Dubai plans to convert 50 to 80 per cent of the city’s taxi fleet to hybrid by 2025 according to a recent announcement by Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). The city aims to achieve the ultimate target of 100 per cent by 2027.
“Results of the trial operation of hybrid taxis conducted by Dubai Taxi Corporation since 2008 indicated that they offer an environmental solution for reducing carbon emissions by 34 percent,” said Mattar Al Tayer, RTA chairman and director general. “The move will also slash fuel consumption by 33 per cent, besides cutting maintenance costs due to the low mechanical faults, and curbing noise levels,” Al Tayer said.
Dubai has been woking on strategy to reduce carbon emissions from the taxi sector by 2 percent in five years’ time and this move is seen as a step towards that stated goal.
Studies have showed that replacing all taxicabs in Dubai by hybrid cabs would reduce carbon emissions by 230 thousand tons per annum, which translates into saving about AED170 million.
Dubai-based Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and renowned sustainable vehicle firm, One Moto, are colloborating to develop electric bikes for last-mile deliveries. For this, they will establish a smart mobility and innovation center, supporting regional sustainability. The facility aims to help the UAE achieve its net zero emission targets for 2050 by integrating electric vehicles into the delivery and logistics sector.
The fast pace of growth in Dubai also warrants for such measure that support clean energy usage to sustain the city’s phenomenal growth in the last few decades.
