The new charging station is located at the main office of the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) and the opening ceremony was attended by a number of special guests including HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, HE Ahmed Butti Al Muhairbi, Secretary General of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and senior officials from the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and DEWA.
The project will help to support the city’s Smart Dubai initiative, launched by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
“By transforming Dubai into the smartest city in the world, we aim to make our society happier and provide smart, instant, and seamless services that are available anytime, anywhere” said Al Tayer. “Dubai has all the elements to be a global leader in sustainability, competitiveness, and green economy. This station is an important step towards achieving the objectives of the sustainable smart city and transforming Dubai into the smartest city in the world. It also supports the Dubai Plan 2021 and the Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy 2030 to establish Dubai as a global hub for trade, finance, tourism, and sustainability, and a global role model of the highest standards of energy efficiency.
Al Tayer added that one of the main factors for the success of smart cities is to provide a smart environment that rationally and sustainably uses resources in an innovative way, by adopting state-of-the-art technologies. DEWA has developed a comprehensive strategy for smart grids and is currently implementing three main initiatives. These are connecting solar energy to houses and buildings, smart applications through smart meters and grids, and the infrastructure for vehicle charging stations.
DEWA has also started implementing the electric vehicle charging station infrastructure initiative which will greatly support DEWA’s efforts to reduce United Arab Emirates (UAE)’s carbon footprint, protect the environment and drive the city’s sustainable development forward. It is aiming to establish 100 charging station during the course of 2015 and is collaborating with a number of national and private organisations to implement the project. These include car manufacturers, national airports, shopping malls, petrol stations, Dubai Municipality, RTA, hotels, and owners and operators of parking lots in Dubai.
The first phase of the project includes installing 16 charging stations for public use. Each station can accommodate two vehicles at the same time. Twelve stations have been installed at DEWA’s centres, which can charge 24 vehicles simultaneously. These stations are at DEWA’s head office, the Sustainable Building, Al Wasl, Al Hudaiba, Burj Nahar, Umm Ramool, and Jebel Ali. These stations have been installed and are ready for use. One station has been installed in Dubai Silicon Oasis with another and two more due in Dubai Design District (D3) by March 2015.
During phase two of the project, 84 charging stations of different types will be installed across Dubai. These include fast, public, and home charging stations. They will be installed at Dubai Airports, Dubai Municipality, RTA, and other locations such as shopping malls, petrol stations, hotels, and parking areas, among. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2015.
DEWA will build three types of electric vehicle charging stations that are compatible with the latest international technologies used in electric vehicles. Fast charging stations that take 30 minutes will be available in petrol stations. The other two types include charging stations that take 4 hours, and 6-8 hours, respectively. The setting up of the three types will be based on recommendations by the project’s consultants.
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