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If you need to charge your electric vehicle (EV), the UAE is one of the most affordable countries in the world where you can do that, according to a new report.
Beating countries such as the UK, the US and China, the UAE took the fourth spot in a global ranking of 50 nations for affordable EV charging infrastructure by evaluation service providers Compare the Market Australia.
The UAE scored well on both, the EV and gasoline metrics of the report, with a 100km worth of EV charge averaging $1.02. The UAE also came third for the most affordable for petrol prices, with an average of $5.57 per 100km. Based on findings in the report, a driver in the UAE could save 81.77% of their average fuel bill by going electric.
Over the past few years, the UAE has been actively pushing its green agenda, with the country’s willingness to adapt to EVs landing it on the 8th position of the global electric mobility readiness index, according to findings of a 2022 Arthur D. Little report. The country’s EV market is also forecasted to grow at a CAGR of 30% between 2022 and 2028.
Fuelling this growth are government initiatives such as the Global EV Market launched in May to create incentives for people to own EVs. The move aims to facilitate investment in the UAE network of EV charging stations and install them across federal buildings, roads and the truck rest stops.
Dubai’s utility provider DEWA has plans to install 1,000 public charging stations in the emirate by 2025, an increase from 620 at the end of 2022.
Aside from government initiatives, the UAE’s ranking in the EV affordability report also gets a boost through subsidised facilities, with several public places offering free of cost charging for EV owners.
However, DEWA has implemented new tariffs from June 1, with the cost of charging EVs at public stations coming to AED 38 fils per kWh, plus fuel surcharge per kWh and VAT for commercial and non-commercial EV Green Charger registered users.
Despite these initiatives, the Compare the Market Australia report places Argentina, Malaysia and India in the top three spots for affordability in EV charging, ahead of the UAE.
In Argentina, the cost of charging EVs averages $0.46 per 100km, while petrol vehicles in the South American nation cost $6.24 worth of fuel for 100km of driving.
The research also found the most expensive countries were Denmark and Italy, tied in first place, followed by Germany, Belgium, Lithuania and Austria (tied in fourth), and The Netherlands. In Denmark and Italy, drivers incur a cost $7.49 in electricity for every 100km they drive, compared to $12.55 of petrol per 100km in Denmark and $10.35 in Italy.
According to the report, depending on the country, EV drivers were saving anywhere from 27.63% to 92.59% of their fuel bill per kilometre, when compared to an equivalent petrol vehicle.
(Reporting by Bindu Rai, editing by Seban Scaria)
