Saudi deal with Lucid powers up EV charging network

• Lucid signs deal with EVIQ
• Less than 1,000 EVs in 2023
• Ambitious manufacturing plans

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 was set up in 2023 by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Saudi Electricity. 

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EVIQ’s CEO Mohammad Bakr Gazzaz said in a statement that partnering with Lucid allows it to expand its fast charging network: “Our mission is to empower Saudi drivers with superior EV chargers and technologies.”

Saudi imports of electric vehicles rose from only 210 in 2022 to 779 in 2023. However the government hopes that it can become a green economy leader through the manufacture and use of electric cars. 

• EV imports rise in Saudi Arabia, but only to 779 cars
• UAE to roll out countrywide EV fast charger network
• If EVs can make it here, they can make it anywhere

There are currently no domestic EV manufacturers in the country, but there are plans to produce 500,000 units a year for export and domestic use by 2030. 

Two factories could start operations this year, run by Ceer, a joint venture between PIF and Taiwan’s Foxconn, and Lucid itself, which is 60 percent owned by PIF. 

EVIQ

Saudi Arabia had only 104 battery charging stations in 2023, according to Electromaps. 

In the UAE, by contrast, 13 percent of the vehicles sold in 2023 were EVs, which was three and a half times as many as the year before. There were almost 26,000 EVs in Dubai at the end of 2023, up 70 percent from a year earlier. 

Longer driving distances in Saudi Arabia could hinder the spread of EVs, analysts say.