ELECTRIC FLEETS

A GREENER TOMORROW

Electric vehicle (EV) charging app, Monta, and e-mobility solution provider, CITA EV, recently partnered to help supercharge EV charge point infrastructure in the Middle East, Casper Rasmussen, CEO and Co-founder at Monta tells us more

Electric charge point infrastructure is set to undergo significant transformation in the Middle East as the adoption rate of electric vehicles increases, something which is seen as a significant opportunity for growth in the region. In this interview, we identify how this will influence the logistics sector.

How is the EV market impacting the logistics and supply chain sector?

Recent issues have certainly tried to hinder the progress of electric vehicles in the Middle East and across the world. Chip shortages have slowed down EV manufacturers from producing and delivering vehicles to promised customers, while the fallout from the Covid-19 crisis continues to be felt in even the most efficient of factories.

However, both problems are shortterm and have done nothing to stop the appetite of electric vehicles from a consumer standpoint. The average EV also requires 40% fewer parts than a petrol or diesel powered one, making the life of a logistics manager a little easier, and there are micro factories popping up in cities that are developing fewer components and parts that remove the need for a lengthy supply chain.

We are in a period of fundamental change for the automotive sector, but the logistics industry has so far shown it can adapt to the changing needs of manufacturers as well as a global pandemic without severe disruption to the supply chain.

What does the partnership between Monta and CITA EV Middle East mean for the region?

The Middle East is one of the most promising markets for clean transportation technology on the planet right now, with the sales of EVs expected to skyrocket. But without the right infrastructure to support vehicles, this progress will be stunted, which is why partnerships like this are so important.

Monta has signed an exclusive partnership with CITA smart solution for the Middle East region. Monta would be supporting CITA smart solutions with its app and back-office resources while CITA would provide the hardware and installation points for the end clients. We strongly believe in this partnership and look forward to achieving new milestones with CITA in the Middle East.

The partnership enables CITA to lead the EV charging infrastructure in the MENA region. Using the Monta charge point management system, CITA will expand the charging network, while offering a seamless EV charging experience with multiple payment solutions and smart charging features such as smart charging, smart queue, and smart booking for all EV drivers. The partnership will improve the accessibility of EVs as a more sustainable mobility choice in the region.

As EV sales continue to increase in the region, we need to be able to provide and install more charge points. However, it’s impractical to have cables and chargers installed at every home right now, and we see the business community playing an important role in providing more charge points to EV drivers while adding new revenue streams for themselves - a winwin situation and one that can help drive up demand for electric vehicles.

Another important point is that the partnership will create a legacy free EV charging infrastructure in the MENA region. A lot of the problems we see in Europe revolve around a poorly structured foundation, which isn’t built to scale. That means that Europe right now has problems accommodating the growing number of electric vehicles. Together with CITA, we’re taking all the learnings from Europe and implementing them in the MENA region to avoid those mistakes that early movers in Europe had made. “THE SWISSLOG SITE ASSESSMENT PROCESS IS DESIGNED TO HELP YOU DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF YOUR FACILITY TO ACCOMMODATE AUTOMATION AND IDENTIFY ANY LIMITATIONS THAT MUST BE ADDRESSED BEFORE AUTOMATION CAN BE DEPLOYED.”

While it is important to move away from oil, the region still depends on coal to produce electricity. Is this a cause for concern?

We know all too well the long-lasting damage that petrol and diesel engine vehicles have on the planet. And while the region is still heavily reliant on fossil fuels, a significant shift towards clean and renewable energy is always going to take some time.

What’s promising is that we have seen a big change in policy during the past five years from countries in the region. Qatar and Saudi Arabia are pushing for at least 10% and 30% of cars on their respective roads to be electric by 2030, while the UAE is aiming to have 42,000 electric vehicles on its streets within the same period. This might seem a long way away, however sales of electric vehicles are increasing year-over-year in the Middle East. Change will happen, it’s only a matter of time.

Tell us why you chose to partner with each other.

Although, Monta is still a young company, we’ve grown a lot in a very short amount of time. We’ve recently launched our app for EV drivers and charge point management system for charge point owners across countries in Europe and the UK, and we are constantly looking to grow and provide open EV charge solutions to businesses and drivers across the world.

CITA already has strategic partners and a good network in the ME. We already work with them in the UK market and having looked at the potential growth opportunities in the ME, we decided to partner with CITA to support them with back office and app. CITA liked the idea of having a proven software provider which they already use in the UK and are very happy with, so it was an easier transition to strike a mutual deal for the ME region. CITA EV is an important player in the market, and it shares the same vision as Monta to help increase the rate of EV charge points in the region to better develop the market, so we knew it would be the perfect partnership between the two businesses. Together, our aim is to deliver solutions that make driving and charging electric vehicles as simple as possible so that more businesses and people can benefit from them.