Why electric-powered car sales are not soaring

Absence of recharging infrastructure remains a concern.

Abu Dhabi: Renault Twizy, an electric powered two-seater car got a lot of limelight during the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week where luxury car-maker Mercedes also displayed its 'S 500 e' a hybrid luxury vehicle to impress the global gathering of environmentalists.
Abu Dhabi's Al Masaood Automobiles which sells three top brands Nissan, Renault and Infiniti in the emirate has showcased Renault Twizy, an ultra mobile electric two-seater car.
The car dealers also offers two hybrid cars Nissan Pathfinder and Infiniti's Q50.
Briefing on his electric car, Syed Humayun Alam, general manager of the Al Masaood Automobiles said he has sold over 200 cars including electric-powered and hybrid automobiles in the past two years. It does not mean there's less interest in them, "there's moderate interest," he said.
Renault, which is miles ahead of other competitors with significant advancement in the manufacturing of electric vehicles, were the first to market such a car in the Middle East.
Most of these cars have been purchased by financially well off customers, who have more than one cars to drive and live in palaces, spacious villas or farm houses, where they can recharge these vehicles. "It's nearly impossible for a driver living in an apartment building to recharge his car, which is not very difficult also, he said. "All you need is a 220V power socket to plug-in to recharge batteries, which normally takes between 4-6 hours," Humayun said.
And since recharging infrastructure is not available across the country that's the key main reason why sales are not picking up, he said.
The 1.6 cc electric car has a price tag of Dh70,000, which is quite affordable with the 30-35 per cent savings on fuel it offers comparing with other vehicles. "Its 6.1 kWh battery can take you 160-kilometers," Humayun said.
Zero emission car can be made more popular in the country, if recharging facilities are erected at petrol stations, and special parking spaces are developed in the malls and in the office towers or government complexes, where these cars can be recharged, he said.
In Europe and US, where adequate recharge facilities are available, Nissan's LEAF, a popular electric car sales are soaring new highs already surpassing 300,000 cars, providing pollution-free cheap transport. Another vehicle which drew attention from the visitors to the mega environment show was Mercedes Benz Plug-in, a hybrid car displayed by Abu Dhabi's luxury car seller Emirates Motor Company.
"The car can cover up to 33-kilometres on electric power alone with zero emission," Nassim Mourani general manager at EMC Passenger Cars said.
An Emirati Omar Al Bussaidy was impressed by the powerful performance of the 8-cylinder engine which offered an outstanding V8-like driving experience with the fuel efficiency of a 4-cylinder car when he drove on hybrid from Abu Dhabi to Al Ain. The car raced from 0 to 100 km/h in just 5.2 seconds, he said.
Lauren Lien, an expatriate passionate about preserving the environment, took the 'S500e' for a spin around the city and admired the emission-free driving experience where just 3 liters/100 kilometers of fuel was consumed - equivalent of 65g of CO? per kilometers emissions.
It also sports innovative features that are unique to vehicles in its class such as the intelligent driving strategy or radar-based regenerative braking, he said.
The first luxury saloon consumes less than 3.0 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers.
Humayun Alam said that electric vehicles do not emit any CO2, NOx, fine particles, odours or engine noise.
"Our fast growing cities will benefit from electric vehicles because they improve air quality and reduce urban noise levels," Humayun Alam said.
haseeb@khaleejtimes.com