Image credit: WAM
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) plans to accelerate the roll-out of green fast and ultra-fast charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs) and expects to operate 1,000 charging points by the end of 2025.
Majid Hilal Al Hazami, director of Smart Grid Projects Management at DEWA told Emirates News Agency that the utility firm currently operates around 390 charging stations and work is underway to expand the network, with an increase in the proportion of ultra-fast chargers.
Al Hazami said that the time to charge about 80 per cent of a car’s battery using ultra-fast chargers ranges from 20 to 40 minutes, depending on the capacity and vehicle type.
Dubai’s move to green mobility received a strong boost in 2015 when DEWA launched its EV Green Charger Initiative as part of its Green Mobility Strategy 2030.
The number of EV owners registered under the initiative has increased from a mere 14 in 2015 to more than 11,000 by the end of May 2023. The figure is expected to double soon. By 2030, Dubai aims to have over 42,000 electric cars on its roads.
DEWA accelerates Dubai’s green mobility
Meanwhile, DEWA joined the Charging Interface Initiative (CharIN) as a core member in July 2023, a move that reinforces the utility major’s commitment to advancing green mobility and energy.
The membership will allow DEWA to actively participate in establishing industry standards for EV charging systems.
It will also pave the way for the company to collaborate on developing new technologies to improve the efficiency of green mobility, reduce EV charging costs, and increase charging speed.
DEWA said its involvement in CharIN ensures that the organisation remains aligned with global benchmarks and stays updated with the latest industry advancements.
DEWA’s EV Green Chargers have provided 13,264 MWh of electricity from 2015 to the end of 2022, powering a cumulative electric vehicle distance of over 66.3 million km.
By the end of 2022, the stations recorded over 720,000 charging sessions conducted by 9,653 registered electric vehicles.
The move aligns with the UAE’s broader strategies to reduce carbon emissions, starting from the deployment of electric buses and taxis, and extending to improvements in public services.
Abu Dhabi’s TAQA and ADNOC Distribution established E2GO in January 2023 – a mobility venture that will build and operate EV infrastructure in Abu Dhabi and the wider UAE.
Earlier in 2024, Schneider Electric partnered with Charge&Go, a unit of e& Group, to drive the development of EV charging infrastructure in the UAE.