E-mobility Partner Announced For COP 28

Al-Futtaim Automotive will deliver a fleet of 370 electrified passenger cars, sports utility vehicles and buses as well as install its own Charge2Moov stations

Middle Eastern business conglomerate Al-Futtaim Group has been announced as the Strategic E-Mobility Partner of the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), taking place from 30 November to 12 December 2023, at Expo City Dubai. It will deliver a fleet of 370 electrified passenger cars, sports utility vehicles (SUV), and buses. The company will also install its own Charge2Moov electric charging stations for the event. DubaiAl-Futtaim Automotive, one of the major divisions of the Al-Futtaim Group, has an ambition to deliver 50% new energy vehicles (NEVs) and install 10% of the charging stations in the UAE by 2030.

COP28 aims to provide a blueprint for sustainable urban living and across the duration of the event, the group’s automotive division will showcase its electric mobility brand portfolio at its stand in the Green Zone of COP28. The stand will display a range of advanced electric mobility models. It will also have a dedicated space to showcase the comprehensive EV ecosystem that Al-Futtaim Automotive is building, from the electric vehicles on display, to an immersive VR-based automotive showroom and electric mobility training technologies for EV technicians.

The automotive group will host key panel conferences on the Green Zone stage to discuss the business imperatives of decarbonisation, and how its partners have committed to sustainable action across their value chain. “We have to take radical action to tackle the climate crisis, especially within the automotive sector, as surface transportation is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions,” said Paul Willis, president of Al-Futtaim Automotive.

“We are well-aware of the huge responsibility that lies on our shoulders as automotive leaders, and how important it is for us to fundamentally initiate a shift towards greener automotive solutions to not only meet the climate change action goals but also to continue to meet the mobility needs of a rapidly increasing urban population. It’s our responsibility to look at the industry holistically and explore innovative ways to develop this entire new EV ecosystem, as well as pioneer new mobility services that will support the sustainable transition. This year’s COP28 stresses the importance of taking collaborative action, and we are truly honoured to be part of this hugely significant and prestigious global gathering,” he added.

Al-Futtaim Automotive has been focused on leading the green mobility transition in the UAE. The automotive pioneer was the first to introduce alternative powertrains in the UAE’s public transportation sector, and to provide a range of sustainable mobility choices to customers in the UAE. The automotive division recently signed a strategic partnership agreement with the UAE’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) at UITP Global Public Transport Summit in Barcelona to support RTA’s sustainable transport network and the Zero-Emissions Public Transportation in Dubai 2050 strategy. As part of the agreement, Al-Futtaim Automotive will deploy a fleet of electric and hybrid vehicles for use in Dubai’s key conferences and events over a three-year period.

Expo City Dubai itself has detailed its pathway to net zero by 2050 and illustrates its plans to curb embodied carbon in the built environment in its recently released decarbonisation roadmap. Its long-term 2050 net zero goal is supported by shorter-term targets – in 2030 and 2040 – to drive action in operational carbon reduction. As a hub in the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan and a growing community that recognises the impacts of carbon in city development, Expo City also outlines separate interim and long-term targets to reduce embodied carbon in the built environment, such as in construction materials.