Amazon, Deliveroo, KFC and Emirates Post Group. Founder Ivan Kroshny said Eco Way also wants to expand from […] December 27, 2023
Manufacturing Saudi and Morocco vie for lead in Mena EV race Two clear frontrunners in the global electric vehicle race have emerged in the Middle East and North Africa region. Both Saudi Arabia and Morocco have accelerated efforts to develop their EV capabilities in 2023, with a series of multi-million-dollar investments and partnership deals. The two kingdoms see the EV industry as central to achieving economic […] December 22, 2023
