Corporate signatories of the ‘Road2.0 powered by UACA’ initiative have published a declaration of their intent to adopt and promote zero emission vehicles (vehicles operating without producing tailpipe emissions), in a first-of-its-kind showcase of the robust corporate demand for EVs in the UAE.

The declaration serves as a call to action for the EV Ecosystem, inviting stakeholders to join forces in order to mobilise the swift uptake of EVs across commercial fleets.

Road2.0 is powered by UACA – the UAE Alliance for Climate Action, which is convened by environmental charity and NGO Emirates Nature-WWF. It is the leading initiative focusing on decarbonising commercial transport in the UAE, endorsed by the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure (MoEI). In addition, UACA is endorsed by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE).

Supported by talabat and Unilever, Road2.0 is currently led by 17 signatories that are pioneering efforts to test and scale commercial EVs within their fleet, aiming to potentially achieve 30 percent decarbonisation of signatories’ UAE road transport fleet by 2030, and 100 percent by 2040.

The collaborative endeavour demonstrates strong corporate leadership in support of the UAE’s Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative and the UAE’s Demand Side Management Programme (Green Mobility Strategy).

Road2.0 signatories represent diverse economic sectors in the UAE spanning logistics, retail, food and beverage, groceries, fast moving consumer goods and sustainability, amongst others.

The declaration commends the significant momentum and progress towards green mobility that has already taken place in the UAE and outlines additional shifts required to address specific operational needs and commercial EV targets.

By the end of this year, Road2.0 signatories will have put 90 Commercial EVs on UAE roads. Collectively, Road2.0 signatories aim to procure up to 6,000 Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEVs) by 2030, potentially scaling to 20,000 ZEVs by 2040. They seek a variety of vehicles ranging from refrigerated and ambient vehicles, two-wheelers, light-medium duty trucks, passenger buses and vehicles to meet demand.

The full list of Road2.0 signatories currently includes: Advanced Media Trading, Aramex, Arla, Chalhoub Group, Ehfaaz, Enviroserve, Farnek, Kibsons, Landmark Group, Majid Al Futtaim, Nestlé, Positive Zero, RNZ Group, Schneider Electric, talabat, Unilever and Yes Full Circle Solutions.

Sharif Al Olama, Under-Secretary for Energy and Petroleum Affairs at MoEI, said, “Electric vehicles are ready for scalable implementation in the UAE. The domestic EV market is expanding rapidly, powered by huge strides in infrastructure across the country and more entities making the switch towards lower carbon transportation solutions. Road2.0 powered by UACA is in line with our steadfast belief that when government and business are synchronised, we form a powerful force for driving economic growth, fostering innovation, and addressing societal and environmental challenges. The move is in line with the Ministry’s mission of supporting the shift to green mobility and contributing to the country’s goal of increasing the share of EVs to 50 percent of total vehicles on the UAE’s roads by 2050.”

Mohammad Saeed Al Nuaimi, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, said, “Road2.0 marks a significant step in our journey towards a cleaner and greener future. Underscoring the power of collaboration, it highlights the importance of public-private partnership in driving action towards a low-carbon economy. It is heartening to see such a widespread support for this initiative which reflects our shared commitment to environmental sustainability. I welcome all our corporate partners for joining this initiative and contributing to the UAE’s climate efforts.

“This initiative marks another step in our drive towards economy-wide emission reduction in line with the nation’s Net Zero 2050 Strategy. The Third Update of the Second NDC for the UAE, released last year, reinforced our commitment to reducing emissions by setting clear plans for all domestic sectors, including the transport sector, to lower net GHG emissions. Decarbonising the transport sector led by EVs will contribute to these goals as a large-scale adoption of EVs is set to be a gamechanger in our emission reduction efforts.”

Laila Mostafa Abdullatif, Director-General of Emirates Nature-WWF, commented, “We have a unique opportunity not only to chart the future of green transport in the UAE, but also to accelerate a market-wide transition to zero emission vehicles. Road2.0 signatories are committed to potentially achieving 30 percent decarbonisation of commercial road transport fleets by 2030, and 100 percent by 2040. This commitment has already been demonstrated as Road2.0 signatories will have deployed 90 commercial ZEVs on UAE roads by end of 2024. We invite more corporates to take this pledge and look forward to working closely with partners across the EV ecosystem, including Original Equipment Manufacturers, Distributors, Leasing Companies and Third-Party Logistics Providers to advance the implementation of commercial EVs at scale.”

Ahmed Kadous, Head of Supply Chain Personal Care Middle East & Turkey and Head of Customer Operations Arabia, Unilever, which is leading the Road2.0 Working Group on EV Ecosystem Engagement and has led the development of the Declaration, stated, “Unilever is committed to achieving net zero emissions across its value chain by 2039, with a 40 percent reduction in our logistics carbon emissions by 2030 against our 2020 baseline. In 2023, we made a major stride towards our ambitions by becoming the first company in the UAE to add an electric van and a 40T electric truck to our logistics fleet. We are eager to expedite our implementation of EVs on a larger scale and recognise the importance of joining forces with the larger ecosystem – through Road2.0 powered by UACA – to drive the transformation of the logistics environment.”