Good news for all electric car owners, which is just about nobody in the Middle East – Dubai Electricity and Water Authority’s (DEWA) main office hosted the inauguration of the first electric vehicle charging station in Dubai by HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy.
It was launched as part of the Smart Dubai initiative, to make Dubai the happiest and smartest city on earth. It also supports the Dubai Plan 2021 and the Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy 2030.
“DEWA has developed a comprehensive strategy for smart grids. Currently, DEWA is implementing three main initiatives. These are connecting solar energy to houses and buildings, smart applications through smart meters and grids, and building the infrastructure for vehicle charging stations.”
The BMW i3, the first electric car that has zero emissions had the honours of being the first vehicle to be plugged-in at the inauguration.
A total of 100 charging stations are scheduled to open in 2015. Apparently, selected national airports, shopping malls, petrol stations, RTA, hotels parking lots in Dubai could become charging hubs. Real estate developers, like Emaar and Nakheel, could also have a say in deciding these setup locations.
The first phase involves installing 16 charging stations for public use. Each station can accommodate two vehicles simultaneously. As of now, 12 stations have begun operations at the DEWA centres including DEWA’s head office, the Sustainable Building, Al Wasl, Al Hudaiba, Burj Nahar, Umm Ramool, and also in Jebel Ali. March 2015 will see Dubai Silicon Oasis and the Dubai Design District (D3) receive two more stations each.
During phase two, 84 charging stations which include fast, public, and home charging stations will be installed across various locations in Dubai. These stations will take no more than 30 minutes to charge up and will be available in petrol stations. The other two types include charging stations that take 4 hours, and 6-8 hours, respectively. Technologically spectacular, but from a practicality point of view…I’m not sure if you’d want to wait a couple of hours on your way to work!
Although electric cars aren’t really cheap, in view of the pressing climate issues, this project seems a step in the right direction. Perhaps solar powered charging stations would be the next logical leap, esp. in this region.
