Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has added 8 electric cars to its fleet, becoming the first government organisation in Dubai to use electric cars, in support of the Dubai Plan 2021 to make Dubai a smart, integrated and connected city that uses its resources sustainably.

DEWA aims to implement the Dubai Green Transport initiative and encourage the use of sustainable transportation with hybrid and electric vehicles, which will cut total carbon emissions in Dubai by up to 19%. “The move supports the Smart Dubai initiative and the vision of HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to transform Dubai into the smartest city in the world, and in line with the strategy to reduce carbon emissions in Dubai by 16% by 2021.

We take pride in being the first government organisation to add high-performance electric cars to its fleet. This move supports Dubai’s ambition to achieve a 10% increase in the total number hybrid and electric cars by 2030,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO, DEWA. “DEWA is making history with the beginning of a new phase of adopting green transportation solutions in Dubai. We are confident that the infrastructure of charging stations will encourage the public and sectors in Dubai to deploy electric vehicles in its operations, and we hope individuals will also join the initiative gradually.

The move represents the implementation of the Green Charger initiative launched by DEWA to establish the infrastructure to build 100 electric vehicle charging stations this year. DEWA has already completed its first phase with the opening of the first charging station in February and building 12 Green Charger stations that can charge 24 cars at once at DEWA offices. Four charging stations have been installed at the Dubai Silicon Oasis and Dubai Design District (D3),” added Al Tayer. “Adding eight cars is a great achievement and an encouragement for other government departments to follow, especially in light of our Green charger initiative.

We have made significant progress in installing the charging stations. DEWA’s efforts will contribute significantly to the transition towards a green economy,” said Waleed Salman, Executive Vice President of Strategy & Business Development at DEWA. DEWA is setting up three types of charging stations: Fast-charging stations that take 20-40 minutes will be installed at petrol stations. Medium-charging stations take 2-4 hours and will be installed in shopping malls, parks, and offices, with home charging stations that take 6-8 hours to charge.