The shift to electric vehicles is accelerating very quickly across the world. They now account for over 5% of all car sales – seen as the tipping point into mainstream adoption – in 23 major countries.
In the UAE, EV sales still only account for 1% of the overall automotive market sales, even though the government has set an ambitious target of converting 50% of all cars in the UAE to electric by 2050. The UAE’s Electric Vehicles Strategy will see the number of EVs on the roads increase rapidly to 42,000 by 2030.
Drivers in the UAE are highly receptive to electric vehicles, with a recent study showing that the UAE was ranked 8th in the Global Electric Mobility Readiness Index 2022 (the first GCC country in the top 10). While a recent Compare The Market report ranked the UAE as the fourth cheapest country in the world to charge an electric vehicle, it is a very promising sign of things to come for the green mobility transition of the country.
Against this backdrop, Al-Futtaim Electric Mobility Company is spearheading the development of a comprehensive EV ecosystem, including bringing world-renowned all-electric brands like Polestar and BYD to the UAE, alongside developing its charging platform, Charge2Moov. While the company is developing the infrastructure, in parallel, the company is now addressing the need for greater public awareness of e-mobility adoption to dispel any myths or misconceptions about electric vehicles. Especially knowing that 2/3rd of Google UAE requests about electric mobility are not brand-related, indicating that people in the UAE are still asking questions about the price, autonomy, safety, charging station network, and more. Al-Futtaim Electric Mobility Company has taken the initiative to ensure customers in the UAE get access to the correct and reliable information and support EVLife.ae through its communication partners.
The editorial platform includes a variety of curated content on the latest developments seen in the world of e-mobility around the world, alongside the benefits of going electric, how-to guides for first-time EV buyers, reviews of the latest EV models, interviews with industry experts, and news on governmental policies affecting electric mobility. It features non-biased news, updates, research, and information covering multiple brands, not explicitly limited to Al-Futtaim Automotive brands.
The content is published in English and Arabic. EVLife.ae is intended to become a credible source of knowledge for electric mobility adopters, manufacturers, regulators, and automotive stakeholders.
The official launch of EVLife.ae is on World EV Day (9 September). Now in its fourth year, World EV Day unites companies and individuals, policymakers and thought leaders, for a day of activations and announcements that continue to propel the e-mobility movement across the globe.
EV Life is an independent platform consisting of a website and social media channels, published by the creative agency Arduina and produced by RESET Media Group. Al-Futtaim Electric Mobility Company is the launch partner for the EV Life platform.
Dominic Shales, Editor of EV Life and Founder of RESET Media Group, commented, “The UAE is electrifying. We see tremendous interest from drivers in switching to electric cars, and our new platform helps people understand more about EVs, their advantages and how to make the switch. We are incredibly grateful to Al-Futtaim Electric Mobility Company for their support in enabling us to launch EV Life.
We saw a clear opportunity to create a content platform dedicated to EVs in the UAE. The UAE’s general news media and automotive media cover the topic, but there is real value in a dedicated platform with a clear and singular editorial focus.”
Commenting on the launch of EV Life, Hasan Nergiz, Managing Director of Al-Futtaim Electric Mobility Company, added, “With the UAE on a major green mobility transition, we realised through multiple surveys and studies that there is a gap in the market for reliable, localised information on electric vehicles. This is one of the hurdles for faster adoption, and we decided to support the EVLife.ae initiative as it will help fill in the information gap and guide customers to make well-informed decisions about transitioning to EVs. As one of the major stakeholders of the automotive industry in the UAE, we believe it is our responsibility to shed light on how the industry is progressing and provide credible, insightful information to steer the green transition in the UAE.”