Abu Dhabi launches regulatory policy for EV charging infrastructure

Abu Dhabi has launched a regulatory policy for electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure in the emirate.

According to the Abu Dhabi Media Office, the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy (DoE) announced the criteria for establishing a network of EV charging stations across the UAE capital.

“The policy for electric vehicle charging in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi is a significant step for enabling the growth of an EV charging infrastructure in the emirate is in line with Abu Dhabi’s economic diversification strategies and commitment to the Paris Agreement on climate change. Given that the largest demand for energy comes from the industry, construction, and transport, DoE recognises that decarbonising these sectors requires electricity from clean and renewable sources. Therefore, one of our main focuses at DoE is to support the transition of our transportation sector towards electricity and away from fossil fuels, and with the globally proven benefits of increasing the use of electric vehicles that are charged from the electrical grid system, we have built a strong economic and environmental case for growing Abu Dhabi’s EV and EV infrastructure markets.” said Engineer Awaidha Al Marar, chairman of DoE.

DoE’s policy supports Abu Dhabi’s Low Emission Vehicle Strategy aimed at diversifying the sources of energy used in the transition towards electrification.

At the present time, the uptake of electric vehicles in Abu Dhabi is still in its infancy, but the DoE has projected that technical developments in the near future are likely to result in increased customer demand for these vehicles that will likely become mainstream in the emirate over the coming decade and onwards.

A key barrier to customers purchasing EVs is ‘range anxiety’ – in other words a concern that they will not be able to find somewhere to charge their EV when using it away from home. The policy will enable necessary investments into this EV charging infrastructure and help tackle this range anxiety. This should in turn, also encourage consumers to purchase and use EVs in the emirate.

In other news, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) announced that it had – through its EV Green Charger initiative – provided more than 8,800 megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity to charge electric vehicles (EVs) in Dubai since 2015.

Read: DEWA EV Green Chargers provide 8,800+ MWh of electricity to date