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Electric vehicles

Traffic on King Fahd road in Riyadh. The Saudi government wants 15% of public transport vehicles to be autonomous

Driverless cars for Saudi officials by next year

Saudi Arabia has launched a project for driverless cars which could result in government agencies using them as early as next year.  The government is installing smart communication devices along roadways that interact with autonomous vehicles, the official Saudi Press Agency said, announcing a new Saudi Road Code.  “These devices provide real-time road condition data, […]

A Lucid vehicle in production. Electric vehicle usage in Saudi Arabia is still extremely low

Lucid taps PIF backer for $1.5bn cash injection

Saudi-backed US electric vehicle maker Lucid is to receive a cash injection of $1.5 billion from its majority stockholder Ayar Third Investment Company, an affiliate of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. “The additional $1.5 billion commitment by an affiliate of the PIF announced today is expected to provide sufficient liquidity into at least the fourth […]

Transportation, Vehicle, Flat Bed Truck The testing was carried out on a set route in a closed area of the logistics district in Dubai South with the Evocargo N1 unmanned electric truck

Autonomous vehicles pass test in UAE

Self-driving vehicles are to be rolled out across the UAE following successful trials in Dubai South. Evocargo, which is headquartered in Dubai, ran the tests and is confident that autonomous vehicles will be available within Dubai South in the first quarter of next year.  The company then plans to expand into neighbouring Ras Al Khaimah […]

lucid ev

Saudi-backed Lucid EV makes more cars but lags target

Saudi-backed US electric vehicle maker Lucid has increased Q2 production by 22 percent but still looks likely to miss its annual targets. Some 2,110 vehicles were produced, compared to 1,728 in the previous quarter. However, the company’s annual target is 9,000 units.  The company also received a setback when the US National Highway Traffic Safety […]

The Byd booth at the Auto Shanghai show in April 2023. The new Byd factory in Turkey will boost its access to the EU

Chinese EV maker Byd to open $1bn plant in Turkey

Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer Byd will construct a $1 billion plant in Turkey, according to a news report. The agreement was signed between the Chinese company and Turkey’s industry and technology ministry on Monday in the presence of Turkey’s president Tayyip Erdogan. Bloomberg reported citing officials that the announcement planned on Monday. The electric […]

Tesla introduced a Model Y variant in Turkey with a single motor and power output under 160KW

Tesla outpaces Togg with Turkey-specific model

Tesla sales in Turkey surpassed those of the local brand Togg in June, following the introduction of a model tailored for the Turkish market. The US electric vehicle (EV) maker sold 2,670 units of the Model Y RWD sport-utility vehicle (SUV), designed to avoid high taxes on vehicles exceeding 160 kilowatts of power, the Daily […]

Lithium fields in the Atacama desert in Chile. Saudi Arabia’s mining minister Bandar Alkhorayef is due to visit Chile next month

Saudi’s Almar Water explores lithium venture in Chile

Almar Water Solutions, a water infrastructure developer and part of Saudi Arabian company Abdul Latif Jameel Energy, plans to partner with Chile’s state-backed Codelco in the Maricunga lithium mining project. The Spain-based company aims to leverage its technology to extract battery-metal lithium, Reuters reported, quoting CEO Carlos Cosin. Chile is the world’s second-largest lithium producer […]

Morocco is rich in phosphate resources, which are key to making lithium-iron-phosphate cells

China picks Morocco for Europe’s EV battery supply

China is intent on establishing a battery supply chain for the European electric vehicle (EV) market in Morocco, a top Volkswagen executive has said. The initiative comes as Europe grapples with challenges in establishing its industry to support EV manufacturing. “We don’t have any supply chain. This has to be set up,” Bloomberg reported, quoting […]

The EV factory in Morocco is expected to create thousands of jobs and begin with a 20 gigawatt capacity

Morocco signs Chinese deal to build EV battery factory

China has announced a second large-scale investment in Morocco’s electric vehicle sector with plans for an EV battery factory to take advantage of access to the European market and a burgeoning automotive sector. A $1.3 billion deal has been signed between the Moroccan government and the Chinese-European group Gotion High Tech to build a gigafactory […]

Tesla insurance crash

UAE car insurers boycott Teslas over high repair costs

Insurance companies are refusing to offer fully comprehensive insurance cover for Tesla electric vehicles in the UAE because of the huge cost of repairs, a lack of repair expertise and an increased number of accidents. “The repair invoice for Tesla is almost three times as much as an average car,” said Issam Mouslimani, goodwill ambassador […]

The American electric car maker Lucid, backed by Saudi Arabia, has teamed up with EVIQ

Saudi deal with Lucid powers up EV charging network

US electric vehicle manufacturer Lucid has partnered with a Saudi government entity to create a much-needed network of charging hubs around the Gulf state. There were less than 1,000 electric cars on the roads in Saudi Arabia in 2023.  Saudi-backed Lucid signed an agreement on May 29 with the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Company (EVIQ), which […]

Adnoc Distribution plans to open 15 to 20 new fuel stations this year

Adnoc Distribution targets 200 EV stations this year

Adnoc Distribution, the UAE’s largest fuel and convenience retailer, is planning to more than double the number of fast electric vehicle (EV) charging stations as part of its five-year expansion strategy. The company has 90 fast EV charging points and aims to reach 150-200 by the end of the year, the UAE state-run Wam news […]

EV charger network UAE

UAE to roll out countrywide EV fast charger network

The UAE is speeding up the expansion of its electric vehicle charger infrastructure in support of the energy transition, the shift from fossil-based systems of energy production. UAEV, a joint venture between the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure and Etihad Water and Electricity that was announced on Monday, intends to build a network of high-performance […]

A Geely Galaxy E8 electric vehicle at Auto China 2024. Geely is one of the most popular Chinese car brands in the Gulf

Chinese carmakers ‘taking Gulf by storm’

Chinese carmakers now claim a sizeable chunk of new car sales in the Gulf and it is likely they will increase their market share further by wooing regional consumers through their vehicles’ innovative designs and perceived value for money. That is the prediction of Amir Khurshid, CEO of Saudi Arabia’s ThinkDirect Automotive Consulting and an […]

Emirates Global and Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development plan to develop a factory that can produce electric buses and trucks

Deal signed to build electric bus factory in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi is planning a factory to manufacture and build electric buses and trucks. The Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development has signed an agreement with Emirates Global Industries, part of Alfahim Group, for the project. The agreement also includes plans to establish manufacturing facilities to meet the anticipated growth in demand for energy storage […]

Lucid cut the price of its flagship Air model in February by as much as 10 percent

Lucid cuts electric car prices but posts higher revenue

Saudi-backed US electric vehicle maker Lucid reported first-quarter revenue above analysts’ estimates this week as it sets to produce more cars this year but selling at cheaper prices to spur sales.  The Nasdaq-listed EV company had cut prices of its flagship Air sedans in February by up to 10 percent, as customers globally began to […]

Robots on the production line of an EV factory in Guangzhou, China. Saudi Arabia has yet to open its first EV manufacturing facility

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 […]

US company Albemarle controls 20% of the world's lithium market but Gulf companies have their sights set on production too

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 […]