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UAE: Free Salik registration, parking for newly launched heavy-duty electric truck
The country has been aggressively pushing to reach the net zero 2050 target across all sectors, especially on the mobility front
New Salik gate opens on Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai
Al-Futtaim Auto & Machinery Company (Famco) on Tuesday launched the first-ever heavy-duty electric truck in the UAE and Middle East region.
The truck, manufactured by Sweden’s automobile giant Volvo, has a capacity of 40 tonnes and can run 300 kilometres on a full charge and takes only 2.5 hours to fully recharge in DC mode and 9.5 hours in AC mode. The first batch has been sold to FMCG major Unilever.
Ramez Hamdan, managing director for industrial equipment for UAE, Saudi and Qatar at Famco, said it’s one of the fastest vehicles to be charged and has been tested in hot and cold weather.
In terms of the economic aspect, he said the total cost of an e-truck is much lower than a diesel-operated truck, considering the downtime of the vehicle and the cost of diesel consumption.
“Around 65 per cent of the cost comes from diesel, so firms are a big chunk of that by using e-trucks. Yes, there might be initial big investment, but in the short term, firms will start seeing savings from using electric trucks.”
The truck comes with a 10-year warranty and service contracts. The trucks can mainly be used for transporting FMCG goods and logistics.
Hamdan, however, refused to disclose the price of the newly-launched e-truck.
Free parking, Salik registration
He added that the government is providing strong support when it comes to electronic mobility solutions.
“We have seen a lot of support from different entities such as municipalities and police. Government has many initiatives like you don’t pay for Salik registration and no registration renewal fees. Even parking is free,” he said.
Currently, electronic car owners also enjoy free parking and exemption from toll gate Salik registration.
The UAE has been aggressively pushing to reach the net zero 2050 target across all sectors, especially on the mobility front. The UAE is ranked eighth globally in terms of readiness or electric mobility, according to Arthur D. Little.
Liselott Andersson, Swedish ambassador to the UAE, said her country’s goal is to reach net zero by 2045 by the latest. ”It is the responsibility of everyone to reduce greenhouse gas emission.”
Hamdan said the group is seriously committed to the UAE’s net zero 2050 strategy.
In terms of infrastructure, he said, Famco is working on the infrastructure with big companies and the government to make it available to companies to charge e-trucks for their ease of operation.
“A lot of attention and interest are coming from companies to start moving into electric trucks... By 2050, we are aiming to have all of our units electric, maybe way ahead of 2050. Now we are starting with 5-10 per cent of our total volume. As the infrastructure is developed further, this number will definitely go up,” he said.
Currently, there are three charging stations installed across different areas for the Unilever trucks.
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