Abu Dhabi to develop new electric vehicle charging infrastructure

Abu Dhabi will get new charging infrastructure and other related digital platforms following an agreement between two companies.

Mubadala Investment Company PJSC (Mubadala) and ENGIE, a worldwide energy leader on Tuesday announced that they signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore the development of a digital platform for charging electric vehicles in Abu Dhabi and the Middle East region.

Under the agreement, both companies will work together to explore the development of a digital platform which will include a joint solution for the installation and operation of charging infrastructure in Abu Dhabi and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Additionally, the parties will explore further areas of collaboration related to sustainable mobility.

With the transport sector known as a significant contributor of global carbon footprint, electric vehicles are being seen as a key to support decarbonizing the sector, with emissions from EVs up to 43 per cent lower than traditionally fuelled vehicles as reported by Carbon Brief. Developing an EV friendly digital platform can play an important role for the UAE to meet the goals of its Strategic Initiatives Net Zero by 2050.

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The agreement was signed by Badr Al Olama, Executive Director at UAE Investments, in Mubadala Investment Company, and Ian Harfield, Managing Director of ENGIE Energy Solutions (GCC).

Badr Al Olama, Executive Director at UAE Investments, in Mubadala Investment Company said: “As a responsible investor, Mubadala is committed to driving sustainability in the UAE and the wider region by laying the foundation and advancing future focused sectors in the fields of technology and mobility. Our agreement with ENGIE will support developing a digital platform for charging electric vehicles, and creating accessible, safe and sustainable mobility solutions to support the UAE’s climate action agenda.”

Commenting on the strategic partnership, Ian Harfield, Managing Director of ENGIE Energy Solutions said, “By 2030, 60 per cent of the global population will live in cities. Therefore, sustainable mobility will emerge as one of the greatest challenges facing urban planners. Adoption of clean fuels and electrification of public and private transport systems will be key levers for reducing carbon emissions and pollutants in cities. The UAE, in particular, is leading the change towards independent electric cars in the region and targets to enter about 42,000 electric cars on its streets by 2030. This partnership with Mubadala is a commitment of our contribution to the UAE’s evolution towards green mobility.”

• Abu Dhabi