Fuel and convenience retailer Adnoc Distribution has opened what it called the world’s sixth largest superfast electric vehicle charging hub and the largest in the Middle East, Africa and Turkey.
Located at Saih Shuaib on the E11 motorway between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the station features 60 high-speed charging points that can charge most EVs from 0 to 80 per cent in about 20 minutes, the company said in a statement on Monday.
Adnoc Distribution also has plans to open 20 EV charging hubs across the UAE's motorways by the end of 2027, with 15 expected to be open by the end of 2026, it said during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. That infrastructure serves as a "critically important enabler" of long-distance EV travel, supporting the country’s transition towards sustainable mobility, the statement added.
"As more consumers choose electric vehicles, we are redefining convenience to ensure they can travel confidently across the country," said Bader Al Lamki, chief executive of Adnoc Distribution.
The UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure aims for 50 per cent of all vehicles on the country's roads to be battery-electric by 2050.
Across the UAE, PwC estimates that, by 2030, EVs will have a market share of more than 15 per cent (about 58,000 vehicles) of new passenger car and light commercial vehicle sales. That number is expected to further rise to 25 per cent by 2035, which is equal to about 110,500 vehicles.
Demand is forecast to reach 45,000 charging points by 2035 if the UAE’s National Electric Vehicles Policy target for the share of EVs on the road is to be met, it said in the report in 2024. But at the rate of rollout as of 2024, there will only be 10,000 charging points in the UAE by 2035, it added.
“Expanding the high-speed charging network is central to our strategy to cut energy consumption in transport and drive the ... Global EV market initiative, which aims to see electric vehicles represent 50 per cent of all cars on UAE roads by 2050," said Sharif Al Olama, undersecretary for Energy and Petroleum Affairs at the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure.
"These efforts are not just about infrastructure, they accelerate the nation’s transition to a green mobility ecosystem and set new global benchmarks for smart, sustainable transport.”
Adnoc Distribution's new EV station will also provide services for road users. It will feature the first "The Hub" concept by Adnoc, which is generally three times larger than traditional service stations and combines fuel and EV charging with food and lifestyle offerings. The site also has a co-working space.
Adnoc Distribution has more than 560 locations across the UAE. Its E2GO network has 400 EV charging points installed, with a target to increase that by up to 750 by 2028.
Globally, the company has 977 service stations, including 172 in Saudi Arabia and 243 in Egypt, and it aims to increase the size of its network to 1,150 by 2028.
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week began on Sunday with the Irena general assembly, with the three-day World Future Energy Summit set to start on January 13. The event will bring together international exhibitors, industry professionals and more than 350 expert speakers, organisers said.
This year’s event will also feature an AI and Technology Hub, spanning 3,600 square metres of space at Adnec, Leen Alsebai, head of the World Future Energy Summit, said during the press conference.
The event comes as countries around the globe are cutting emissions to protect the environment. The UAE, which aims to achieve net zero by 2050, recently updated its 2030 renewable target to 19.8 gigawatts from a previous 14.2 gigawatts.
By the end of 2024, the Emirates' installed renewable energy capacity had reached 6.8 gigawatts, the Ministry of Energy said.
