The Sustainabilist - Future Accelerated

The Sustainabilist ISSUE 17

Future Accelerated

ISBN 978 - 1978357310

NEW MOBILITY AGE

CHARGING AHEAD

Insight Into the Emerging Market

UAE’s Trailblazing Chargers Infrastructure

SPARKING EXCHANGE

EXCLUSIVE BUYERS GUIDE

Your EV Queries & Concerns Addressed

Picking Your New Car Made Easy

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Issue 17 | September 2019

C

oncern about climate change is at an all-time high, and the impact and role of the transport sector, is a key component in the global climate conversation.

Transportation is responsible for 24% of direct CO2 emissions from fuel combustion. Global transport emissions increased by only 0.6% in 2018 (compared with 1.6% annually in the past decade) owing to efficiency improvements, electrification and greater use of biofuels.

Eng Waleed Bin Salman Chairman Dubai Carbon

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The Sustainabilist is published by Dubai Carbon.

Articles reprinted in this issue are copyrighted 2019

by Dubai Carbon. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any manner, in whole or in part, without prior written permission of Dubai Carbon is expressively prohibited.

Printed by: Al Ghurair Printing and Publishing LLC P.O. Box - 5613, Dubai, UAE. Nothing in this magazine shall be taken as technical or advice and DCCE waives any liability with respect to any representations made.

Progress in decarbonising the power sector will accelerate the CO2 emission reduction benefits of electric vehicles.

Dubai is already leading the charge by launching the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy, under which the city aims to produce 75 per cent of its energy requirements from clean sources by 2050.

This is also in alignment with the UAE Energy Strategy which aims to produce 50 per cent of the UAE’s energy needs from clean sources by 2050. This will result in reducing the carbon foot print of power generation by 70 per cent, resulting in savings of AED 700 billion by 2050.

A reduction in the levels of transport CO2 and pollutant emissions will require sustained policy efforts to enhance efficiency and electrification. According to an analysis by the International Energy Agency (IEA), the shift to a more sustainable transport system could save governments, companies, and individuals up to US$70 trillion by 2050.

Another core matter, seen as holding back

“

The UAE ranked 5th highest globally, in the number of charging stations per 100 kilometres of paved road.

“

Letter from the Editor in Chief

adoption, is a lack of sufficient charging points. The IEA projects a need for as many as 30 million public chargers to serve passenger vehicles worldwide by 2030. Currently, there are approximately 632,000 public charging stations around the world serving a global electric fleet of around 5 million vehicles. We are making swift and steady progress in developing an infrastructure to support plug-in electric vehicles. The UAE ranked 5th highest globally, in the number of charging stations per 100 kilometres of paved road.

The city leadership’s role in leading the debate, educating the public, and championing electric transport is one of its most important and valuable tasks. Global consumer interest in EV technology is growing but how EV adoption is promoted at a governmental level could have major implications for consumer adoption. With this issue, we aim to educate the public on the importance of electric vehicles and address the concerns surrounding them.

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2019 EDITORIAL CALENDAR JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCH

APRIL

MAY

ENERGY

TECHNOLOGY

WASTE

GREEN INVESTMENTS

TOURISM

JUNE

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

CLIMATE CHANGE

Trending Topic

WATER

SAUDI ARABIA

ELECTRIC VEHICLE

YOUTH & EDUCATION

PERMANENT DISTRIBUTION POINTS EGA

DEWA SUST

Al Taweelah Area

Al Quoz

ZOOM EPPCO Oud Metha Rd, E 66, Opp Healthcare City

DEWA HQ

DEWA

ZOOM ENOC Oud Al Muteena 2 D54 Dubai

Sheikh Rashid Road

Warsan

Suqia

Dubai Science Park

Sheikh Rashid Road

Dubai Studio City

ZOOM ENOC Oud Metha Rd, E 66, JW Mariott Hotel

MOCCAE

Emirates Transport

ZOOM ENOC Oud Metha Rd, E 66, Opp Al Wasl Club

Al Ruwayyah 2

Umm Ramool

Dubai Municipality

ABU DHABI AIRPORTS

DUBAI AIRPORTS

Al Hudaiba, Bur Dubai

Etihad Lounges

Marhaba Lounge

Etihad Training Center

DXB Civil Aviation first class lounge

IRENA Near Masdar City, Abu Dhabi

Sustainable City Al Qudrah Street

MASDAR Masdar City, Abu Dhabi

ZOOM ENOC Shk Rasheed Rd, D 75

UBER Dubai Internet City

ENGIE Dubai Media City

EMPOWER

AL Dhabi Lounge

Al Hudaiba, Bur Dubai

Golden Class Lounge Royal Jet

ENOC

Design District

Al Bateen Private Jet

Bur Dubai

Smart Dubai

AL Reem Lounges

British Airways Lounge Al Majlis VVIP lounge

Issue 17 | September 2019

Contents

CHINESE EVS

The Sustainabilist ISSUE 17

Future Accelerated

NEW MOBILITY AGE Insight Into the Evolving Used Market

SPARKING EXCHANGE Your EV Queries & Concerns Addressed

CHARGING AHEAD UAE’s Trailblazing Chargers Infrastructure

EXCLUSIVE BUYERS GUIDE Picking Your Next Car Made Easy

The Sustainabilist analyses the role and importance of Electric Vehicles in the region and highlights their contribution towards a healthy and stable environment.

28

BRUCE ROBERTSON MANAGING DIRECTOR, JAGUAR LAND ROVER MENA

DEWA - A FUTURE IN GREEN

42

16 44

MIKE SONG, HEAD OF OPERATIONS, HYUNDAI MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

01

Editor In Chief’s Letter

04

Youth - DEWA’s Carbon Ambassadors Programme

05

Latest News

06

Review - Jaguar’s I Pace

08

Dr Hamid Haqparwar, Managing Director BMW

10

RTA Leading the Charge

12

Review - Audi E-tron

14

The Green Economist

15

Top 10 – EV Myths Busted

18

Revolutionary Road

20

Enabling Synergies

22

I Am The Sustainabilist

24

Review - Nissan Leaf

26

Adoption of Electric Vehicles

30

Evolution of EV Batteries

32

Review - Renault Zoe

34

The New Age of Mobility

36

Infographic - EV Buyer Insights

38

School

39

Top Tips

40

Review - Tesla Model S

46

Review - Tesla Model X

48

Jorge Bialade, General Manager Yallamotors

50

Review - Chevrolet Bolt

52

Research – EV Buyer’s Guide

57

Person - Tom Lee, Middle East Managing Director, SAIC

58

Project – UAE’s First Electric Bus

59

Product - BMW Power BEV

60

Index – EV Sales as a % of Total Global Vehicle Sales

3

The Sustainabilist | Electric Vehicles

YOUTH

“Carbon Ambassadors” Trained on Disruptive Innovation and Blockchain In July 2019, the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) organised a training programme for the 4th batch of the ‘Carbon Ambassadors Programme’, an initiative aimed at raising the involvement of youth in national and global issues and raising their interest in sustainable energy, climate change and conservation of natural resources.

D

EWA’s smart approach to the use of emerging technologies, including blockchain, in addressing various issues was recognised at Smart Government Services Excellence Award for providing the best smart services, at the 25th Middle East Smart Government & Smart Cities Excellence Awards, which was organised by the Middle East Excellence Awards Institute in Dubai in July 2019.

The organisation’s drive to integrate various innovations to enhance capabilities and streamline processes was reflected also in the “Carbon Ambassadors” programme.

The initiative was launched by DEWA and held at their Campus for Occupational and Academic 4

Development, with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and in collaboration with Dubai Carbon.

“The Carbon Ambassadors Programme aims to empower Emirati youth and develop their capabilities to actively support and implement government strategies to reduce carbon emissions and developing appropriate mechanisms to achieve this objective. Carbon Ambassadors are the next generation of experts and leaders who will implement the ambitious national strategies and plans and contribute to innovating pioneering initiatives and programmes to consolidate sustainability,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA. The fourth batch of the programme focused on the disruptive innovation

model, Blockchain and its working mechanism and how to use them in environmental conservation programmes and working with other organisations.

The programme also supports the Emirates Blockchain Strategy to enhance the efficiency of government performance by transforming 50 per cent of federal government transactions to the blockchain platform by 2021, and the Dubai Blockchain Strategy, to transform Dubai’s government into the world’s first government to conduct all its applicable transactions via the Blockchain network by 2020.

Dr Yousef Al Akraf, Executive Vice President of Business Support and Human Resources at DEWA, said that 180 young Emirati students and employees have graduated from the Carbon Ambassadors Programme so far.

Issue 17 | September 2019

In coordination with its strategic partners and in the Emirate, RTA will specify the air routes of journeys, take-off and landing points of these taxis as well as the logistics needed to ensure safe and smooth mobility of passengers.

Of course, the most sustainable magazine is one that does not use any paper at all! That is why The Sustainabilist will only be printed till the end of Expo 2020.

We are building a community and hope to migrate to 100% digital well before our set target date. After all the Sustainabilist is a vehicle to raise awareness, and encourage dialogue. If you wish to help us, please contribute and comment on www.thesustainabilist.ae/contribute

The Sustainabilist

683 KG

Exploring Safaqat

DP World reveals its distributed solar project

ISBN 978 - 1978357310

CONNECTING THE UAE

DISRUPTORS

Shams Dubai

Small investment: Big impact

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The Sustainabilist

1,964 KG Personal Loans

ISSUE 03

Green Finance. Banking on Sustainability

The hassle-free, digital Personal Loan solution is here 50% off on Processing Fees* GREEN GOALS

PRIVATE PUBLIC PARTNERSHIP

Interview with Suvo Sarkar

Promoting green investment

CRYPTOCURRENCY REWARDS

ISBN 978 - 1978357310

ISBN 978 - 1978357310

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Issue 8

CO2e

BRINGING SOLAR TO THE NATION

POWERING BUSINESS GROWTH

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Connect with us

685794

CO2e

The Sustainabilist ISSUE 02

Climate Change. A Private Sector Affair.

THE UAE’S CLIMATE AC CTION

BLOCKCHAIN MEETS CLIMATE CHANGE

I terview with His Exc In xcel elle lenc le n y nc Dr. Thani Al Zeyouudi

A Game-Changing Approach to Fighting Climate Change

AED 100 MILLION RETROFIITTING DUBAI

PLASTIC. FANTASTIC?

Duubaai Ai Airp rpor orrt Part artne n rs wit ithh Et Etihad Etih ad Esc scoo

Understanding packaging

Issue 7

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ISBN ISB N 978 978 8 - 1978357310 1978357 1978 357310 310

Issue 3

683 KG

CO2e

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The Sustainabilist ISSUE 01

WATER, LIQUID GOLD

EXPO 2020 CHANGES

81 BILLION INVESTED IN ENERGY AND WATER

Towards, during and after 2020

THE ENERGY REVOLUTION

Exclusive interview with the MD and CEO of DEWA

On the water desalination front: sustainable energy as a core business

1,708 KG

CO2e

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Expo 2020 Dubai

MISSION WATER

THOUGHT LEADER ISBN 978 - 1978357310

Issue 10

ISSUE 04

Fuelling Sustainable Energy

THINK FRESH

NASA’s Ecostress

His Excellency Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer

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The Sustainabilist ISSUE 09

Electrifying

TRANSPORTING VISION 2021

NEED FOR SPEED

Emirates Transport’s Innovations

DP World’s Hyperloop

GREEN AIRPORTS TAKE OFF ISBN 978 - 1978357310

ISBN 978 - 1978357310

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Issue 9

Atlas Copco revolutionises the cement industry

MAP TO MANUFACTURING OECD outlines sustainability action plan

Miraah full scale mega project

FACE OF THE MONTH His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum

FUEL EFFICIENT FALCONS Nature Leading Engineers

Managing Abu Dhabi Airports

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1708 KG

CO2e

598 KG

CO2e

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The Sustainabilist SPECIAL EDITION

Green is the New Gold

ISBN 978 - 1978357310

EGA discusses its sustainability initiatives

SOLAR THERMAL POWER

ISSUE 10

For the Love of Water.

The Sustainabilist ISSUE 07

The Future is Smart

PIONEERING TRANSPORT

INDUSTRY 4.0 Virtual Revolution

Hyperloop

INNOVATIVE HOTSPOT

DISRUPTIVE BANKING

Dubai Design District

Emirates NBD

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The Sustainabilist ISSUE 06

A Journey Through Sustainable Tourism

GLOBAL AVIATION STANDARDS

DESERT CONSERVATION

Being Carbon Neutral

Al Marmoom Reserve

CHALLENGING THEME

ECO FRIENDLY LUXURY

Dubai Parks and Resorts

Armani Hotel Dubai

632 KG

CO2e

Sponsored by

ISBN 978 - 1978357310

CO2e

RELIABLE OPERATIONAL SAVINGS

The Sustainabilist

ISBN 978 - 1978357310

Issue 5

EGA CHAMPIONS SUSTAINABILITY

ISBN 978 - 1978357310

Issue 4

683 KG

ISSUE 05

Manufacturing Sustainable Production

Issue 6

Officials from Germany’s Greentech festival expect Volocopter to be commercialised in places like Dubai, Singapore and Germany by the end of next year. The Volocopter is the first manned, fully electric, vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. This vehicle is designed to carry two people.

The Sustainabilist

ISBN 978 - 1978357310

Flying taxis are on the way

circular economy perspective, the latter is more viable from both a resource consumption pattern and the circular life of resources.

Emissions from Issue 1 – 10

Issue 2

At present, just six per cent of private taxi vehicles are hybrid. That must rise to 10 per cent by 2020, up to 20 per cent in 2021. The proportion of environmentalfriendly vehicles will pick up to 30 per cent by 2022, and the momentum will continue annually afterwards to reach 40 per cent in 2023, 55 per cent in 2024, 70 per cent in 2025 and 90 per cent in 2026.

We have considered recycled paper, however to do that successfully, we would have to use twice as much recyclable paper, which would actually increase our emissions. Therefore, we use normal paper, but offset it. Under a

ISBN 978 - 1978357310

The Roads and Transport Authority has set annual targets to hit from next year and said 90 per cent of vehicles must be hybrid or electric by 2026. The vast majority are large Lexus ES and LS saloons - often with engines as large as 3.5litres, while others are seven-seaters. Fleets are often owned by companies and their drivers work as subcontractors for Uber and Careem.

A

t Dubai Carbon, we offset our resources used through our UAE-generated credit. A carbon offset is a reduction in emissions of carbon dioxide or greenhouse gases made in order to compensate for or to offset an emission made elsewhere. This approach, despite being more complex, is more beneficial in the long run as it has a 6x multiplier for green economy and green GDP.

ISBN 978 - 1978357310

Ridesharing ‘limousines’ to go green in Dubai by 2026

Achieving Carbon Neutrality

Issue 1

NEWS ROOM

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598 KG

CO2e

854 KG

CO2e

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Date: 19 December 2018 Reference: VC/0801/2018

VOLUNTARY CANCELLATION CERTIFICATE

Presented to: CDM Project 7260: DEWA Chiller Station L

Reason for cancellation: Voluntary cancellation made by Dubai Carbon to offset emissions generated from printing The Sustainabilist from October 2017 to October 2018

Number and type of units cancelled Start serial number: AE-5-621404-2-2-0-7260 End serial number: AE-5-621413-2-2-0-7260

10 CERs

Equivalent to 10 tonne(s) of CO2

The certificate is issued in accordance with the procedure for voluntary cancellation in the CDM Registry. The reason for cancellation included in this certificate is provided by the canceller.

5

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2019

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The Sustainabilist | Electric Vehicles

REVIEW

Issue 17 | September 2019

Jaguar’s all electric I PACE SUV

By Zaran Tarapore, YallaMotor

A

fter several prototype images, imaginative renderings and spy shot images made their way onto internet forums, Jaguar has pulled the covers off its all-new, all-electric I PACE SUV. Claimed to be the electric vehicle driving enthusiasts have long been waiting for, the I PACE aims to lure buyers away from the likes of the Tesla Model X. “We set out with a clean sheet approach to harness new battery electric technology with an architecture engineered from the outset to optimise EV performance, aerodynamics and interior space. The result is the I PACE – a true Jaguar and an electric dream come true, said Ian Hoban, Jaguar Vehicle Line Director.

Powered by a 90kWh Lithium-ion battery, the I PACE delivers a range of 480 kilometers per charge, while achieving in 0-80 per cent battery status in just 40 minutes with a DC rapid charger. Home charging with an AC wall box will achieve the same state of charge in just over ten

hours – ideal for overnight charging.

Revolutionary in terms of technology, the British SUV utilises two electric motors (which feature driveshafts passing through the motors), with one at each axle to produce a gobsmacking 395 horsepower and 696Nm of torque. The monstrous torque figure allows the I PACE to launch to 100 km/h in just 4.8 seconds.

Aesthetically, the I PACE borrows cues from the brand’s C-X75 supercar with a short, low bonnet line, aero-enhanced roof design and curved rear screen. Playing a fine balance between aerodynamics and cooling, the I PACE is equipped with Active Vanes in the grille that open when cooling is required and close at other times to improve airflow.

Likely to be a popular choice for those who wish to reduce their carbon footprint, the I PACE is expected to be available in the MENA region from later 2019 with a wider roll out in 2020.

7

The Sustainabilist | Electric Vehicles

INTERVIEW

Disrupting Mobility Dr Hamid Haqparwar, Managing Director BMW Group Middle East, talks to The Sustainabilist about BMW’s strategy for advancing sustainable mobility, partnership with Daimler AG and supporting Dubai’s smart vision.

W

hat is your EV strategy for this market and other emerging markets?

The automotive industry will continue to see an increase towards smarter, cleaner and sustainable mobility. BMW Group Middle East’s presence in the regional EV market already started 10 years ago when we launched the BMW 7 Series Hybrid and the BMW X6 Hybrid . Then in 2015, we were already offering our all-electric BMW i3 in Jordan. Our latest EV arrival to the UAE will be the BMW i3s later this year. I am convinced that offering visually pleasing, sustainable models packed with performance capabilities, is what will mainly attract consumers in our region here. BMW has been the most successful manufacturer of plug-hybrid models in the premium segment worldwide since 2015, and the following models are already available in our region: BMW 330e, 8

Issue 17 | September 2019

Do you see a trend in luxury car brands investing in hybrid engine/battery technology?

I can only talk about the BMW Group when it comes to this topic. Even though the industry is starting to shift towards adopting electric vehicles and autonomous driving, there are of course also other topics relevant for us since we do not like to put all our eggs in just one basket.

At BMW, we like to commit on achieving ambitious goals. For example: by the end of 2019, we aim to have over 500,000 plug-in hybrids and electric models on roads, worldwide. By 2023, we will have more than 25 electrified models – half of them pure electric and 2 years earlier than announced. Fuel cell technology is also another area which we are further developing alongside our cooperation partner. Drive trains with hydrogen fuel cells are characterised by their extended range, short refuelling times, and zero emissions. As you know, there is never just one perfect solution for every demand.

Different drive technologies will continue to coexist. We just look to use flexible platforms to enable solutions.

What about autonomous? Does your

customer want autonomous?

BMW Group has long been a pioneer in highly automated and autonomous driving.

The latest proof of this is the BMW iNEXT Vision vehicle. This will be our next major milestone – setting trends and standards

“

When it comes to shaping the future of mobility, we consider the entire value chain, with the aim of making it as sustainable as possible. Protection of the environment is accorded just as much importance as social compatibility and commercial viability.

“

BMW 530e, BMW 740Le, and BMW X5 XDrive40e, which join the existing plug-in hybrid BMW i8. However, the education on EVs is still crucial at this stage for the Middle East, to increase EV adoption rates in the region. Following the successful conclusion of the BMW i 1.0 era which enabled the company for e-mobility with the bookend models BMW i3 and BMW i8, the BMW i 2.0 era has already begun.

The focus will now be on the electrification of all BMW core series alongside the integration of autonomous driving, helping to draw the automotive industry into an age of interconnectivity and sustainability.

for future models across all our brands.

The BMW iNEXT will be available from 2021. In the same year, we will also be launching a test fleet of 500 iNEXT vehicles on the roads – all of them fully autonomous and already capable of Level 4.

Autonomous driving can do so much more: For one thing, there will be virtually no more accidents. That, in itself, is reason enough to research and invest in this technology! We are analysing possible critical driving situations – on the road and through virtual simulation. Safety is our top priority in developing automated vehicles. That is why we go to such lengths to safeguard these new technologies. By the time we launch our Level 3 system in

2021, we would have clocked upwards of 240 million test kilometres, around 95 percent from simulations. Important for us is that we do not tell our customers what to do, we want to convince them – with perfect products and services for their lives. The decisive thing is: We are capable of taking whatever action is needed and we are highly flexible in all technologies. That is the BMW way.

“The BMW Group and Daimler AG are pooling their mobility services to create a new global player providing sustainable urban mobility for customers.” How do you think this partnership will impact the future of EVs? The BMW Group and Daimler are pooling their mobility services in five Joint Ventures REACH NOW (Multimodal), CHARGE NOW (Charging), FREE NOW (Ride-Hailing), PARK NOW (Parking) and SHARE NOW (Car-Sharing). The mobility services of BMW and Daimler have built up a strong base of more than 66 million customers. The NOW Services will offer them an integrated, sustainable ecosystem of car-sharing, ride-hailing, parking, charging and multimodal transport services, all from a single provider and available on demand. The long-term vision of Daimler and BMW is to offer additional mobility services based on all-electric, self-driving (Level 5) fleets. The expansion of mobility services is an important pillar of BMW Group’s Strategy NUMBER ONE > NEXT. By establishing new business models, we can reach out to new customer groups and leverage earnings potential for the BMW Group. With localised approaches, we are working (with our service portfolio) hand-in-hand with cities and other stakeholders through the CoC Urban Mobility to create the mobile, liveable city of the future.

9

The Sustainabilist | Electric Vehicles

FEATURE

Leading the Charge Taking a look at the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority’s (RTA) initiatives to accelerate the adoption of EVs. 10

T

he world has begun a major transition in the way motor vehicles are powered. Globally, governments are seeking to reduce their dependency on finite fossil fuels, improve the air quality in their cities and cut their carbon footprint to combat global warming. The UAE is preparing for the day when the last barrel of oil will be exported. National and international emission limits are increasingly stringent and in the face of rapid urbanisation and increasing demand for travel, there is growing interest in Ultra Low Emission Vehicles (ULEV).

Issue 17 | September 2019

Consumer awareness and informed perception of the technology has been low. In 2013, such vehicles accounted for less than 1% of vehicle purchases in most countries. However, with automotive manufacturers now investing heavily in research and development and bringing commercial applications to market, governments providing increasing levels of support and public awareness of environmental issues, this share looks likely to increase substantially in coming years. The Dubai Supreme Council of Energy issued a directive, for10% of Dubai government’s newly purchased and rented vehicles to be electric or hybrid between 2016-2020.

Dubai alone will spend millions of dirhams on incentives, to have 42,000 electric vehicles (EVs) on the Emirate’s streets by 2030. Currently, the growth of electric vehicles seems very promising in Dubai as the latest figure for the year 2019 is about 850 vehicles with a steady growth rate.

Moreover, Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) through its vision “Safe & Smooth Transport for All’ supported by its strategic goals i.e. Smart Dubai, Integrated Dubai, Safety & Environment Sustainability, and Smooth transport for all, has set plans to adopting Electric and Hybrid vehicles within its fleet. RTA is working to convert 50% of the taxi fleet to hybrid cars by 2021, which led to invest in 105 BEV and 1800 HEV taxi fleets by end

“

Dubai alone will spend millions of dirhams on incentives to have 42,000 electric vehicles (EVs) on the Emirate’s streets by 2030.

“

Until recently, the limited choice of availability of electric vehicle models, and their performance coupled with high purchase costs, along with the gradual growth of charging infrastructure has made the adoption of electric vehicles a challenge, for significant public adoption and commercial mainstreaming.

of 2018. Moreover, RTA is also investings in Electric Taxis and total Electric taxis will be 200 by the end of 2019. Adopting these cars has reduced the carbon footprint of the Taxi fleet by more than 32,000 tCO2e in the last 5 years.

Additionally, RTA implemented several incentives to support increase in the number of plug-in cars including free public parking, toll-fee subscription exemption, and exemption of RTA’s car registration fees. Also, DEWA announced that public charging stations will be free until the end of 2019.

In October 2018, the RTA launched a mobile charging station, as a pilot for electric vehicles, that aims to reduce carbon emissions of the transport sector and support the response to emergency cases. The vehicle can travel to recharge the customer’s vehicle on demand, to enable the client to continue the journey to the destination, or the nearest electric recharging station should an electric car run out of power, aiming to boost confidence in electric vehicles and encourage its use, while reducing carbon emissions of the transport sector.

In 2019, the RTA established a Strategy and Action Plan to encourage adoption of Electrical and Low Emission vehicles in Dubai for the period (2019-2030).

The strategy was discussed with key stakeholders, i.e. policy & regulation makers, car suppliers & manufacturers, funding & insurance providers, and other private players. The Strategy focused on five areas, namely; government policies and regulatory incentives, EV support infrastructure and equipment, financial incentives, market creation, and monitoring, demonstration & evaluation.

The outcomes of the strategy and action plan is promising, an integrated approach from public and private sector at UAE and Dubai level will be the key factor to a successful implementation.

GREEN JOB

Sustainability Bloggers We are looking for passionate green minded keyboard happy writers to stream their contributions straight into our publications. We are building an empowered community of storytellers who would be invited to events, interview VIPSs or simply research topics. The role will be freelance and autonomous and whether you have previous writing/journalism experience or not, we want to hear from you.

If interested, please visit: www.dcce.ae/careers

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The Sustainabilist | Electric Vehicles

12

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REVIEW

Audi E-tron

By Zaran Tarapore, YallaMotor

Issue 17 | September 2019

E

lectric cars, you can love them or loathe them, but you can’t ignore them and that’s because manufacturers from across the world are jumping aboard this lucrative segment that is heralded as the future of the automotive industry. After much contemplation (and possibly a strong push after Mercedes-Benz announced its EQC) Audi has made the leap and introduced its first all-electric vehicle, the e-tron. Launched in Abu Dhabi, a city that is home to Masdar (one of the world’s most sustainable urban communities and a low-carbon development) the Audi e-tron challenges the electric car space dominated by the likes of the Tesla Model X and Jaguar I-Pace.

Built for sport, family and leisure, the e-tron slots between the Q5 and Q7 dimensionally but offers the spaciousness and comfort of one of the brand’s full-size models.

Standing at 4,901mm long, 1,935mm wide and 1,616mm tall, there isn’t much to differentiate the e-tron from its petrol-powered siblings, apart from the fact that it’s missing tailpipes, a fuel tank cap, and traditional side mirrors.

Revolutionary without being ostentatious, the e-tron rocks the brand’s new grille with five distinct slats that aid battery cooling, subtle horizontal bars in its headlights and digital side mirrors that are nothing short of revolutionary.

On the inside, the e-tron bears great resemblance to the all-new A8 and Q8 with two large MMI touch response displays dominating the dashboard. Replacing nearly every conventional switch and control, the new system offers plenty of customisation and the ability to use natural voice control to carry out certain tasks. For instance, saying something as simple as “I’m cold” triggers the A/C system to increase the temperature, or “I’m hungry for Italian” prompts the navigation system to pull up Italian restaurants in the area.

Concealed out of sight and under the floor of the e-tron is its party trick, the 95kWh battery pack that generates 400 horsepower and 665 Nm of torque. The first of its kind, however, the e-tron is equipped with the brand’s popular Quattro all-wheel-drive system but with an electric motor residing on each axle; it’s Quattro unlike anything before. With enormous pulling power, the e-tron sprints from 0 to 100km/h in an eerily silent 5.7 seconds and bears an electronically limited top speed of 200 km/h.

Despite the Audi drive select offering numerous drive modes (seven, to be precise), and altering the behavior of the standard air suspension, traction control, and transmission accordingly, the e-tron doesn’t try to be the sportiest amongst

to be extremely aerodynamic and capture the concept of regenerative braking better than any other electric car to date. By recovering energy in two ways (coasting and braking) the electric motors function as a generator and convert kinetic energy into electric energy majority of the time.

In a country like the UAE, with various forms of electric car chargers spread across malls and petrol stations, a full charge is expected to cost between AED 13 and AED 26, which is significantly cheaper than the price of petrol.

The other great thing about the e-tron is that while many fear the longevity of the battery inside their EV and the high cost in replacing the batteries frequently, Audi offers its e-tron with an 8-year/160,000 km warranty specifically for the battery alone.

With deliveries expected to begin in the region in the third-quarter of 2019, pricing for the e-tron remains vague with some expecting it to sit close to the Q8 at approximately AED 380,000. What one needs to remember about the e-tron is that it’s everything people have always wanted from an EV. It looks like a normal car, it feels like a normal car, and it drives like a normal car. It makes adopting the EV lifestyle that much more convenient.

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The Sustainabilist | Electric Vehicles

emissions. But we have a long road ahead and the goal of zero-emission driving is still a long way off. Electric cars still only account for 2.4% of global new sales.

EV adoption in the UAE has largely been driven by government policy. Early adopters of electric cars in Dubai get free parking, financing incentives, no tolls and discounts on registration fees.

Even charging is free at the 200 charging stations Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) installed throughout the city. A survey by Reuters in January put the global transport industry’s total planned EV-related spending (including on batteries) at around US$300bn over the next five to ten years.

#THEGREENECONOMIST

It’s Time for a Change: The Race for Electric Vehicles is On.

By Ivano Iannelli

T

CEO, Dubai Carbon

he future looks bright for electric-vehicle (EV) growth.

Consumers are more willing than ever to consider buying EVs, and sales are rising fast. 2018 marked a record year for the sale of battery-powered electric vehicles.

Passenger electric cars recorded 1.26 million sales throughout the year, up by a huge 74%. Electric car ownership is rising fast. The International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts there will be 125 million

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in use worldwide by 2030 and potentially double that number if governments step up the pace of legislative change.

Last year, 2.1 million new electric vehicles were sold worldwide. China is the world’s largest electric car market, accounting for 1.2 million - 56% of all electric vehicles sold in 2018. China also accounts for 99% of sales of electric trucks, buses, motorcycles and scooters.

Cities are counting on EVs to be part of the solution to curbing greenhouse gas

The financial business case will be increasingly important in the years ahead. EVs are expected to reach price parity with internal combustion engine vehicles (without subsidies) by 2024.

This is due to the plummeting costs of EV batteries, following a similar cost curve to solar power. Battery pack prices fell by 85 per cent between 2010 and 2018, from US$1,160/kWh to US$176/ kWh. While the private sector is vital to accelerating the transition, companies cannot achieve their goals without the support of policymakers – from national governments to regions and cities, who share the same overall objectives. They must work in harmony with suitable incentives to promote and mainstream EVs, which should be gradually reduced as the industry matures and EVs approach price parity with internal combustion engine vehicles.

The bottom line on this ongoing debate is really about changing our mindset about transport – let’s not get stuck in the past, let’s join the modern world and accelerate ahead.

Issue 17 | September 2019

electric car costs

Myths about Electric Cars Busted

TOP TEN

1.

Charging Opportunities

2.

There are not enough charging stations!

Electric Car Costs

nobody can afford it!

tHE NUMBER OF ELECTRIC CHARGING STATIONS IS GROWING RAPIDLY.

An electric car can be as cheap as an equivalent diesel car.

charging takes too long!!!

3.

Charging Time

high-power charging stations already mean short waiting times.

4.

5.

Range electric cars are also capable of long routes

ELECTRIC CARS can only travel short distances.

6.

Emissions

electric cars aren’t really green.

electric cars have the best climate footprint of all drive types

ELECTRIC CARS PRODUCES ARTIFICIAL SOUND!

ELECTRIC CARS ARE A DANGER TO THE PEDESTRIANS.

too many electric cars will overload the grid.

electric are far more dangerous!

E-CARS ARE JUST AS SAFE AS CONVENTIONAL CARS

7.

Urban Safety

electric cars als0 gurantee safe energy supply

8.

Driver Safety

9.

Fun THEY’RE NOT FUN! electric cars are not only fast, but also comfortable.

Electricity

electric cars look boring!

10. Design

the latest offerings in the market are real eye-catchers.

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The Sustainabilist | Electric Vehicles

FEATURE

Could your EV be Chinese?

Chinese EVs currently dominate the global market, and the country’s manufacturers are slowly but surely entering the UAE with competitive options for consumers.

By Mashal Abbasi

E

lectric Vehicles, or EVs, have slowly but surely become a reality. Now that sustainability and environmental awareness is on the rise, more and more people are switching over from conventional vehicles

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to those that are better for the Earth. The UAE is one of the countries in the Middle East at the forefront of this vehicular revolution.

The electric vehicle has an interesting

history, with the concept being older than most would think. Ferdinand Porsche, namesake of today’s Porsche luxury car brand, created the world’s first hybrid electric car in 1901, over a century ago.

Since then, many companies have followed suit, the most notable of which was the Toyota Prius, launched in 2000, which resurrected a global interest in EVs. In 2006, following the success of the Prius, a new player entered the market.

Promising consumers not only a fully electric vehicle, but one that combined sustainability with luxury; Tesla. After seeing the impact Tesla made on not only the market but also the environment, the EV industry exploded, with thousands of manufacturers beginning to research and develop EVs all around the world.

As of December 2018, the UAE has roughly 4,000 EVs on its roads, the

Issue 17 | September 2019

The UAE government not only utilises EVs within its bodies, it has also provided general consumers with a number of benefits, such as free parking, Salik exemption and free vehicle charging until the end of 2019. The Dubai government also launched an initiative last year aiming to increase EV usage in the country.

Titled E-Sayyara (which is electric car in Arabic), the initiative was launched by the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy (DSCE) at the World Green Economy Summit in October 2018.

E-Sayyara’s motto is to #DriveClean, and is campaigning relentlessly to urge the UAE’s population to invest not only in their vehicles, but the future of the environment.

As part of the campaign, authorities will work closely with manufacturers to increase the supply of EVs in the country.

E-Sayyara aims to increase usage of ecofriendly cars in Dubai by 2030.

The benefits of EVs far outweigh the disadvantages, but there is a particular question that comes to mind, which EV should one purchase?

At the moment, the world’s largest market for EVs lies in China, with around 500 manufacturers having registered to produce EVs in the country.

In 2018, EV sales grew by 62% in the country, with 1.3 million vehicles being purchased. Chinese EV manufacturers

have proven their worth back home, and are now looking to expand their market abroad.

Chinese manufacturers are now entering the market in order to provide quality EVs at competitive prices to UAE consumers.

At the moment, there are eight Chinese

“

At the moment, the world’s largest market for EVs lies in China, with around 500 manufacturers having registered to produce EVs in the country.

“

majority of which are owned and operated by the Dubai government. While the brands currently dominating the UAE market with their EV offerings include Tesla, Nissan, Renault and Hyundai; China isn’t far behind.

car manufacturers in the UAE, and they collectively control about one per cent of the country’s market share.

The eight Chinese carmakers currently operating in the country are as follows, MG Motors, Chery, JAC, Haval, Changan, Geely, Great Wall and Maxus - and are collectively owned by three holding companies in the UAE. Chery and JAC are both distributed by

Al Habtoor Motors here in the UAE. Haval, Great Wall and Maxus are operated by Swaidan Trading - the automotive division of Al Naboodah Group Enterprises. Lastly, Geely and Changan come under the umbrella of Union Motors.

While there are currently no Chinese EVs available for sale here in the UAE, a number of vehicles are slated to be introduced into the market by 2020.

A representative of Chery automobiles confirmed that the brand is planning to launch at least one EV into the UAE market by the end of this year. While the model and pricing isn’t available to the public as yet, Chery plans to reveal further information on its EV offering in the coming months.

Haval is another brand that has big plans for EVs in the Middle East.

“Electric vehicles are part of Haval’s expansion plans in the UAE. In China, we already have electric versions of Haval and by 2020 we are expecting to see similar models coming to the UAE,” Greg Cottrell, General Manager of the automotive division for Swaidan Trading - the automotive division of Al Naboodah Group Enterprises, which operates the Haval dealership in the Emirate.

In line with the city’s expansion and development in the coming months for Expo 2020, motor companies are also pulling their weight and working tirelessly on bringing technological and environmental advancements to the UAE. One thing is for certain; Chinese manufacturers will be leaving potential customers spoilt for choice with their EV offerings in the country.

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The Sustainabilist | Electric Vehicles

vehicle testing in Dubai. This was indeed, welcomed news.

The Resolution aims to ensure the highest level of safety for autonomous vehicles and achieve the objectives of Dubai’s Autonomous Transportation Strategy.

As a result, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is tasked with reviewing the technical aspects and standards related to the safety of autonomous vehicles that will be included in vehicle manuals.

These should be compliant with RTA’s autonomous vehicle testing requirements.

The RTA has formulated a set of guidelines for the trial of driverless cars.

The Dubai Code of Practice for SelfDriving Vehicles is the first of its kind in the world and will come into effect by the end of 2019.

FEATURE

Revolutionary Road

By Sherry Zameer Senior Vice President for Mobile Services and IOT for CISMEA region at Gemalto, a Thales company

C

onnected and autonomous cars have been in the works for years, but futuristic technology is now becoming a reality, with 25 per cent of the total transportation in Dubai expected to be autonomous by 2030 thanks to the Dubai Autonomous Transportation Strategy.

The UAE government and connectivity providers are laying the foundations to 18

ensure that the legislation, framework and infrastructure are in place to ensure the highest efficiency, reliability and security of smart mobility.

Last month, the Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, issued the Council’s Resolution No. (3) of 2019 that regulates autonomous

The introduction of e-sims and the latest 5G developments, including Etisalat’s plans to have as many as 1000 5G-enabled towers covering the UAE this year alone to ensure optimum coverage for the nextgeneration mobile telephony services, are a clear indication that the ecosystem to welcome automated cars is ready.

However, in addition to connectivity, security remains a key issue in both development and deployment, especially given the complexity of the car itself.

Digitalising Driving Permanently connected cars already exist, and they are challenging every notion we have ever had about car ownership, safety and insurance. The revolution is not only impacting the technology behind how cars are built but traditional ownership models are being challenged as the autonomous vehicle takes center stage in smart, connected cities.The digitalisation

Issue 17 | September 2019

of driving remains the key driving force behind the connected car. Computers and sensors in car components, and on the roads themselves will assimilate sophisticated data changing not only the way we navigate roads and avoid traffic, but also how we find the nearest available parking spot. Automotive-grade M2M technology is providing cellular connectivity and services enriching mobile lifestyles for both drivers and passengers.

It offers high-speed, low latency connectivity, and a suite of advanced features including mobile Wi-Fi hotspot, internet radio, web services and an improved navigation system for a seamless driving and riding experience.

Considerations including extreme temperatures, excessive vibration and moisture experienced on the road are all factors that the wireless technology will have to withstand and mitigate. Strict automotive manufacturing specifications also add to the challenge of producing an effective ‘smart car’.

Implementing IoT Through Cars The term IoT is often banded around, although adopting the technology regionally has presented challenges.

Connected cars are not exempt, as they rely on high-speed internet connections to give them awareness of their surroundings. Traffic alerts and smart city grid information as well as peer-topeer understanding of other devices and vehicles relies heavily on IoT. Artificial intelligence onboard the vehicles can make decisions about routes and speeds, sharing details of the car’s location with other road users. All the features culminate in smarter, safer, self-driving cars that can trump their human counterparts.

Driver favorites such as Toyota and Lexus

are bringing industry-leading connected car capabilities to their vehicles in the United States and excitingly, the GCC is soon to follow suit. Today, mobile technology is fully incorporated into virtually every aspect of our lives.

With Toyota and Lexus being key market players in the UAE, combined with the UAE’s latest efforts in 5G development and e-sim capabilities, the ecosystem to welcome automated cars is ready.

How LTE Supports M2M Progress Recently, Audi selected Gemalto to enable its first embedded LTE Infotainment System. When Audi wanted to launch LTE services in its A3 automobile, a solution called Cinterion quickly made it happen. This custom solution by Gemalto provides ultra-fast LTE speeds and high bandwidth connectivity to support a suite of advanced services and features that improve the modern mobile lifestyle and “on the road” experiences for both drivers and passengers. With embedded LTE solutions like this, enhanced services will mean users can enjoy simultaneous embedded voice and data services, allowing one passenger to search online for the best nearby restaurant while another passenger calls for a reservation.

Embedded M2M SIMs identify individual vehicles, encrypt communications and ensure secure global connectivity for smart vehicle systems including eCall emergency solutions, vehicle telematics, navigation and more, and are optimised to survive extreme environments. Secure remote provisioning services simplify the manufacturing process and enhance security by allowing MFF2 SIMs to be embedded and installed during the manufacturing process. This allows the selection or change of wireless service

providers and plans and reduces exposure to tampering and threats.

Road To The Future In the future, secure cloud-based service enablement and next generation features such as secure ID-based ignition, integrated NFC and mobile wallet applications will contribute even further to convenience for drivers and passengers alike. Tesla vehicles come with software “Autopilots”, Uber has piloted self-driving taxis, Daimler and Embark have tested autonomous trucks, and the ability of a car to reverse park itself isn’t even a differentiating feature for luxury sedans any more.

A Regional Reality The benefits of adopting autonomous vehicles on a widescale are plenty, from reducing transportation costs, carbon emissions and accidents, to saving hundreds of millions of hours wasted in conventional transportation. The UAE Government’s Dubai Autonomous Transportation Strategy, is expected to increase annual economic revenues

by AED22 billion in several sectors and will help cut transportation costs by 44 per cent, resulting in savings of up to Dh900 million a year. The strategy is also expected to help save AED1.5 billion a year by reducing environmental pollution by 12 per cent, as well as generate AED18 billion in annual economic returns by increasing the efficiency of the transportation sector in Dubai by 2030. So, when can you expect to step into an autonomous vehicle? Government effort, a digital revolution by the telecom industry, and an eagerness to evolve the automotive industry all mean that you could be driving on this revolutionary road in a connected car sooner than you think.

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The Sustainabilist | Electric Vehicles

FEATURE

Enabling Synergies Bee’ah is leading the next generation mobility drive towards sustainable zero-emission transport.

By Bee’ah

A

s a visionary company that has been spearheading environmental best practices, innovative solutions and advocacy for more than a decade, Bee’ah; the Middle East’s sustainability pioneer, has placed great emphasis on sustainable, or what is also referred to as ‘green transportation’ over the last year. This commitment is part of the company’s all-encompassing, end-to-end approach and vision to enhance the quality of lives of individuals, communities and cities in the UAE, and across the MENA region.With today’s urban planning 20

necessitating the challenging process of balancing our current and future needs, Bee’ah continually seeks to invest in new initiatives and sub-brands to complement the synergies between sustainability and technology, enabling a circular economy. The company’s solutions and eco-investments currently serve municipalities, commercial establishments and residents across the region, while inspiring awareness and incentivising positive action.

As an industry trend-setter and early adopter of green technology, Bee’ah

believes that a sustainable future in cities across the world must incorporate all industries, infrastructure and elements of urban planning to establish and solidify a transportation sector that is both safe and of low impact on the environment.

As part of this outlook, Bee’ah has launched ION; a joint venture with the leading diversified global conglomerate Crescent Enterprises.

On average, around 20 to 25% of the world’s energy is consumed by various forms of transportation contributing to increasingly high-levels of greenhouse

Issue 17 | September 2019

gases and subsequent climate change, with more than one billion cars running on traditional fuel, worldwide.

Launched in 2018, ION aims to reduce the overall carbon footprint by drawing on the strengths, expertise and network of both Bee’ah & Crescent. ION provides communities with an unmatched green fleet management enterprise in the UAE, that is capable of dynamically powering various sustainable commercial transport solutions. Through innovations in green mobility, ION is promoting economic and environmental sustainability, and driving on-demand availability in multi-modal, inter-urban, transport networks. Through these networks, ION is creating a zeroemissions transport infrastructure that will transcend the UAE and ultimately cover the MENA region and beyond, in coming years.

As a key driver of sustainable public transport, ION develops, acquires and operates a fleet of electric vehicles in the UAE and is considered the first private electric fleet domestically, complementing the region’s broader public transportation network.

With lifestyle shifts and longevity at the core of its operations, ION is envisaged to pave the way for positive behavioral changes with diverse operations that include the development, acquisition and management of electric vehicle (EV) fleets for commercial use, through platforms such as ride-hailing services, as well as corporate and government fleets.

Making Green Mobility More Accessible ION deploys electric vehicles, like Tesla cars, through popular ride-hailing applications like Careem, in efforts to make green transport solutions

affordable and accessible to individuals, corporations and government entities.

This is particularly prevalent, as there are still financial challenges associated with e-vehicles entering the mass privatelyowned automotive market in the UAE, and region, despite some emirates such as Dubai setting a 10% target for electric or hybrid vehicles, by the turn of the decade.

ION first piloted its fleet of ‘Tesla Model S’ electric vehicles in Dubai in May 2018, and continues to be the sole provider of eco-friendly vehicles through Careem in the Emirate. Furthermore, the company is currently in talks with regulators to expand its UAE fleet operations to other emirates across the country.

Building a Legacy of all-encompassing Cross-industry Sustainability ION complements Bee’ah’s other vital sector activities in the field of sustainability, as well as the company’s efforts in optimising its operations, by utilising green transport. Bee’ah was also the first in the region to make an order for Tesla’s revolutionary electric Semi-trucks.

In addition to ensuring fuel efficiency through renewable sources, Bee’ah’s fleet also uses features like advanced route optimisation. The feature is a GPS-mapped system that tracks the level of waste in Bee’ah’s smart bins by using real-time information to dispatch vehicles according to demand and has significantly boosted route optimisation. These high success rates have maximised collection efficiency and reduced fuel usage, as well as pollution due to heavy industrial vehicle emissions.

Future Avenues of Growth and Diversification With a phased roll out planned until 2020,

to establish a fully-green fleet management enterprise domestically and in the region, the collaborative effort between Bee’ah and Crescent Enterprises will also work towards the establishment of a regulatory framework governing the use of electric vehicles in target markets. This will be achieved by engaging electric utility regulators, road transport authorities, legislators, environmental agencies and customer groups to gain insights and shape policies that will accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles.

As part of ION’s future growth strategy, the company also plans on rolling out a number of additional solutions in years to come, including ‘Micro-mobility Services’ that offer a viable solution to first and last mile transportation needs. This will include bikes and electric scooters, that are designed for affordable and sociallyinclusive intra-urban transitions.

Other areas of expansion include fuelefficient freight transportation that optimises supply chains by selecting greener carriers that offer greater returns through aerodynamic designs, telematics and live-tracking that can improve longhaul service truck shipments.

As an alternative to traditional group travel systems, ION will also offer ‘Collective Transport’ solutions that will include electric buses that present greener public commuting options, at greater value.

Moreover, ION will be working with its internal network of partners to provide alternative fuel value chains for mobility applications in the forms of batteries and charging stations that are envisaged to establish a future energy blueprint, that supports the seamless transition to multiple modes of green transportation.

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The Sustainabilist | Electric Vehicles

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Issue 17 | September 2019

I AM THE SUSTAINABILIST

Mohammad Maktari Managing Director , Lexus

You’ve got a unique perspective on how transportation is at an inflection point. How do you think it’ll profoundly change in our lifetime?

I think electric autonomous “on-demand” cars will rule exclusively in big cities, gasoline will still have a place intercity and

small communities, diesel will continue to be used in heavy equipment outside cities.

How will the auto industry look like in five years?

Dealership sizes will most likely reduce (by half if not more) dramatically as electric cars need zero to no maintenance.

The only areas that will be needed are electronic/electrical diagnosis and body shops. I also think that autonomous will drive many manufacturers to control the full life cycle of the car from cradle to grave. As a result the number of brands globally will demise. On another note, the customer buying experience will completely change from instore now, to a complete online buying experience, where brands will compete on an enhanced customer experience as opposed to price. So for me, much smaller network in automotive, digital only instore and limited physical test drive vehicles and more AR VR experiences.

Do you welcome governments’ setting industry standards on emissions? Does that level the playing field in a good way, or does it take away competitive advantage?

Yes, pollution is a major issue for our future as a human race. As far as competition is concerned, it will always exist no matter what regulations come out

and that is a good thing.

In your opinion who should build the charging infrastructure? You? Governments? Entrepreneurs who see an opportunity?

Like petrol stations are typically privately owned, I think this could be done for the electric charging points to take away the burden from the government and speed up development.

“

Gaining customers is probably the least of our issues as electric cars need almost zero maintenance, live considerably longer than gas cars and have far better power and torque characteristics; so it is a very attractive offering for customers.

“

W

hat are your views on the trends and future of electric cars? What is your assessment of the market readiness in terms of consumer acceptance and charging infrastructure?

Electric cars are coming our way because of environmental pollution issues in big cities – this is something that everyone agrees on. The issues we face with this technology are three fold: current battery technology dose not lend itself to extreme weather conditions e.g. GCC heat; country grid infrastructure cannot support additional demand; the country power generation needs to be from sustainable sources otherwise we are simply shifting the issue from the car gas tank to power generation stations. Gaining customers is probably the least of our issues as electric cars need almost zero maintenance, live considerably longer than gas cars and have far better power and torque characteristics; so it is a very attractive offering for customers.

23

MSRP (AED)

167,302.00 AED

ON SALE NOW

NO

24

2020

AVAILABILITY IN THE UAE

The Sustainabilist | Electric Vehicles

REVIEW

Issue 17 | September 2019

Nissan Leaf

By Zaran Tarapore, YallaMotor

T

he Nissan Leaf will be coming to our market; however, nobody knows (or they don’t want to tell us yet) when and for how much. In all cases, we can estimate that it will be arriving -at least in the UAE- towards the end of the year or beginning of 2020. As per their statement, engineers still need to adapt the product to the Middle East requirements. Worse-case scenario (which seems unlikely), will be that the car will be launched at the Expo 2020 Dubai, since Nissan is the official automotive partner and committed to delivering a fleet of eco-friendly cars.

So, about the Leaf. The first-generation Nissan Leaf was launched 7 years ago. Since then, they’ve sold 300,000 units which represents more than 3.9 billion electric, noncontaminated kilometers. Those 3.9 billion kilometers driven, saved 1.2 million CO2 emissions. This is equivalent to all of Genève in trees (15.93 km2).

THE DRIVE AND THE CAR Interior wise, the all-new Nissan Leaf can seat 4 to 5 adults with their short weekend luggage to put inside its 435-liter trunk - at the end of the day it is a hatchback. In all cases, I’m not sure how the range of the battery will react to such weight. Five adults (3 men + 2 women), average 85 kilograms per man and 55 kilograms per woman, plus an extra 10 kilos luggage each and we are on a good 415 kilos, my friend. Something to further test when it comes to Dubai and specifically to the YallaMotor garage.

Wondering about the range and the power?

When it comes to the power, the Nissan Leaf has a 40-kWh battery. This electric engine can deliver 150 horsepower with 320 Nm of instant torque. This 2nd Generation Leaf can take you on a single charge and in optimal conditions for 230 km on a combined cycle which means city and highways. Jokes aside, I believe it’s possible. Especially with the introduction of the e-pedal (see below). All that sort of electric power can take you from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.9 seconds.

TECHNOLOGY I would like to highlight the following three things: 1) Pro Pilot - You just press a couple of buttons located on the steering wheel and the car will control the steering, acceleration and brakes, making sure to keep you in between the lanes and with a safe distance with the car that you have in front of you, while driving on the highway.

2) E-pedal also as known as one pedal driving. With this tech, you can drive the car using only the accelerator, because when you remove your foot from the pedal the car will brake as if you are using the brake pedal.

3) Pro Pilot Park. In addition to a semiautonomous drive, the Leaf introduces automated parking.

Integration wise, the Leaf has a 7-inch screen that you can connect to Apple Car Play and Android Auto. In addition, the Leaf offers owners the Nissan Connect EV app. With this app, you can control and schedule (remotely) the temperature of the car, and check the battery status, among other features.

Now, every electric car needs to be charged, right?

1) You plug the Leaf to a regular socket in your house. From 0% to 100% will take 21 hours. Not good.

2) You go to the public infrastructure or install a public infrastructure in your garden (for example, the ones you can find in Mall of the Emirates), and from 0% to 100% will take you 7.5 hours.

3) Fast Charge. You can charge up to 80% of the battery within 40 minutes to 1 hour.

THE VERDICT The Nissan Leaf is worth a shot. Nissan carried out improvements, added technology which is useful and extended the range.

However, I’m not entirely sure how it will drive in the UAE since we drive a lot on highways, and electric cars, as of now, are made for smaller cities. If it’s well priced, it will be a great option since you can wave off petrol prices with much cheaper electricity.

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The Sustainabilist | Electric Vehicles

FEATURE

The Adoption of Electric Vehicles in the Region

By Deesch Papke Group Managing Director, Audi Volkswagen Middle East FZE

T

he United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Oman, Qatar, Lebanon, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are all working with the regional offices of the automotive industry such as Audi Volkswagen Middle East, to find solutions to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions though the implementation of electric vehicles and a charging infrastructure.

As far back as 2016, Audi Volkswagen Middle East and our dealer, Al Nabooda Automobiles have been working with the Dubai Municipality to supply a fleet of 10 VW Golf GTE Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV) vehicles, for evaluation over a 12-month period.

With a 50-kilometre range on pure electricity from our GTE, the Director General of Dubai Municipality, HE Hussain Nasser Lootah, found that the Golf was capable of covering 80 per cent of everyday journeys around the city of Dubai in all-electric mode.

The 12-month trial of our Golf GTEs opened the door for a more detailed evaluation and implementation of an electric vehicle plan for the UAE. The UAE is the most developed Personal Electric Vehicle (PEV) market in the region in terms of both sales, registering nearly 2,000 units since 2012 and also with its charging infrastructure following the installation of 200 stations around Dubai and a further 20 in Abu Dhabi.

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Issue 17 | September 2019

Volkswagen Group globally is taking on responsibility with regard to the key trends of the future – particularly in connection with climate protection, the targets of the Paris Agreement are our yardstick.

Audi will invest about €40 billion (AED164bn) in new, key technologies by 2025 to introduce new services revolving around mobility which are all digitally connected and available anytime and anywhere.

The Volkswagen Group is planning to launch almost 70 new electric models in the next 10 years – instead of the 50 previously planned and in the next decade will increase the number of vehicles built on the Group’s electric platforms from 15 million to 22 million.

The Audi e-tron is the car for this new age, which we believe will be a perfect solution for the congested roads of Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Our 2025 target is to reduce the CO2 footprint of the vehicle fleet by 30 per cent across the lifecycle compared to 2015.

Volkswagen is therefore electrifying the vehicle portfolio, with investment in this area alone amounting to more than €30 billion (AED123bn) by 2023. The share of electric vehicles in the Group fleet is to rise to at least 40 per cent by 2030.

The first of our new-generation electric vehicles to go into production this year will be the Audi e-tron followed by the Porsche Taycan and both models will be on sale in the region in 2020. It’s a fact that just 12 per cent of the world’s carbon footprint is attributable to the automotive industry and our attention should also be focused on the shipping and aviation industries.

Our soon-to-be-released Audi e-tron is a key point along our strategic roadmap for redefining mobility in the premium segment. By 2025, there will be an electrified variant, whether fully electric or plug-in hybrid, in every Audi core car line and by the middle of the next decade, roughly every third car sold by the brand will be electrified.

As the world’s most innovative countries have started the journey to make driverless cars a reality, the UAE consolidated its dominance as number one among the top 20 countries for road quality according to the 2018 KPMG Autonomous Vehicles Readiness Index (AVRI), and is a critical factor in infrastructure readiness.

At number six on KPMG’s policy and legislation pillar, the UAE is also credited for having a dedicated and autonomous function within its transport department, for quality of regulation and for government capability. The AVRI ranking reaffirmed the UAE’s vision to become one of the most technologically advanced nations on the planet.

It’s the perfect environment for a car, like the Audi e-tron which is one of the fastest charging mass-produced cars to enter our market. Its high charging capability sets the benchmark and reduces downtime, being helped in our hot climes by sophisticated thermal management of the battery, to ensure the performance capability remains high in hot temperatures.

For complete acceptance of EVs, in the Middle East we need to ensure all the boxes are ticked. While WLTP tests prove

the Audi e-tron has a range of 417kms, and even loaded with range-sapping accessories typically found on family cars like large wheels and sunroofs, still returns well over 300kms - the same as refuelling a petrol car once a week - we need to address ‘range anxiety’ and dispel the myth that EVs need to be charged every time they park.

The range will only improve, and return Abu Dhabi-Dubai runs on a single charge is on the way, with the Porsche Taycan’s 500km range, which was measured in accordance with the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) and is just around the corner, while even 600km runs will be here before you know it.

As we work closer with our battery cell suppliers LG Chem, SKI, CATL and Samsung, Volkswagen AG will continue to drive down the cost of ownership, reduce the entry price and find more avenues for clean battery recyclability.

In view of the constantly increasing demand, Volkswagen is taking a close look at the possible participation in battery cell manufacturing facilities in Europe, while looking further ahead, solid-state batteries have also shown great potential.

Our goal is to enable an industrial level of production with this technology together with our partner QuantumScape and at the same time, slash 50 per cent of our CO2 emissions from all our plants by 2025 compared with 2010.

It’s an exciting and challenging time for the automotive industry but carbonneutral, sustainable mobility is not only an achievable goal in the Middle East for the near to medium term, it is inevitable.

27

The Sustainabilist | Electric Vehicles

INTERVIEW

Creating Benchmarks The Sustainabilist in conversation with Bruce Robertson, Managing Director of Jaguar Land Rover MENA on Jaguar’s visionary I-PACE and the UAE’s expanding EV market.

W

hen and why did Jaguar decid to build an allelectric vehicle?

The decision to produce the all-electric Jaguar I-PACE was a brave one. It came at a point in time when the future of electrification was not as clear as it is today. It was part of our startegy to move towards our Destination Zero vision: zero emissions, zero accidents and zero congestion. Jaguar I-PACE was our first step to achieving this.

The concept version of the car was unveiled for the first time in 2016 at the Los Angeles Motor Show while the final version launched in March 2018.

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Issue 17 | September 2019

We started from a clean sheet of paper to create a new benchmark - the world’s best premium electric vehicle and we succeeded. Jaguar I-PACE has completed an historic treble at the 2019 World Car Awards. Not only it has won the 2019 World Green Car of the Year, and World Car Design of the Year awards, but it has also been named World Car of the Year. It is the first model to ever win three World Car titles in the 15-year history of the awards.

The I-PACE was born to meet the demands of our customers and champion sustainability not as a marketing position but as a core value. It helped us create a new benchmark in the world of luxury electric vehicles and marked a turning point for the brand’s future.

From 2020, every new Jaguar or Land Rover will have the option of electrification – a move that’s supported by our recent partnership with BMW Group to advance our electrification technologies with a sharper focus on ACES (Autonomous, Connected, Electric, Shared).

In your opinion, how is the EV market evolving across UAE? The UAE has a clear vision for a sustainable future and EVs play a key role in it. In Dubai both private and public sectors have shown a solid commitment to helping reduce the nation’s carbon emissions by 16 per cent by 2021, and for the automotive sector, the government has already started developing the infrastructure to support EVs. DEWA has successfully installed 200 electric charging stations in selected public areas while the government has invested heavily in incentives to have

42,000 EVs on its streets by 2030. In light of these changes, I’m confident that Jaguar I-PACE’s arrival in the latter half of 2019 will be a game changer.

What do you think are the largest barriers of EV uptake in UAE and how can they be overcome?

A lack of clarity on vehicle range and as a result, what the industry calls “range anxiety” are majors barrier to EVs. This causes drivers to be reluctant to buy EVs out of fear they might lose all power mid-journeys, and be stranded.

Despite advancements in the field of electrification, there’s still a need to increase awareness on the reality of EV ownership and why range anxiety shouldn’t be a concern.

One other challenge is the lack of charging infrastructure for those who live in high-rise buildings. Unless the price of purchasing and installing a private charging point is incentivised by the government, this challenge could persist for a large section of customers.

Do you see EVs as the brand’s future performance and styling benchmark?

I do believe that EVs are the future of the automobile industry, but the internal combustion engine is far from obsolete. It is a state of the art technology, which we continue to refine and improve. All Hybrid powertrains require internal combustion – diesel and/or petrol – engines - alongside electric technology.

The electric transition has been one of the greatest technological shifts in the history of Jaguar Land Rover and is starting to gain real momentum, but we remain committed to constantly refining our design and performance outcomes across the entire portfolio. For example, in the

future, our new vehicle architecture will empower customers to find an electrified option that suits their lifestyle - full electric, hybrid or ultra clean petrol and diesel.

How big of a role will EVs play in achieving a de-carbonised future?

Electrifying the transportation system offers many benefits and chief among them, is the fact that replacing a fossil fuel-powered engine with electric and hybrid engines will dramatically cut CO2 emissions, over the course of a vehicle’s lifetime.

But the source of emissions goes much further back than a vehicle’s efficiency.

Automakers must be conscious of the emissions released overall, starting at the very first development phases of a car. At Jaguar Land Rover, our 2020 Environmental Innovation targets focus our attention on reducing and preventing CO2 emissions in the design and development process, as well as introducing even more efficient vehicles.

All Jaguar Land Rover vehicles, electric, hybrid, petrol or diesel will benefit from even further reduced emissions aided by lightweighting, energy conservation and engine downsizing technologies.

And to what extent do you think the onus is on automakers to drive adoption of electric cars, versus other market factors?

We encourage local government and private institutions to enhance the transition to EVs, by collectively driving the widespread adoption of electrification.

This means supplying adequate charging infrastructure to encourage usage, increasing the availability of clean, modern hybrid models and taking steps to improve the affordability of EVs. 29

The Sustainabilist | Electric Vehicles

for long in the EV industry owing to their heavy weight.

CENTRE FOLD

The Evolution of EV Batteries

By Zehra Farhan

From lead acid-batteries to lithium-ion ones, electric vehicles batteries have come a long way in terms of technology and cost in only a decade.

T

he success of any electric vehicle (EV) rests on the strength and specifications of its motor and battery pack.

While the motor acts as the engine of the car, the battery pack is the fuel source.

Therefore, these 2 components play a vital role in defining the speed and mileage of the vehicle. Designing a powerful motor is not a challenge anymore. Thus, it all comes down to the battery. EV manufacturers have relied heavily on three types of batteries, lead-acid, nickel metal hydride (NiMH), and lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries.

Types of EV Batteries and Recycling The earliest electric cars used lead-acid batteries. They are a kind of wet cell 30

battery that use lead alloy electrodes and a mild solution of sulphuric acid to generate electricity. Lead acid batteries are fairly simple to recycle. The battery is broken apart in a hammer mill and each material is directed into its respective recycling stream. Plastic is melted and put back into manufacturing new battery cases. Lead parts are also molten and used in production of new batteries after removing impurities. The sulphuric acid from the batteries is either neutralised and transferred to a waste water plant to be discarded properly or converted to sodium sulphate to be used in detergents, glass and textile manufacturing. According to research, 98% of all lead-acid batteries are recycled. Although these batteries are cheap and reliable, they did not sustain

Nickel cadmium batteries made their way into the EV world next but were soon replaced by nickel metal hydride ones. Although less efficient in terms of charging as compared to lead-acid batteries, NiHM batteries have a high energy density. If used properly, NiHM batteries can have an exceptionally long life and are easy to recycle since they do not contain any toxic metals. However, their high self-discharge and poor performance in cold weather has been a concern to manufacturers and users alike.

Like lead-acid batteries, NiHM batteries are also widely recycled. A drying process removes moisture from the cells. The dried cells turn into a valuable feedstock for the alloy and steel manufacturing industries. The metals and plastic parts are also reused in new products.

Manufacturers continued to experiment with lead and nickel batteries throughout the nineties. But limitations in terms of capacity and power generation did not allow electric cars to compete with their petrol and diesel run counterparts.

It wasn’t until the late 90s that the application of lithium batteries gained momentum. Lithium batteries were already a success in the consumer electronics sector; therefore, tried and tested. Manufacturers began exploring the implementation of lithium batteries into EVs and realised these batteries are much more reliable due to their stability and lightweight. A liquid electrolyte carries positively charged lithium ions from the anode to the cathode through a separator.

This process triggers discharge of electric current from the battery. Lithium-ion batteries have an extended life since they do not need to be discharged entirely to be recharged, which makes them very

Issue 17 | September 2019

convenient. Most importantly, lithium batteries have a capacity much higher than previous battery types. While most regular batteries are easily able to offer a range of 200 to 300 kilometres, exclusive brands such as Tesla are now providing batteries with a range of over 600 kilometres between charges and a 90 kWh capacity. Lithium-ion batteries are recycled using an oxygen free mechanical process that releases cobalt and lithium salt concentrate, stainless steel, copper, aluminium and plastic. All of these products are then reused in new products.

Another emerging technology within the EV world is that of solid-state batteries.

The start-up automaker Fisker, is known to be working on implementing solid-state batteries into their upcoming EVs. Solidstate batteries do not contain any liquid, they are made up of solid electrodes and a solid electrolyte. This is why they charge faster, have very low resistance and do not overheat. Up until now, solid-state batteries were not able to generate enough power to push a car. However, scientists at Fisker have developed multi-storey solidstate batteries that can do the job.

Battery Cost With increasing production and latest cost-effective methods, the price of EV batteries has declined significantly.

During the introductory phase of mass-market electric cars in 2010, the estimated cost of a battery pack was US$1000 per kWh. But following a steep drop over the past 6 years, EV battery prices have gone down up to 70%. Tesla’s Model 3 battery pack now costs US$190 per kWh, and the estimated price of General Motors’ Chevrolet Bolt battery pack is US$205 per kWh. The current industry standard for EV battery cells is understood to be US$145 per kWh

whereas battery pack prices are estimated to be about US$190 per kWh. Analysts are certain that EVs will become price competitive with conventional cars when battery prices fall below US$100. They believe this target can be achieved as soon as 2020. Studies also forecast the price of lithium-ion batteries to plunge as low as US$73 per kWh by 2030.

EV Batteries Today Today, almost all electric cars on the roads carry a lithium-ion battery. In addition to being competitive in terms of capacity and reliability, with the lithium polymer, car manufacturers have the liberty to build the battery in the shape and size they desire, without compromising on its efficiency.

Being able to hold high levels of energy for their lightweight, lithium-ion batteries allow the modern EV to be light in terms of weight, which, in turn, improves the vehicle’s range and performance as well as limits the impact on the environment.

Although lithium batteries are now a standard for the modern EV, they too come with several shortcomings.

Lithium EV batteries are expensive; their manufacturing cost is still almost 40% higher than that of nickel-based batteries, In addition to this, battery life is also a matter of concern for potential EV buyers.

Besides range, drivers and buyers stay in fear of running out of power mid-journey.

Also, like all batteries, EV batteries too will lose some of their capacity over time. However, modern electric cars are equipped with better performing batteries with a much longer lifespan if adequately taken care of. Safety concerns are another drawback. Lithium batteries are prone to experience a thermal runway due to overcharging and overheating as well as flammable liquids within the battery’s internal architecture can trigger fire and

explosions. However, many efforts have been made to improve the safety of electric cars over the years. There are conflicting views on whether the industry can truly ever leave lithium batteries behind. They seem to be here to stay in the foreseeable future. However, research is underway to develop new designs and technology.

Manufacturers are keen on introducing alternative raw materials to produce EV batteries. There is a significant push within the industry to decrease reliance on cobalt in manufacturing EV batteries.

Mined in only a few locations, cobalt is a limited resource. Additionally, many startups, as well as iconic manufacturers such as Ford and Tesla, are keen on reshaping the future of the EV battery and exploring theories of solid-state batteries. Research into this concept has been going on for a couple of decades, and it is only a matter of time until we see a shift in the world of EV batteries.

GREEN JOB

Finance Director Got strong analytical skills?

Do you focus on numbers and are confident of being held accountable? Ideally, you should have an MBA, a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and possess a Charted Accountancy qualification with 5+ years of experience working in the consultancy sector.

If interested, please visit: www.dcce.ae/careers

31

32

MSRP (AED)

YES 130,000.00 AED

ON SALE NOW

2019

AVAILABILITY IN THE UAE

The Sustainabilist | Electric Vehicles

REVIEW

Issue 17 | September 2019

Renault Zoe

By Anas Kiblawi, YallaMotor

E

lectric cars are all the rage in today’s automotive space with manufacturers from around the globe wanting a piece of the pie. While Tesla reinvented the wheel and showcased the performance angle of electric cars to the world, the Renault Zoe proudly flaunts its credentials of being the most affordable EV currently on sale in the UAE. With no engine, exhaust pipe, or gas tank, the Zoe differentiates itself from traditional rivals such as the Kia Rio and Suzuki Swift with an absurd price tag that is well over AED130,000.

EXTERIOR Unlike most EVs, the Renault Zoe doesn’t flaunt a particularly futuristic design. Playing on the concept of minimalism, it offers buyers a traditional design with a few interesting touches.

Blue elements in the headlamps and taillamps are a constant reminder of the Zoe’s ecoconsciousness, while 16-inch alloys and gloss black door mirrors remain far from intrusive.

INTERIOR Failing to do justice to its seemingly inflated price tag, the cabin comprises of gloss black and chrome details along the center stack, which are neat touches, but aren’t enough to distract from the blatant use of grainy, hard plastics. Best for two adults, the rear seats are unnaturally stiff and upright, making longer journeys a little less comfortable for those riding in the back.

SAFETY & TECH Well-equipped on the technological front, the Renault Zoe is armed with everything from a tire pressure monitoring system and six airbags to a rear camera and 7-inch touch screen. Along with cruise control and a speed limiter, the French hatchback welcomes a six-speaker Arkamys

sound system and a cabin pre-cooling function that is bound to come in handy in the warmer months.

DRIVE Armed with a 41-kWh battery pack, which is a sizeable jump from the 22-kWh battery pack that powered the Zoe short-range, the longrange model delivers up to 300 kilometers of range per charge. The onboard electric motor churns out the equivalent of 92 horsepower and 220 Nm of torque, before pushing it through a single-speed gearbox to reach 100 km/h in 13.2-seconds.

Although normal in many aspects, such that it has doors, a radio, windows, and a traditional steering wheel, the Zoe feels a lot like driving a silent golf cart with seatbelts. The Eco drive mode enhances efficiency and ensures you’re getting the most of its 300-kilometer range.

Regenerative braking (a feature that converts kinetic energy into chemical energy) recharges the battery on every time the vehicle senses some sort of deceleration.

VERDICT Although adopted by the well-heeled crowd of the UAE as a fancy addition to their garage, Electric Vehicles aren’t particularly easy or practical to run at this point in time. While this is something that isn’t specific to the Renault Zoe, the fact of the matter is that the lack of charging infrastructure in residential buildings and zones is a sizeable hinderance.

Not to mention, the exorbitant initial cost of obtaining one, long charge times, and dwindling residual values. For the mass majority then, it’s petrol-powered options for now…

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The Sustainabilist | Electric Vehicles

FEATURE

The New Age of Mobility

By Matthew Davidson Head of Motors Services at Dubizzle

C

ars today are massively more efficient now than they were 10 years ago, and even so, they are stationary for 90 percent of the day. With the dramatic disruption in transportation that has taken place over the last 5 years, the automotive sector is set for a complete change in the coming years. The rising adoption of electric vehicles among consumers, as well as the developments in autonomous driving technologies, has been propelling the market demand and driving the change in legal infrastructure around the world.

In the next decade, there will be a huge adoption of electric and automated cars on the road. However, to see the full adoption

34

Issue 17 | September 2019

The UAE has been at the forefront of driving that change in the region to support the development of the electricautonomous automotive market as it matures. The government is targeting a 20 per cent adoption of electric vehicles in its own fleet by 2020, and 42,000 electric vehicles on its streets by 2030. In addition to this, the government recently initiated the first phase of a legislative framework to ensure the highest level of efficiency, reliability, and security of smart mobility, with new rules for self-driving cars.

Currently, the high initial cost of purchase of electric vehicles, few charging stations around the city, and a general unawareness of the ease of use and maintenance of electric cars has made the adoption of electric cars by end-users slower than in other global major cities. With a large percentage of the expat population also living in apartment buildings, convenient access to charging stations is also limited.

Saying this, there are steps being taken to make it easier to own an electric vehicle.

Last year, DEWA installed 100 electric vehicle charging stations in Dubai, bringing the total number up to 200. This number is expected to continue growing, and property developers are increasingly considering installing EV charging stations in new projects. These developments are all positive steps towards encouraging the adoption of electric cars.

So what does this mean for the used car market? Like with any market, the maturity of the infrastructure is what drives the volume of sales.

As the infrastructure continues to

“

The government is targeting a 20 per cent adoption of electric vehicles in its own fleet by 2020, and 42,000 electric vehicles on its streets by 2030.

“

of these modes of transport anywhere in the world require significant changes in infrastructure.

develop for the implementation of electric vehicles in society, we will see the electric car market gradually grow. Of course, new cars of today become the pre-loved cars of tomorrow, and we anticipate that within the next five years, we will see the number of used electric vehicles in the second-hand market increase.

This will be a part of the development of the transport sector which will comprise of electric and autonomous vehicles. The electrification and automation of mobility go hand in hand – as cars get electrified, automation will come into play, people will start sharing vehicles, changing the rules of ownership and thereby reducing the cost of mobility. Certainly, the introduction of fast 5G communications will play a huge part in making automation a reality.

Strategy aims to transform 25 per cent of the total transportation in Dubai to autonomous mode by 2030. The strategy is expected to bring AED 22 billion in annual economic revenues in several sectors, by reduced transportation costs, carbon emissions, and accidents, and by raising the productivity of individuals as well as, saving hundreds of millions of hours wasted in conventional transportation.

Dubai, in particular, is being talked about globally as a city best suited for automated vehicles due to its outstanding road infrastructure.There’s so much potential to maximise here, and by crowd-sharing fully automated electric vehicles, we will be able to make transportation more effective and cost-efficient. The reduced cost of transport will make eco-friendly transportation more accessible to everyone, bringing rise to the new age of mobility.

GREEN JOB

Marketing Coordinator We are looking for a candidate to represent the Dubai Carbon brand.

As part of the External Relations team, your responsibilities will include, assisting with increasing brand awareness, implementing marketing plans, liaising with the creative team, conducting market research to analyse trends, support with event planning and production.

If interested, please visit: www.dcce.ae/careers

The Dubai Autonomous Transportation 35

The Sustainabilist | Electric Vehicles

EV Buyer Insights An Insight into the Purchasing Cycle of Electric Vehicles in the GCC - 2019

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Issue 17 | September 2019

How many car buyers have driven an electric vehicle?

what are the advantages of electric vehicles?

77% no

are electric vehicle a good return of investment?

51%

40%

45%

49%

37%

37%

25%

22%

I DON’T KNOW

better fuel economy

I HAVE NEVER DRIVEN AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE

14%

YES, HYBRID

i have driven a hybrid vehicle (petrol + electric)

yes

INITIAL COST OF PURCHASE

out of service

34%

INCONVENIENT CHARGING OPTIONS

NO

don’t know enough about electric mobility

i have driven an electric vehicle

LONG CHARGING TIMES

YES

less carbon emissions

9%

WHAT ARE THE DISADVANTAGES OF ELECTRIC VEHICLE?

HOW MANY KILOMETERS OF RANGE SHOULD A FULLY CHARGED ELECTRIC VEHICLE GIVE FOR YOU TO CONSIDER BUYING ONE?

31% 19%

20%

13%

100 km

200 km

300 km

400 km

500 km

17%

600 km

700 km

HOW MANY HOURS SHOULD IT TAKE TO FULLY CHARGE AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE FOR YOU TO CONSIDER BUYING ONE?

32% 18% 12% 10% 8% 5% 3% hours

hours

hours

hours

44% 27% HOW LIKELY ARE YOU TO CONSIDER BUYING AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE IN THE NEXT 2 YEARS

hours

hours

hours

9%

hours

hours

hours

gcc, women: if you were to buy an electric vehicle, will you have it as your primary vehicle?

LIKELY NOT SURE

2% 1%

47%

YES

NO

53%

15% UNLIKELY 14%

I DON’T KNOW 37

The Sustainabilist | Electric Vehicles

SCHOOL

UAE Schools will Learn About Renewable Energy and Climate Change In June 2019, the UAE Ministry of Education (MOE) and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) signed an agreement to cooperate on the integration of renewable energy and sustainable development into the national education system.

T

he MoU includes areas of collaboration between the Agency and the Ministry of Education around integrating low-carbon forms of energy into federal education. The cooperation aims to promote and support the achievement of the relevant Sustainable Development Goals, on affordable and clean energy for all and climate action. The memorandum reflects the interest of both parties in promoting the concept of sustainable development, making it part of the educational system, and devoting best educational practices in this area to achieve the UAE Agenda and its future objectives 38

with regard to sustainable development.

The MoU was signed by Hussain bin Ibrahim Al Hammadi, MOE, and Francesco La Camera, Director-General of IRENA, at the 17th IRENA Council in Abu Dhabi.

“We are delighted to form this partnership with IRENA, which serves as a blueprint for the integration of sustainable development into national education systems around the world. This agreement supports the UAE’s 2030 agenda for sustainable development,” said Al Hammadi.

“The UAE has demonstrated its commitment to playing a leading role in the global energy transformation, and to adopting a sustainable development model. Working with the MOE, we aim to inspire youth to support the action agenda and develop a model of collaboration that can be replicated in countries all over the world,” said Director-General Francesco La Camera.

Integrating renewable energy and sustainability into the educational systems are priorities for the UAE. In June 2019, Candice Wright, a British teacher at GEMS FirstPoint School - The Villa, became the first climate change teacher in the UAE, after being accredited by the United Nations through its UN Climate Change Teacher Academy.

“Moving forward at GEMS FirstPoint, students will be taught specific units on climate change, focusing on understanding, adaptation and mitigation.

Students will be taught why climate change is occurring; who is most susceptible to its effects; and what are the tools needed to adapt and build resilience against it,” Wright declared in an interview for Khaleej Times.

Issue 17 | September 2019

TOP TIPS LOOK AT THE INCENTIVES

First Time E-Car Buyers CRUNCH THE RANGE An obvious limitation of electric vehicles is range. Every EV has a point where it runs out of juice, and refueling isn’t quite as simple as filling the gas tank. DEWA alone has 200 electric charging stations in Dubai but you need to consider your options if you’re planning on driving outside the Emirate.

1

2

The UAE offers EV incentives not only around the price of the car but also around charging and parking. DEWA is providing free charging for electric vehicle owners registered in the Green Charger initiative from 1 September 2017 to 31 December 2019. RTA also provide incentives such as free assigned parking, exemption from RTA electric vehicle registration and renewal fees, exemption from Salik tag fee, and arranging a special sticker for number plates.

COSTS UNIQUE TO EV OWNERSHIP

3

You can expect your electric bill to go up, but the extra cost in electricity will still be less than what you would be spending on gas. You also need to consider what kind of charging setup you need in your own home and options available to you if you need to travel a distance longer than the range your car offers. The question of whether you would save any money in the long run by springing for an EV will require some math that factors in your unique driving habits.

ALWAYS CHECK THE WARRANTY

4

Battery issues can be quite costly. Modern electric car technology is still in its infancy. In order to give drivers some peace of mind about this new propulsion technology, manufacturers are quite generous with warranties, not only on the cars themselves, but also for the batteries and electric drivetrains in EVs and plug-in hybrids.

CONSIDER A HYBRID INSTEAD

5

After considering the above, if you’re still not sure whether an EV would be right for you, it might be time to consider a hybrid instead. The market for plug-in hybrids (cars that run on electricity with gas engines that kick in when they run out of juice) is quite a bit more diverse than the EV market. Hybrids can give you some of the perks of an EV without the range anxiety.

E-CAR SHOWROOM

39

40

MSRP (AED)

YES 294,470.00 AED

ON SALE NOW

2019

AVAILABILITY IN THE UAE

The Sustainabilist | Electric Vehicles

REVIEW

Issue 17 | September 2019

Tesla Model S

By Anas Kiblawi, YallaMotor

I

nnovative in ways more than one, the Tesla Model S is the world’s best-selling plug-in electric car and one that has been credited with introducing high-tech electric mobility into the lives of individuals around the globe. A part of the American manufacturer’s line-up since 2012, the Tesla Model S combines practicality and affordability with immense amounts of performance while sitting in a class of its own.

EXTERIOR Unlike the comical and aesthetically revolting design of most electric vehicles, the Tesla Model S comes across as futuristic without being gaudy. Styled by Franz von Holzhausen, an ex-Mazda employee, the American sedan is embellished with dashes of chrome that complement its curvaceous silhouette. Sat on a set of 21-inch alloys, the Model S’ traditional styling is contrasted with darkened tail lamps and angular headlamps that taper into the narrow chrome grille.

INTERIOR Inspired heavily by the concept of minimalism, the cabin of the Tesla Model S is draped in leather and Alcantara with faux wood and silver trims running across the dashboard, center console, and door panels. With seating for five matched by 894 liters of storage space, practicality is to be had in abundance, as is comfort with a 12-way power adjustable driver’s seat. Keen-eyed automotive enthusiasts are also likely to feel a sense familiarity with the vehicle’s switchgear, all of which has been borrowed from Mercedes-Benz.

FEATURES Designed to be the safest car in the world, the Tesla Model S owes a large part of its 5.4-star NHTSA safety rating to its electric drivetrain that resides beneath an aluminum occupant cell in the subframe - contributing to its low center of gravity and reduced rollover risk. Factor in six airbags, in addition to features such as collision avoidance and automatic emergency braking, and its safety medallion stands well justified.

High-tech in every way possible, the American

sedan is fitted with a plethora of features including a 17-inch Panasonic central display – eliminating the need for physical buttons along the dashboard – Wi-Fi and internet connectivity, natural language voice recognition, Bluetooth and mobile app connectivity with the latter allowing for locating, unlocking, and starting the vehicle remotely.

DRIVE Mind-bendingly fast, the Tesla Model S shatters preconceived notions of dreary electric vehicles with a 90-kWh battery pack that churns out the equivalent of 423 horsepower and 658 Nm of torque. The low center of gravity, which aids with its phenomenal grip, sees it dispatch a 0 – 100 km/h run in 4.4 seconds and hit a top speed of 250 km/h.

With the promise of instantaneous torque, grunt is delivered in an almost telepathic fashion with the elimination of any downtime, either by the batteries or the transmission. Improving aerodynamic efficiency, the Model S squats lower to the ground at 85 km/h while the onboard regenerative braking system helps get the most out of the claimed 480 kilometers on a single charge.

Refined in the way that it’s nearly traditional, the quirk-free driving experience is accompanied by a rather numb, electrically assisted steering that offers three modes (each with varying degrees of heft) to choose from: Comfort, Standard, Sport. For those who aren’t accustomed with EVs, there is also the shrilling sound of batterypowered acceleration to deal with.

VERDICT Although more affordable than hydrogenpowered vehicles, there stands a lot of dispute over the long-term environmental benefits of electric vehicles, especially when factoring in the production, charging, and disposing of batteries at the end of their lifecycle. While that’s something that only time will tell, what’s certain is that the Model S can be credited for bringing back the EVs and making them mainstream.

That’s a celebration in itself.

41

The Sustainabilist | Electric Vehicles

INNOVATION

A Future in Green

By Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA)

Green Charger is one of three smart initiatives launched

by DEWA to support the Smart Dubai Strategy, to make the Emirate, the smartest and happiest city in the world.

D

ubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) announced in October 2018, the completion of the second phase of its EV Green Charger initiative, which included the installation of an additional 100 EV Green Charger stations for charging electric vehicles across Dubai. With the completion of this phase, the total number of charging stations in Dubai has been doubled from 100 to 200. This initiative contributes towards DEWA’s efforts to encourage the use of environmentally friendly electric 42

vehicles in the emirate in order to reduce carbon emissions and support sustainable modes of transport in Dubai. The EV Green Charger Initiative was launched by DEWA in 2015 in support of the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to make the emirate the smartest and happiest city in the world.

DEWA has successfully installed 200 electric charging stations in different areas of Dubai and aims to install another 100

in government offices, airports, petrol stations, shopping malls, commercial offices, clinics and hospitals, residential complexes and establishments.

Green Charger is one of three smart initiatives launched by DEWA to support the Smart Dubai Strategy, to make stakeholders happy, minimise environmental impact, and enable a smart city. DEWA also supports the Dubai Plan 2021, for a smart and sustainable city, and is aligned with the UAE Vision 2021 to make the UAE among the best countries in the world.

To date, DEWA has developed and deployed 200 charge points across the city, the locations of which are available on DEWA website and DEWA smart app, with locations being updated regularly.

The chargers come in three forms: • Fast Charger: provides an 80% charge within 20 – 45 minutes, depending on the type of car and battery

Issue 17 | September 2019

is providing free charging for electric vehicle owners registered in the Green Charger initiative from 1 September 2017 to 31 December 2019, and RTA is offering free assigned parking as well as exemption from RTA electric vehicle registration and renewal fees and Salik’s tag fee for EV owners, while also arranging a special sticker for their number plates.

At least 10% of all newly purchased cars will be electric or hybrid by 2020, with the proportion of electric and hybrid cars rising to 2% by 2020, and 10% by 2030. DEWA currently owns 19 electric vehicles, a number that will increase as per the target.

• Public Charger: provides a full charge in 2 – 4 hours, depending on the type of car and battery capacity.

• Wall-Box: provides a full charge in 2 – 4 hours, depending on the type of car and battery capacity.

DEWA also worked closely with other government entities, such as Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), Dubai Municipality, Dubai Police, Dubai Airports, ESMA, and Civil Defence) to establish the Green Mobility initiative, which is studying incentives to promote EVs and setting targets for electric and hybrid vehicle procurement for Dubai Government entities. This has resulted in an initial target for electric or hybrid vehicles for Dubai of 10% by 2030.

To support the transition to EVs, DEWA

“

“

capacity. Most of these are installed at petrol stations.

To date, DEWA has developed and deployed 200 charge points across the city, the locations of which are available on DEWA website and DEWA smart app, with locations being updated regularly.

DEWA has also strengthened its cooperation with leading real estate developers in Dubai such as Meraas, Nakheel, and Majid Al Futtaim Group by installing EV Green Chargers at their leading projects and shopping malls such as the Mall of the Emirates, Ibn Battuta Mall, La Mer, The Outlet Village, City Walk, and a number of other featured locations in Palm Jumeirah.

Charging stations have also been installed at Dubai World Trade Centre, DIFC, and Dubai Airport Free Zone.

These sites are strategically important as they reflect Dubai’s leading position to the participants of international conferences and exhibitions held in Dubai.

Green Chargers, currently exclusively provided by DEWA, are open to all holders of the Green Charger card.

You can get the Green Charger card by registering with DEWA and setting up an account through Green Charger card services, which is available on the DEWA’s website or smart app. Upon registration, the card will be delivered to customers within three working days.

Initiatives like Green Charger supports the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, for Dubai to have the lowest carbon footprint in the world by 2050. DEWA will continue to launch new initiatives aimed at rationalising consumption, reducing carbon emissions, and encouraging community members to produce electricity from solar energy in buildings and connecting them to DEWA’s grid, and the use of electric vehicles and other initiatives and programmes; aimed at reducing our carbon footprint and promoting the transition to a green economy in Dubai.

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The Sustainabilist | Electric Vehicles

are somehow less enjoyable to drive than a conventional petrol one, but nothing could be further from the truth. For most drivers, the experience is much the same as with internal combustion and an automatic transmission, but probably more fun.

Electric motors generate far more torque than ICE, which is what pushes the vehicle forward from stand-still, so gives you more access to responsive acceleration at normal driving speeds. This is quickly becoming understood by people who really enjoy driving, which is why electric power is getting so much interest at the high-performance end of the market. They also deliver more of their energy to the wheels, rather than losing it as heat.

INTERVIEW

Spectacluar Success Mike Song, Head of Operations, Hyundai Middle East and Africa talks to The Sustainabilist.

E

very car in future will be electric or hybrid. How will you create the same driving pleasure for someone who is used to an ICE engine?

Many people still believe that electric cars

44

ICE technology uses a series of small, controlled explosions to turn the energy stored in the fuel into rotational motion and then transfers that to the wheels, wasting energy at each step – pistons to crankshaft, then through the transmission to the propeller shaft, and finally through the differential to distribute power to the driven wheels. With electric we skip several of these steps, so more of the stored energy is used to actually move the car.

ICE cars still have an advantage at very high speeds, mainly because the multispeed transmission lets the driver change gear once the car is moving, letting the car go faster without running the engine so hard. That also means the car can cruise at higher speeds while using less energy. Electric models, so far, have used just one gear ratio, which needs to be a compromise between acceleration and top speed. This is likely to change in the next few years, as transmissions are developed to give electric cars an additional high-

speed or cruising gear, something that will also increase vehicle range by reducing the amount of energy needed to travel long distances.

What about autonomous? Does your customer want autonomous?

They do, but many of them don’t realise it yet. Autonomous vehicles will be safer, they will reduce traffic congestion, be able to deliver maximum efficiency at any speed, and will allow drivers to be more relaxed, removing a great deal of stress from daily life. In reality, autonomous vehicles are already with us, just not fully autonomous.

We have already launched a wide range of driver assistance features, often as standard on affordable models, that use the individual building blocks taken from autonomous vehicle research. Adaptive cruise control slows the car to match the speed of vehicle in front, without any driver input needed. Warning systems, including lane departure warnings, or alerts recognising hazards such as pedestrians or other vehicles, are being engineered so the car will take avoidance action – even steering the car if needed – before the driver has time to react.

Autonomous emergency braking is already preventing many serious accidents, and saving many lives, across the world.

People appreciate these technologies and are starting to realise that they make the roads safer.

These technologies are advancing quickly.

Hyundai recently launched the Lane Following Assist, a more advanced level of Lane Keeping Assist, which keeps the vehicle between the lines without touching them or losing its path. As we expand these towards full autonomy, people will be supportive.

Issue 17 | September 2019

Tell us something about your current and future customer profile.

We are a mainstream, front-of-mind brand for a large cross-section of buyers.

In today’s market, that means we offer many different models to appeal to many different customer groups – from the Veloster and Kona fun lifestyle models appealing mainly to younger buyers, through a range of dependable family sedans, to our very popular family SUVs culminating in our latest launch, the Palisade. We can cover our customer’s complete life journey, while staying within the brand.

Then in parallel with that, we are bringing our eco-models into the market, including electric, plug-in, hybrid and hydrogen, positioned as premium alternatives and preparing for the transition away from fossil fuels. We have already delivered a full range of eco-technologies – electric vehicles (EV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV). This is something our competitors still find difficult to achieve.

Our customer is also someone looking for value, but not just the combination of low purchase price and good quality which used to define our brand. Today, they want stylish design, high specification, the latest tech, and high levels of safety – in effect, a premium product, from a company they trust, with reasonable purchase and ownership costs. That’s what people trust Hyundai to deliver.

Please talk about R&D in your company. How much time and resources does Hyundai dedicate to R&D? Hyundai is making heavy investments in time, resources, and finance for research and development, much of it based around

electric vehicles – including hydrogen fuel cells, as well as battery-electric and hybrid – as well as autonomous technology. Earlier this year, we announced plans to spend around US$40 billion in the next five years, developing new models, technologies for electrified and autonomous vehicles, and transportation services.

The R&D investments are not just for incremental improvement, although that is important, but rather to face the fundamental changes disrupting the automotive industry. Hyundai will be ready for a post-oil future ahead of time. The Hyundai IONIQ was the first model from any carmaker designed to accommodate the three main alternative drivetrains currently popular – fully electric, plug-in, and hybrid. We were the first to introduce a hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle as a production model, and were a founding member of the Hydrogen Council. We are also preparing for changes in the nature of mobility, such as the increasing popularity of app-enabled ride-hailing services, and how these will affect car ownership and therefore the models and features we offer. Beyond this, we are considering how new technologies will cross over between automotive and other industries, such as applying our battery technology to energy storage for renewables.

What’s the next most exciting thing that Hyundai is looking forward to launching?

I can’t really go into details on that, because our forward product plan is highly confidential, but one thing I would say is that Hyundai has a history of using concept cars to showcase ideas that we actually put into production –

and most of our recent concepts have been testing some extremely interesting ideas for future mobility. I’m very excited about seeing how our engineers turn some of these ideas into reality.

Having visited our global R&D Center in Namyang, there are some very big things ahead.

What is your business roadmap for the brand to catch the attention of the connoisseur of the new era?

Our roadmap is very focused on technology, being seen as an innovator in sustainability, safety, driver assistance and autonomous vehicles, and the advanced levels of connectivity – within the car and to smart city infrastructure – that make all these elements function in unison. That will be combined with appealing design that cuts across a wide range of customers, and a range of products that appeal to distinct groups.

Most of all, we are changing consumer perceptions of Hyundai, something that has been in progress for several years and which continues.

Hyundai’s rise has been nothing short of spectacular, from an unknown name to global automotive force in the space of a generation. We achieved early success by being what could be described as a ‘fast follower’, building cars that matched more established brands for design, features and quality, and then beat them on price, but which did not move the dial forward for the industry.

That has changed dramatically. Our current models are at the cutting edge, creating new features and technologies and bringing them into the market, with a proud brand identity. We are now a first choice for car buyers, not an alternative. We will build on that success.

45

46

MSRP (AED)

YES 483,000.00 AED

ON SALE NOW

2019

AVAILABILITY IN THE UAE

The Sustainabilist | Electric Vehicles

REVIEW

Issue 17 | September 2019

FEATURES On the feature front, the Tesla Model X has all the usual tech such as LED lights, built-in navigation, and exceptional mobile connectivity but let’s leave the basics aside and highlight the stuff that really sets the Model X apart. Firstly, this car has an active data connection (just like your phone) meaning you can browse the web, get live traffic information, and listen to online radio. But the best part about the active data connection is that it gets over the air updates to keep your car up-to-date. Tesla releases an update, you start your car the next morning and BOOM, an all-new feature that wasn’t there the night before!

Tesla Model X

By Zaran Tarapore, YallaMotor

T

he Tesla Model X P100D, is the fastest, most capable, and most expensive Tesla currently on sale.

Today we’re going to dig beneath the surface and find out if it’s worth its AED 483,000 price tag.

EXTERIOR The roof offers improved headroom to those in the second row, and the smooth lines along the exterior make the Model X one of the most (if not the most) aerodynamic SUV currently on sale.

The front trunk (or frunk as it’s called) offers 187-liters of space which is enough to fit your weekend golf bag. For larger items, the boot offers a whopping 2,180 liters with the last row folded flat.

Before moving inside, I’d like to spend some time talking about the key because it’s unlike anything else out there. It’s shaped like the car itself and it’s got 5 buttons hidden very discreetly. Tap the buttons on the side and the beautiful falcon doors open up. In fact, not only are they beautiful but they’re also intelligent.

They need just 1 foot of space and have plenty of sensors that stop them from hitting the wall or car that’s parked besides you.

INTERIOR It’s got 7-seats and each of those 7 seats are large enough to fit average-sized adults. Before the seats, however, it’s the windshield that will blow you away. It’s huge! It’s like having your windshield connected to your sunroof and just in case that wasn’t cool enough, there’s also magnetic sun visors!

There’s white leather on the seats and carbon fiber trim along the dashboard and door panels, but the overall quality and finish of the cabin is not up to par with vehicles in its price range.

In the second row, the benefit of the bulbous roof is quickly visible. There’s plenty of headroom and those on the sides get their own private sunroof of sorts. Speaking of the seats on the sides, they are controlled electronically from the buttons on the seats itself while the one in the middle is controlled from the screen upfront.

The last row also offers enough space to accommodate adults with lots of headroom and legroom, and just to make sure your last row passengers are comfortable, there’s cupholders and two A/C vents.

In terms of self-driving tech, the Model X has 8 cameras, 12 sensors, and a front facing radar that detects cars, buses, trucks, pedestrians, and possibly pets too. Technically, it can drive itself, the hardware is already present, but because of the laws in many countries it is unable to do so. Speaking of intelligent tech, the Model X also knows when it approaches a Tesla charger and automatically opens its charging port.

DRIVE It’s a lot quieter and the way in which the power is delivered, sets the Model X apart; it’s instant with zero lag or hesitation. The dual motor setup that the P100D is armed with, produces 762 horsepower and more than 1,000 Nm of torque. Those are insane figures. Those are figures that allow it to accelerate from 0 – 100 km/h faster than a Ferrari 488 or a Corvette Z06 and just a reminder, this is a 7-seater SUV we’re talking about.

Top speed stands at 250 km/h but when you do drive it sensibly, the Model X will deliver over 500 kilometers on a single charge. That is made possible with regenerative braking that charges the battery as you drive along and an automatically adjusting ride height that drops the vehicle at highway speeds to increase aerodynamic efficiency.

VERDICT Comparing the Tesla Model X P100D to a petrol-powered car is perhaps a little unfair.

In fact, because it’s such a great all-rounder, it brings us closer to the day when people will buy electric vehicles not because they want to make a statement or save the environment but because they simply want the better car. For those who do wish to adopt the Tesla lifestyle, it’s worth noting that the Model X comes with an 8-year unlimited kilometer warranty on the battery and that the brand recycles up to 97% of used batteries.

47

The Sustainabilist | Electric Vehicles

Issue 01 | 23rd October 2017

INTERVIEW

A Car for Everyone Jorge Bialade, General Manager of YallaMotor, provides insight into the emerging used electric car market in the UAE.

A

re people buying used electric cars in the UAE? If so, what is the primary motivation of these buyers?

Even though Electric Vehicles have been in the market for more than 3 years now, this segment has not shown a significant footprint across car buyers in the country, regardless if they are in the market for new cars or used cars. While, at this point in time, there are limited vehicle options and sales figures are very difficult to get; most EVs are going to government/company fleets.

I haven’t seen many EVs on the roads which are not part of Uber/Careem, Dubai Police or DEWA. Answering your question straight away, car buyers are not buying many EVs

48

Issue 17 | September 2019

at this point in time. However, seeing them as part of fleets builds trust, which when supported by a greater choice can be translated into more individual transactions.

How is the used EV market evolving across UAE? Related to your previous question, the used EV market is yet to get a lot more momentum. As per our internal research, there are very few used Electric Vehicles on sale right now. Moreover, they are extremely rare to come across in an online marketplace. This is mainly driven by the lack of choice which is not addressing the masses; plus, those EVs on the road are still new. Besides isolated cases, Electric Vehicles such as the Tesla Model S, Tesla Model X, Chevrolet Bolt, and Renault Zoe might be up to 3 years old. In addition, and since these cars are expensive, owners intend to keep them for longer than a regular combustion engine car to justify the high initial cost.

What are the main challenges in encouraging people to go electric?

We recently conducted the first ever Car Buyers’ Survey to understand what the main perceived challenges for people in the GCC are to buy Electric Vehicles. The results were extremely insightful, and we truly believe it will help the industry as a whole to speed up the adoption of EVs in the region.

For instance, the biggest concern car buyers have across the GCC, is the long charging time.

Currently, if you own an electric vehicle, unless you fast charge it which is not the most common option, you need to spend between 6 to 8 hours to fully charge the battery. On this issue, 32% of car buyers stated they will expect their EV to be fully charged in one hour. And if we increase this slab, 72% are willing to spend up to four

hours. Another challenge is the initial cost of purchase. Electric vehicles can be up to 4 times more expensive than a similar car with a combustion engine. Going against facts, we did a cost of ownership comparison between the Renault Zoe and the Chevrolet Spark. Results are showing that after driving both cars for 5 years or 100,000 kilometers, the petrol vehicle will still be more affordable to own and run.

On the price point matter, 39% of respondents are willing to pay the same for an Electric Vehicle, 35% will pay less for an EV and just 26% will pay more. The third most popular challenge is inconvenient charging options. While the UAE has the highest ratio of charging stations versus cars; this is not common across other countries in the GCC. Unless you install one in your villa (it is not yet permitted in residential buildings) these charging stations can be found in parking lots, malls and hotels. Knowing that an electric vehicle takes between 6 to 8 hours to charge, the owner’s perception is that they will spend a lot of time and money at those landmarks.

Related to the previous point, and also worth highlighting, is that 25% of the respondents stated they don’t know enough about electric vehicles; which shows we still need to educate car buyers on this front.

Along those lines, what does the future of EVs look like in the next 10-20 years?

Many automobile manufacturers have already stated that they are converting their entire model line up to electric in the coming years. More choice will certainly reduce the initial cost of purchase and car buyers will trust them more. In addition, this will also help every automotive stakeholder to better develop the necessary infrastructure to move EVs from trend to reality. More into the future, with Electric Vehicles, the incorporation of 5G and AI technology,

autonomous driving with more connected cars are inching closer.

Do you have a personal favorite EV? Driving an electric vehicle is a completely new and thrilling experience. I cannot find a better example to explain this, than the one a YallaMotor team member gave me about a year ago.

In a nutshell, his feedback after driving an Electric Vehicle was “I felt the same way when I first used an iPhone.” To give you a bit more context he related his driving experience with changing his old Blackberry, with buttons, less tech, and functionalities, to his iPhone. Now for me to have a favorite EV, I believe we need to wait for more iPhones, Samsungs, Huaweis, Pixels, and Oppos to reach our market.

GREEN JOB

Office Manager Are you a confident communicator and believe you’re a people’s person? Have stellar organisation skills and unparalleled flexibility? We are looking for an individual to establish and implement comprehensive strategy, structure, processes and procedures for HR and admin related activities. You should have a Master’s degree in HR and experience with UAE Labour Law. If interested, please visit: www.dcce.ae/careers

49

50

MSRP (AED)

YES 162,000.00 AED

ON SALE NOW

YES

AVAILABILITY IN THE UAE

The Sustainabilist | Electric Vehicles

REVIEW

Issue 17 | September 2019

Chevrolet Bolt

By Zaran Tarapore, YallaMotor

E

lectric Vehicles are all the rage in today’s automotive space and with manufacturers from across the globe jumping aboard the bandwagon, Chevrolet has made the leap with the all-new Bolt. Dubbed ‘the future has arrived’, the Bolt is a subcompact hatchback that has been developed and manufactured in partnership with LG, and one that we were given the opportunity to inspect closely.

From the outside, there isn’t much to say that the Bolt is any different to its petrol-powered stablemates. It doesn’t don a particularly extraordinary design, nor it does it look out of place on the roads of the UAE. Hidden beneath its inconspicuous bodywork, however, is a plethora of cool tech that includes aero shutters in the front grille, which open for improved cooling and close for improved aerodynamics, and batteries located under the floor for a lower center of gravity.

Speaking of batteries, the Chevrolet Bolt adopts a liquid cooling mechanism to keep the batteries operating at ideal temperatures. Not only is Chevrolet one of the only manufacturers to adopt this strategy (while others opt for air cooled systems), but the liquid cooling approach is faster, and it also increases the battery life by avoiding major fluctuations in the battery temperature. Think about cooling down a battery pack when the ambient temperature is 45-degrees and the benefits of liquid cooling are fast visible.

The 60-kWh battery pack that the Chevrolet Bolt 2019 is equipped with, delivers the equivalent of 204 horsepower and 360 Nm of torque. Impressive without a doubt, but what’s even more exciting is the fact that it can do nearly 500 kilometers on a single charge.

Which if you reside in the UAE, will equate to paying between AED 14 and AED 24 for a full

‘tank’. Charging times will range between 2.5 hours with the D/C fast charger and up to 10 hours with the standard A/C charger for a full charge.

To drive (and for those who haven’t experienced the one-pedal drive of the Nissan Leaf yet), the Chevrolet Bolt is a different experience from driving a regular car. Sure, it’s got a standard gear lever and two pedals in the footwell, but the catch is that you’re almost always using just one (the accelerator), and thus the name ‘one-pedal drive’.

With regenerative braking kicking in to slow down the car as soon as the accelerator pedal is released, the car is well capable of coming to a complete stop without the use of the brake pedal. One benefit being, the life of brake pads and other components is extended significantly, but the other benefit being that the car can charge its own batteries while coasting or braking. In fact, the Chevrolet Bolt is also one of the only cars in the market to offer two brake pedals, one in the footwell and one behind the steering wheel for extra regen.

On our short drive from IMPZ to Bab Al Shams, we got to experience how the single reduction gear takes power from the battery pack and delivers it to the wheels. Once you’re moving, there isn’t much to differentiate the Bolt from a standard petrol-powered car, bar the eerie silence since there is no engine or exhaust sound to accompany.

A pioneer on certain fronts, Chevrolet’s attempt with the Bolt is a commendable one and one that will certainly pave the way for others to follow. If you’re set on an EV, then the Bolt is worth your time and shines a lot brighter than its French rival, the Renault Zoe. Before signing any cheques though, just make sure you’ve got AED 162,000 in your account.

51

legend

The Sustainabilist | Electric Vehicles

charge time (minutes) availability in uae base price (aed)

top speed (mph) battery size range

155 mPH 65 kwh 200 MI

45 min availability in UAE

AED 1,208,000

Rapid E

124 mPH 84 kwh 224 mi

25 min availability in UAE

AED 342,698

e-tron quattro

aston martin 113 mPH 24 KwH 51 mi

30 min availability in UAE

AED 140,519

TANG EV5 Seat

availability in UAE

AED 80,959

113 mph 83 kwH 325 mi

30 min availability in UAE

AED 140,519

seat 7 byd tang ev

mPH 55 kwH 222 mi

availability in UAE

TBD

e3

60 min availability in UAE

AED 124,324

availability in UAE

AED 101,449

140 mPH 100 KwH 315 mi

availability in UAE

AED 305,784

air

88 mPH 52 KwH 243 mi

60 min availability in UAE

AED 150,748

renault

availability in UAE

AED 336,046

tesla

155 mPH 100 KwH 286 mi

availability in UAE

AED 91,827

30 min availability in UAE

AED 59,449

yuan ev 535

93 mPH 35.5 kwh 125 mi

31 min availability in UAE

AED 142,613

35 min availability in UAE

AED 329,996

42 min availability in UAE

AED 385,500

model x long range

tesla

88 MPH 45 KwH 140 mi

30 min availability in UAE

AED 105,931

availability in UAE

AED 162,000

130 mpH 14.5 KwH 56 mi

BOLT

88 mPH 54 KwH 213 mi

55 min availability in UAE

AED 122,036

43 min availability in UAE

AED 129,500

150 mPH 35.5 kwH 125 mi

availability in UAE

AED 451,503

model x performance

tesla

availability in UAE

AED 167,039

honda

77 mPH 38 KwH 118 mi

42 min availability in UAE

AED 182,075

nissan

mg

155 mPH 95 kwH 264 mi

30 min

urban concept

23 min availability in UAE

AED 241,678

130 mPH 55 KwH 220 mi

42 min availability in UAE

AED 472,290

model x ludicrous performance

tesla

24 min availability in UAE

AED 177,231

model 3 standard range

tesla

tesla 42 min

AED 91,109

e-nv200 evalia

zs ev

145 mPH 74 KwH 295mi

availability in UAE

citroen

honda

113 mPH 44.5 kwH 155 mi

21 min

c-zero

CHEVROLET

sono 155 mPH 95 kwH 277 mi

2.5 HRS

modeL 3 LONG RANGE DUAL MOTOR

sion

availability in UAE

AED 37,366

e200

91 mPH 60 kwH 311 mi

honda 112 mph 80 KwH 221 mi

10 HRS

baojun

everus sport ve1

e

63 mPH 22 kwH 131 mi

baic

mercedes

renault 35 min

30 min

eu5v

eq c400 4matic

lucid

zoe z.e.50 r135

model s standard range

52

28 min

zoe z.e. 50 r110

155 mPH 100 kwH 285 mi

88 mPH 53.2 kwh 256 mi

e7

s01 480

60 min

AED 172,224

97 mPH 54 kwH 260 mi

Q2 30 l E-TRON

haima

leap motors 88 mPH 52 KwH 243 mi

availability in UAE

byd

30 min

haima 88 mPH 36.5 kwH 238 mi

min

audi

byd 9 HRS

94 mPH 38 KwH 166 mi

audi

BYD 81 mPH 47 KwH 222 mi

BUYER›S BUYER›

155 mPH 75 kwH 221 mi

40 min availability in UAE

AED 359,025

model x standard range

tesla

2019 Issue 1723 | rdSeptember October 2017

S GUIDE ›S 93 MPH 42.2 KWH 153 mi

42 MIN availability in UAE

AED 169,515

125 MPH 70 KWH 249 mi

25 MIN availability in UAE

AED 277,092

30 min availability in UAE

AED 175,985

crossback e-tense

ds

50 min availability in UAE

AED 142,765

kona electric

hyundai

98 mPH 60 KwH 218 mi

38 min availability in UAE

AED 186,806

AED 193,924

26 min availability in UAE

AED 198,898

modeL 3 standard range plus

30 min availability in UAE

126,404 AED

259 mPH 145 KwH 400 mi

103 mPH 30.5 KwH 124 mi

AED 550,950

semi

tesla

473,820 AED

20 min availability in UAE

AED 135,831

fisker 142 mPH 85 kwH 236.1 mi

90 mPH 60 KwH 252 mi

50 min availability in UAE

AED129,570

availability in UAE

AED 255,284

availability in UAE

AED 62,404

AED 230,434

modeL 3 long range performance

98 mPH 55 KwH 256 mi

155 mPH 95 kwH 326 mi

availability in UAE

availability in UAE

AED 115,007

availability in UAE

AED 361,869

model s long range

AED 102,244

130 mPH 37 KwH 140 mi

availability in UAE

AED 156,621

availability in UAE

AED 162,135

geely

104 mPH 64 KwH 249 mi

44 min availability in UAE

AED 167,142

e-niro

kia

kia

156 mPH 90 KwH 313 mi

15 min availability in UAE

AED 312,205

80.8 mPH 14.5 KwH 56 mi

42 min availability in UAE

AED 456,066

availability in UAE

AED 89,634

e-up

e-up gen2

volkswagen

volkswagen

93 mph 32 KwH 118 mi

36 min availability in UAE

AED 148,114

e-golf

availability in UAE

AED 91,101

peugeot 155 mPH 95 KwH 317 mi

42 min availability in UAE

AED 430,724

model s performance

tesla

tesla 81 min

21 min

ion

model s ludicrous performance

tesla 18 min

43 min

33 min

geometry a

trumpchi ge3 ev 530

250 mPH 95 Kwh 317 mi

AED 118,020

94 mPH 62 Kwh 156 mi

porsche 42 min

availability in UAE

BYD

30 min

155 mph 39.2 KwH 149 mi

30 MIN

SONG EV500

taycan

ora availability in UAE

81 mPH 16 kwH 59 mi

40 min

r1 ev

22 min

AED 32,375

94 MPH 61.9 KWH 280 mi

e-niro

63 mPH 30.7 KwH 193 mi

opel

availability in UAE

E1

jaguar

ampera-e

30 MIN

BYD

i-pace

hyundai

162 mpH 74 kwH 280 mi

63 MPH 32.2 KWH 191 mi

gac

44 min

tesla availability in UAE

availability in UAE

ioniq electric

tesla 30 min

9 min

inc emotion

e70

fengshen

nissan

65 mPH 212 KwH 500 mi

availability in UAE

BXI7

146 mPH 51 kwH 251 mi

leaf e plus

140 mPH 50 KwH 340 mi

30 MIN

BORGWARD

BMW

bmw

96 mPH 39 kwH 155 mi

119 MPH 49 KWH 212 mi

IX3

I3 120AH

113 mPH 50 KwH 188 mi

2019

volkswagen

155 mPH 75 kwH 249 mi

28 min availability in UAE

AED 220,380

xc40 ev

volvo 53

The Sustainabilist | Electric Vehicles

2020 125 mPH 95 kwh 320 mi

26 min AED 346,431

e-tron Sportback

BUYER›S

149 mPH 85 KwH 258 mi

21 min AED 509,457

sport e-tron GT

audi 93 mPH 47.5 KwH 295 mi

156 mph 39.2 KwH 143 mi

DS3

kia 28 min AED 128,037

93 mPH 50 KwH 180 mi

ELECTRIC CONCEPT

28 min

2

23 min AED 534,939

99 mPH 45 KwH 186 mi

54 min AED 71,356

27 min

93 mPH 50 kwh 171 mi

ID.3 Standard Range

skoda

VOLKSWAGEN

28 min AED 90,000

2008 EV

Peugeot 112 mph 58 KwH 230 mi

Mii Electric

112 mPH 58 KwH 230 mi

30 min AED 124,873

30 min AED 138,252

124 mPH 77 KwH 295 mi

34 min AED 165,011

ID.3 LONG Range

VOLKSWAGEN

volkswagen

VOLVO

charge time (minutes) base price (aed)

33 min AED 163,052

EQA

mercedes 93 mph 50 KwH 183 mi

28 min AED 111,432

e-208

Peugeot 112 mPH 83 KwH 280 mi

33 min AED 133,793

vision IV

SEAT

ID.3 Mid Range

top speed (mph) battery size range

125 mPH 60 Kwh 217 mi

EL BORN

28 min AED 218,529

BMW

ONE

SEAT

AED 98,115

44 min AED 611,404

LIGHT YEAR 40 min AED 9,183,000

81 mPH 36.8 KwH 140 mi

Porsche

CITIGOe iV

Electric XC40

54

250 mPH 120 kwH 313 mi

25 min AED 277,092

iX3

93 mPH 60 kwh KPH 360 mi

battista

legend

155 mPH 75 Kwh 249 mi

54 min AED 71,356

44 min AED 175,260

Pininfarina

Taycan Cross Turismo

polestar 81 mPH 36.8 KwH 140 mi

28 min AED 121,849

125 mPH 70 KwH 249 mi

Bollinger

kia

OPEL

155 mPH 96 kwH 249 mi

104 mph 64 kwH 230 mi

75 min

AED 285,295

B1 SUT

e-Soul 64 kWh

Corsa-e

MINI COOPER AED 232,000

AUDI 43 min

e-Soul

127 mPH 60 kwH 120 mi

Q4 e-tron

AED 124,929

Crossback E-Tense

155 mPH 78 KwH 280 mi

33 min AED 244,539

audi 28 min AED 176,046

93 mPH 32.6 kwH 115 mi

112 mPH 83 kwH 264 mi

SKODA 112 MPH 83 KwH 275 mi

30 min

VW ID Crozz

VOLKSWAGEN

2019 Issue 1723 | rdSeptember October 2017

2021

S GUIDE 120 MPH 300 mi

15 MIN AED 165,296

150 MPH 85 KWH AED 44,583

audi

ATLIS

120 KWH

INEXT SUV

BMW

130 mPH

INFINITI 30 min 375 mi

99 mPH 111 kwH 375 mi

I.D. BUZZ

VOLKSWAGEN 30 min AED 237,450

MODEL Y LONG RANGE DUAL MOTOR

tesla

90 KWH AED 220,395

i5 SUV

I4

BMW

95 KWH

324 mi

124 MPH 435 mi

BMW

300 mi

80 kwH

AED 165,282

AED 146,918

K-BYTE concept ev

81

byton

INC SUV

ff

FISKER

AED 275,475

QX INSPIRATION CONCEPT EV

217 mPH 74 KwH 264 mi

435 mi

90 KWH 120 MPH

e-tron gt

XT EV Pickup

272 MPH

21 MIN 258 mi

AED 179,977

100 kwH 300 mi

Vision concept ev

LAGONDA

15 min 340 mi

99 mPH 48 kwH

ID BUZZ CARGO

VOLKSWAGEN 135 mPH 74 KwH 249 mi

30 min AED 274,697

MODEL Y LONG RANGE PERFORMANCE

tesla

3

MODEL P

polestar 30 min 297 mi

113 mPH 82 kwH

TESLA

130 mPH 74 KwH 273 mi

30 min AED 218,826

ID ROOMZ

model Y LONG RANGE

VOLKSWAGEN

tesla

255 mpH 200 kwH 603 mi

44 min AED 863,665

ROADSTER

tesla

The Sustainabilist is providing this information based on data from a range of sources including third parties. Whilst all care has been taken to ensure its accuracy and reliability, we do not warrant or represent that the information is accurate, reliable, complete, current or suitable for any particular purpose. You should not use or rely upon this information without conducting an independent assessment and valuation of the vehicle.

55

SAVE THE DATE You are invited to attend the high-level World Energy Congress Side Event and dialogue on

Sustainable Finance & Carbon Markets: New opportunities for the GCC? 10:00 AM, 12th September 2019 Capital Suite 7, Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) For further information and registration please see: https://www.wec24.org/more-side-events

ORGANIZERS

Issue 17 | September 2019

PERSON

Tom Lee, Middle East Managing Director, SAIC In 2018, SAIC Motor, China’s largest carmaker and top vehicle exporter, said its overseas sales could quintuple to top 1 million units over the next decade, as the local assembler for Volkswagen and General Motors Corp looks increasingly abroad for a market.

O

ne of those markets is the UAE. “While recent years have proved challenging for many industries – and not just the automotive industry – the company has seen substantial growth across the Middle East, despite being a relatively young brand in the region competing with many more established brands,” declared Tom Lee, Middle East Managing Director, SAIC, in a recent interview.

SAIC is perhaps best known outside China for its purchase of MG Rover back in 2007. MG is now its main export brand, focusing on SUVs. “SAIC Motor is at the forefront of global technological innovation, delivering

significant achievements in a number of areas related to the development of the cars of the future. New-energy cars connected vehicles and automated driving are all key areas of focus for us. Earlier this year, SAIC Motor secured China’s first autonomous vehicle road-test license ahead of starting mass production later this year,” declared Lee. SAIC Motor is exploring a variety of technological advancements, including developing new-energy cars and buses.

Despite the technical obstacles and challenges, the company announced their plans to make hydrogen energy and fuel cell vehicles a focus and accelerate the innovation of new-energy vehicle technology.

SAIC Motor is also forming a joint venture sales company with Mansour to allow it to first export MG cars to Egypt from China.

It also signed a framework agreement with the Egyptian dealer to establish a separate partnership to produce MG vehicles locally.

Regarding other future plans for SAIC in the Middle East, Tom Lee added: “We have two production models – ERX5 and eRX5 hybrid – are under consideration for GCC markets, and we have tested the eRX5 hybrid in extreme weather conditions here in the Middle East last summer.

I am pleased to confirm that the eRX5 performed exceptionally well in all aspects of its testing, especially air conditioning, performance and fuel efficiency.”

57

www.masdar.ae

The Sustainabilist | Electric Vehicles

PROJECT

Masdar Launches the UAE’s First Fully Electric Bus Service Eco-Bus will serve a six-stop route between Marina Mall, Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station and Masdar City.

T

he Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, better known as Masdar, has officially launched the first fully electric passenger bus in the region.

In partnership with the Department of Transport in Abu Dhabi (DoT), Abu Dhabi-based bus manufacturer Hafilat Industry and Siemens, the vehicle will serve a six-stop route between Marina Mall, Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station and Masdar City.

The Eco-Bus will be integrated into the DoT’s existing fleet, while the service will be free until the end of March, a 58

statement said. It has been designed to withstand the heat and humidity of the UAE climate, key performance challenges for electric vehicles.

Jointly developed by Masdar, Hafilat and Siemens, it seats 30 passengers and has a range of 150 kilometres per battery charge. Solar panels are also used to power the Eco-Bus’s auxiliary systems.

“The launch of the Eco-Bus is a milestone for the UAE in a number of ways,” said Yousef Baselaib, Executive Director for Sustainable Real Estate at Masdar.

“Helping the UAE deliver on its sustainability targets, including more environmentally friendly mobility solutions, is a key part of our mandate at Masdar and high on the agenda at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2019, which will showcase opportunities for further convergence of knowledge and technologies in the pursuit of cleaner and more energy-efficient transport,” Baselaib said.

Abu Dhabi’s DoT was heavily involved in the pilot phase of the Eco-Bus, which carried out extensive tests of the vehicle’s technical performance as well as the user experience. Siemens provided the vehicle’s propulsion technology, while Hafilat designed and built the Eco-Bus. The Eco-Bus has a lightweight aluminium body and a unique water-cooling system to optimise battery life and efficiency, even when the outdoor temperature is at its highest. The vehicle also has a highly energy-efficient on-board air- conditioning system.

Issue 17 | September 2019

PRODUCT

BMW Group Trial Vehicle “Power BEV”: #NEXTGen19 Munich

T

he BMW Group trial vehicle “Power BEV” presented during #NEXTGen explores what is technically possible. The vehicle is fitted with three fifth-generation electric drive units and has a maximum system output in excess of 530 kW/720 hp. This enables it to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in comfortably under three seconds.

extremely dynamic driving manoeuvres.

The result is more effective and precise than with a limited slip differential, because actively targeted inputs are possible in any driving situation. By contrast, a limited slip differential always reacts to a difference in rotation speed between the driven wheels. The drive system comprises three fifth-generation drive units, each of which brings together an electric motor and the associated power electronics and power take-off within a single housing.

One is mounted at the front axle and two (a double drive unit) at the rear axle.

Another notable aspect of this generation alongside its eye-catching power is that it is entirely free of rare earths. An electric motor of this type will make its series production debut in the BMW iX3. The iX3 will only have one motor, though, rather than three.

A current BMW 5 Series production model serves as the donor car for the Power BEV. Integrating a drive system of this type into a production car represents a serious technical undertaking, but it has been achieved here with absolutely no restriction in passenger compartment space. This makes it far easier to assess this drive concept alongside alternatives.

It has also allowed the engineers to look even more effectively into the possibilities opened up by two separately controllable electric motors at the rear axle with e-torque vectoring.

And that means, in future seriesproduction vehicle projects, the right technology can be selected for the model at hand. Customers will therefore be provided with the most appropriate technology for their choice of vehicle concept.

The development team’s aim here was to build an experimental vehicle which impresses not only with its longitudinal dynamics but also in terms of lateral dynamics. Indeed, as drivers would expect from a BMW, it has been designed not only to be fast in a straight line but also to put a smile on the driver’s face through keenly taken corners.

To this end, the chassis and powertrain engineers worked together particularly closely to maximise the car’s performance.

Key to its dynamic attributes is that the two electric motors at the rear axle are controlled separately. This brings e-torque vectoring into play, which enables maximum drive power to be translated into forward propulsion even in 59

The Sustainabilist | Electric Vehicles

INDEX

TOP 3

INDEX

EVs as a percentage of total vehicle sales by country 49.1%

norway

1,053,000 China

19.1%

iceland sweden

8.0% 6.7%

netherlands

4.7%

finland

4.4%

china

3.4%

portugal switzerland

3.2%

austria

2.5%

uk

2.5%

belgium

2.4%

canada

2.2%

denmark

2.1%

france

2.1%

us

2.1%

south korea

2.0%

germnany

2.0%

ireland

1.6%

Sources: P36-37, EV Buyers Insight : YallaMotor P60, Index : Statista

60

MARKETS BY TOTAL EV SALES IN 2018

361,000 usa

73,000 NORWAY

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