Jameel Motors’ Youssef Hussein on EVs, expansion and future of mobility

In this interview with Gulf Business, Jameel Motors chief commercial officer – Mobility – Youssef Hussein details the strategic launch of Farizon’s electric commercial vehicle lineup in the UAE, a move directly aligned with the nation’s ambitious ‘Net Zero by 2050’ policy. He explains how Jameel Motors is creating an integrated ecosystem of service, financing, and partnerships to ensure a smooth, cost-effective transition for commercial fleets.

Can you share Jameel Motors’ strategy for entering the UAE market and how it fits into your broader international expansion plans?

Jameel Motors’ entry into the UAE market represents a key phase in their international expansion strategy. The UAE is witnessing a rapid transition toward sustainable mobility, driven by ambitious government initiatives such as the Net Zero by 2050 strategic plan and the National Electric Fleet Vehicles Policy, which targets electric and hybrid vehicles comprising 50 per cent of all UAE road vehicles by 2050.

Farizon’s comprehensive lineup of electric commercial vehicles, ranging from light-duty vans to heavy-duty trucks are designed to meet the diverse operational demands of fleets across the UAE. These vehicles are built to deliver efficiency, reliability, and performance for a wide range of commercial applications, supporting the UAE’s broader shift toward sustainable transportation.

Our approach in the UAE reflects Jameel Motors’ wider international strategy of building integrated mobility ecosystems that go beyond vehicle sales to include financing, service infrastructure, and partnerships. This model, which we are scaling across multiple global markets, ensures a smooth and cost-efficient transition for commercial operators toward electrification.

How is Jameel Motors building the ecosystem to support commercial electric fleets, from charging infrastructure and fleet management to partnerships and service networks?

Our market approach is designed to make commercial EV adoption both practical and sustainable. We’ve established a dedicated authorised service centre in Dubai, with expansion plans across the emirates, ensuring comprehensive parts availability, and efficient solutions for our customers.

Beyond service infrastructure, we’re working closely with key partners across the ecosystem – including leasing companies, banks, insurance providers, roadside assistance teams, and charging infrastructure developers to provide the financial accessibility and operational support that fleets need to electrify confidently.

This collaborative model reduces risk, spreads investment across stakeholders, and ensures a smooth operational experience from the point of acquisition to long-term maintenance.

What sets Jameel Motors apart from other players in the UAE’s commercial EV space, and how are you creating a competitive advantage?

Our competitive edge lies in our ability to deliver end-to-end fleet electrification solutions rather than standalone products. Through our strategic leasing partners, we are working collaboratively to provide the best solutions to customers.

Through these measures we’ve built an ecosystem that supports fleet operators throughout their transition journey, offering tailored solutions that balance cost, uptime, and performance.

Our product range, powered by Farizon’s technology, covers every fleet category (light, medium, and heavy-duty), ensuring customers have access to vehicles suited to their specific business models and operational environments.

With commercial EV adoption projected to grow rapidly in the UAE, what are the key opportunities and challenges you see in scaling these fleets?

The UAE’s commercial EV sector is positioned for exponential growth, with the commercial vehicle market projected to expand from $2.6bn in 2025 to $3.95bn by 2030, and the electric segment growing at nearly 35 per cent annually.

The main opportunity lies in lowering the total cost of ownership. Electric vehicles deliver long-term operational savings through reduced maintenance costs, lower energy expenses, and higher efficiency. The challenge today lies in ensuring the availability of commercial-scale charging infrastructure, particularly for heavy-duty and long-haul applications.

With transport authorities across the emirates outlining roadmaps for network expansion and partnerships with private providers already underway, we are confident that infrastructure readiness will continue to strengthen in parallel with market demand.

How are government initiatives, such as the UAE’s Net Zero by 2050 plan and the National Electric Fleet Vehicles Policy, shaping your approach to the market?

Government policy has been central to shaping our strategy in the UAE. The Net Zero by 2050 plan and the National Electric Fleet Vehicles Policy (2023) have set clear direction for the industry, targeting EVs and hybrids to make up half of all vehicles on UAE roads by mid-century.

These policies provide both the framework and the confidence for companies like ours to invest heavily in local infrastructure and partnerships. They also reinforce the growing alignment between sustainability goals and commercial viability, encouraging businesses to electrify with long-term certainty.

As infrastructure expands and emission standards tighten (particularly with Euro 6 regulations expected to increase ICE vehicle costs), we anticipate a significant acceleration in electric fleet adoption supported by both government leadership and market readiness.

Looking ahead, what trends in mobility, technology, or logistics do you think will have the biggest impact on commercial electric fleets in the region?

The coming years will see strong convergence between electrification, digitalization, and infrastructure development. As battery technology advances and ranges extend, electric vehicles will become increasingly viable for a wider range of fleet applications.

At the same time, data-driven fleet management will play a greater role in optimizing routes, monitoring vehicle performance, and reducing downtime (all key to maximising fleet uptime and profitability).

We also foresee greater collaboration among ecosystem players – from banks and charging providers to logistics operators, creating shared investment models that make electrification more accessible.

Supported by government-driven infrastructure development and a strong ecosystem of partners, the UAE is well-positioned to become a regional leader in commercial electric mobility.