Electric vehicle owners can now charge their cars for free in Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO).
Launched by Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA) in a bid to encourage uptake of zero-emissions electric cars, the initiative will allow free use of DSO’s charging stations until the end of the year.
This is the latest in a series of DSOA programmes designed to help Dubai achieve its target of becoming the city with the smallest carbon footprint in the world by 2050, according to UAE state news agency, WAM.
Commenting on the initiative, Eng Muammar Al Katheeri, executive vice president of engineering and smart city at DSOA, said: “A pillar of our business model, sustainability allows us to contribute to strengthening [Dubai’s] position as a leading global example for achieving the highest standards in environment conservation.”
DSO currently has three electric charging stations, each of which can charge up to two vehicles at once. DSOA aims to increase this number to seven by 2018.
Earlier this year, the regulatory authority added four electric vehicles to its on-ground security and facilities management (FM) fleet. Al Nabooda Automobiles provided two Golf GTE plug-in hybrid models to facilitate DSOA’s engineering management and smart city team.
The authority stated that its sustainable efforts have resulted in a 31% reduction in its cumulative energy consumption, surpassing the goals set out by the Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy 2030.
