Electric vehicles trip to Muscat from Abu Dhabi begins today

Energy Wednesday 17/January/2018 19:52 PM
By: Times News Service
Electric vehicles trip to Muscat from Abu Dhabi begins today

Muscat: A convoy of some 10 electric vehicles (EV) will start a nine-day road trip from Abu Dhabi to Muscat today (January 18).
The two-stage road trip will cover more than 1,200 kilometres, ending its return trip at the Sustainable City in Dubai.
Organised by Global EVRT, a firm that aims to accelerate EV adoption, the road trip will see several charging stations launched, including the first stations in Oman.
Omani residents can also be part of the road shows planned in Sohar and Muscat, and will be given a chance to drive the EVs and question the experts on EVs in the GCC. The convoy will also stop at the Sultan Qaboos University to interact with the students and allow them to drive the EVs.
A roundtable is also planned at the Crowne Plaza Muscat to mark the end of Stage One of the road trip, after which the participants will return to Dubai.
Day One of the event will be in Abu Dhabi, where participants will take part in the Mobility Conference. Speakers will include Ben Pullen, co-founder of Global EVRT, and Sam Alewife, CEO of Green Parking.
As EVs take more time to charge compared with refuelling a petrol-driven vehicle, most of the charging stations will be opened at hotels where people can spend time as their vehicles get charged. IHG hotels, which include Crowne Plaza Muscat and Sohar and the Intercontinental Muscat, will install charging stations.
The convoy will visit the Madinat Zayed in Abu Dhabi, before setting off to the neighbouring Omani cities of Sohar and Muscat. The cars will then return to the UAE, calling at Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah, before passing through Umm Al Quwain, Ajman, and Sharjah.
It will reach its final destination, the Sustainable City in Dubai, on January 26, where participants will join in a special family fun day celebrating the road trip and all things sustainable. The participants in the celebrations will get a chance to learn about electric cars through test drives, workshops, and exhibitors’ booths.