Tesla to be supported on regional expansion by Dubai investment agency

Visitors take a look at a Tesla vehicle during its launch in Dubai on February 13, 2017. Karim Sahib / AFP

Investment development agency Dubai FDI will help Tesla expand throughout the UAE and wider Middle East as the emirate bids to be the regional centre for the American automaker.

Dubai FDI, part of the Department of Economic Development, said on Tuesday that it will collaborate with the electric vehicle (EV) company to catapult adoption throughout the region. Dubai will be a launchpad for Tesla across new markets while making the UAE its regional hub, Fahad Al Gergawi, chief executive of Dubai FDI, said.

“Dubai FDI is successfully engaging with game-changing companies and investors worldwide, enabling them to use Dubai as a vantage point for market access and business development,” he said adding that clean energy innovations were integral to the Dubai Plan 2021.

“Dubai FDI will continue to assist Tesla to expand and grow in the region and its neighbourhood,” he said.

Tesla could not be reached for comment.

Its chief executive, Elon Musk, announced last week that the company was making its debut in the region with a showroom and service centre in Dubai.

In addition, the company has opened two supercharger stations at the Last Exit in Jebel Ali and in Abu Dhabi at Masdar. There are also 26 Tesla destination chargers operating across the country with another 50 to be added before next year. Tesla plans to double charging sites by the end of the year and extend into Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, according to Mr Musk.

“We expect to invest tens of millions of dollars in the UAE for charging, service and support infrastructures,” Mr Musk said. “By next year, you’ll be able to travel anywhere in the GCC with an electric vehicle.”

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