Tag: Dubai’

Dubai’s move to green mobility received a strong boost in 2015 when DEWA launched its EV Green Charger Initiative as part of its Green Mobility Strategy 2030…reports Asian Lite News

Dubai has consistently been rated as one of the ‘world’s best cities to drive’ with exceptional ratings in measures like traffic congestion and road and public transport quality. Now, the city is set to add a compelling eco-friendly dimension to its world-leading driving experience with an ambitious plan to expand its electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure.

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), which is steering the emirate’s clean energy transition, aims to grow the city’s network of public charging stations by 170 percent in less than three years. By 2025, EV Green Charging Stations in Dubai will increase from the current 370, with more than 680 charging points, to 1,000 Green Charging Stations.

Dubai’s electric mobility plans represent a key pillar of the strategy to implement the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to transform Dubai into a global green-economy hub. The emirate’s Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and Net Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy 2050 seek to generate 100 percent of its power from clean energy sources by 2050. Furthermore, Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has rolled out a long-term strategy to migrate towards net-zero emission public transport by 2050.

Dubai’s move to green mobility received a strong boost in 2015 when DEWA launched its EV Green Charger Initiative as part of its Green Mobility Strategy 2030. The number of EV owners registered under the initiative has increased from a mere 14 in 2015 to more than 11,000 by the end of May 2023. The figure is expected to double in the near future. By 2030, Dubai aims to have over 42,000 electric cars on its roads.

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of DEWA, said, “Consistent with HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s overarching vision for sustainable development, Dubai recognises that green mobility is the future of transportation. Together with other Dubai entities and key stakeholders, DEWA has drawn out a strategic blueprint that reimagines the future of urban transportation in the emirate. As part of this broader framework, DEWA is working to create an accessible world-class infrastructure to advance the adoption of eco-friendly transportation. By encouraging electric vehicle usage, DEWA’s EV Green Charger Initiative contributes not only to carbon emissions reduction but also fosters sustainable practices throughout Dubai.”

The burgeoning sales of electric vehicles also support Dubai’s green mobility vision. Demand for EVs in the UAE is projected to grow at a compound annual rate of 30 percent between 2022 and 2028, according to the Global Electric Mobility Readiness Index published last year. The report Index ranked the country eighth globally in terms of electric mobility readiness. Meanwhile, worldwide sales of electric cars are expected to surge by 35 percent in 2023 to reach 14 million and the share of the overall car market is set to increase to 18 percent this year, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

To cater to the growing demand for EV charging infrastructure, DEWA has currently deployed over 370 charging stations across Dubai. The stations offer a range of charging options, including ultra-fast chargers, fast chargers, direct current chargers, public parking chargers and wall chargers. The stations are available round the clock at key locations such as fuel stations and public parks in addition to those located at DEWA’s customer happiness centres and shopping centres, which operate during their respective opening hours.

DEWA’s EV Green Chargers have provided 13,264 MWh of electricity from 2015 to the end of 2022, powering a cumulative electric vehicle distance of over 66.3 million kilometres. By the end of 2022, the stations recorded over 720,000 charging sessions conducted by 9,653 registered electric vehicles.

DEWA’s efforts to boost the emirate’s public charging infrastructure have also resulted in the reduction of 236,700 tonnes of carbon emissions as of April 2023, a testament to the growing success of its clean energy strategy.

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Crown Prince of Dubai Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed said Dubai has completed three outstanding phases in its digital journey…reports Asian Lite News

Crown Prince of Dubai H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has launched Dubai’s Digital Strategy, which sets the stage for a new era of digital transformation, in line with the leadership’s vision to position Dubai as a global role model in the sector.

The launch took place during Sheikh Hamdan’s visit to the headquarters of Digital Dubai, where he was briefed on the progress of its various initiatives, the work done by various teams in preparation for upcoming stages of Dubai’s Digital Strategy, and the latest projects Digital Dubai is developing in collaboration with government entities.

Sheikh Hamdan said Dubai has completed three outstanding phases in its digital journey, starting with the launch of the region’s first e-government in 2001, followed by a smart government initiative in 2013, and then the government-wide digital transformation, which culminated in fully eliminating paper transactions by the end of 2021.

“These stages served as the prelude to Dubai’s new Digital Strategy, which cements Dubai’s position as the world’s digital capital. The period ahead calls for intensifying efforts, strengthening cooperation, and promoting proactive thinking and innovation to achieve major goals,” Sheikh Hamdan said.

The city’s new Digital Strategy is based on a vision to digitalise all aspects of life in Dubai and establish a reliable, robust digital system that enhances the digital economy and empowers a digitally-driven society. It is centred on seven key pillars, namely, the digital city, digital economy, data and statistics, digital talent, digital infrastructure, cybersecurity, and digital competitiveness.

The Strategy aims to enhance the outputs of the digital economy, increase the positive impact of Digital Wellbeing by 90%, achieve top rankings in the United Nations’ Local Online Service Index, and launch 50 digital city experiences that are seamless, interconnected, proactive, predictable, and high-impact. The strategy also aims to equip over 50,000 professionals with advanced digital qualifications.

It represents an advanced stage and a new milestone in Dubai’s digital transformation journey. The digitisation rate of government services is now at 99.5%, while the paperless government objective has been achieved 100 and digital transactions account for 87% of total government service transactions.

Moreover, over 120 government smartphone applications have been developed, while government entities have recorded a compliance rate of over 80% with cybersecurity indicators and 100% compliance with the Dubai Data Law.

Sheikh Hamdan highlighted the importance of these achieved targets and said that the current stage of the city’s digital transformation calls for an integrated, holistic system where all stakeholders join the effort to drive a game-changing shift in embracing technological breakthroughs that have already started to radically transform work and productivity patterns.

The crown prince also expressed his confidence in the Dubai Government team and its highly skilled and competent members. He commended their work in the field of digital transformation at Digital Dubai and other entities. “Dubai’s competencies have always been a key element of its distinction,” His Highness said.

“Just as we have succeeded in every stage of our transformation so far, by relying on our highly qualified professionals, we are confident today that we will also achieve our future aspirations and move forward towards another higher and more ambitious objective.”

“In order for us to accomplish what we aspire to, we must enhance cooperation and coordination between various entities in the Dubai Government,” HH Sheikh Hamdan noted.

“This era of major technological transformation calls for maximum integration and cooperation between all sectors. We must listen to customers and strive to keep pace with their needs and expectations that are changing at the same pace as these technologies are progressing.”

Sheikh Hamdan stressed the need to take advantage of new technologies of all kinds, saying: “Artificial Intelligence and generative AI technologies provide tremendous opportunities to capitalise on and develop proactive services, rooted in a deeper insight and understanding of customers. We must explore the potential of these technologies and use them to enhance our efficiency, effectiveness, and productivity.”

Sheikh Hamdan also explored the Dubai Transactions Index, which aims to assess the performance of government transactions in real time and the innovative Digital Assistant initiative, which aims to embrace and develop the potential of generative AI by integrating it into the Smart Employee application, offering Dubai Government employees quick and easy access to a range of services.

His Highness was also briefed on the Maha Project, developed by the Dubai Electronic Security Center (DESC) at Digital Dubai, as a proactive system to mitigate the impact of cyber-attacks on government services and enhance security. It is an advanced system for securing online government services and monitoring their vulnerabilities.

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