Al-Futtaim Automotive’s mission to accelerate EV adoption with strong partners | The National (2024)

Taking the route to a greener mobility future is a prime commitment for Al-Futtaim Automotive - one which it says is readily achievable through strong collaborative efforts.

The UAE’s largest automotive distributor firmly recognises the importance of pivoting the industry towards sustainability and is incorporating leading green-mobility players across its value stream.

It is actually 15 years since Al-Futtaim Automotive planted the seeds of a green revolution when the company pioneered alternative propulsion in the country by launching hybrid electric vehicles in collaboration with Toyota.

Now that commitment extends across the entire business, from the like-minded partners it works with through to the services that it launches.

That 2008 greener mindset set Al-Futtaim Automotive on a course towards not only its own sustainable future but the start of a significant, influential role in driving the UAE's transition to cleaner, greener transportation options.

In lockstep with much of the world, that sustainability journey has, of course, ramped up in recent times.

And in the past two years, Al-Futtaim Automotive’s strategy has seen it spearhead a new role as the company builds a new green mobility industry in the UAE.

This dedication has been made possible through several actions, not least the creation of a dedicated new entity - Al-Futtaim Electric Mobility Company - which is focused on democratising the electric vehicle market and developing strategies to accelerate and sustain growth of EV adoption.

Al-Futtaim Automotive has made a firm commitment to build a comprehensive new e-mobility ecosystem in the UAE.

This extends from bringing world-renowned electric brands into the country to introducing its own charging solution, Charge2Moov, as well as the region’s first IMI-certified electric mobility training centre to drive EV after-sales expertise in the UAE.

Added to that, Al-Futtaim Automotive has a mission to make electric vehicles accessible to all through a diverse portfolio of EV models, alongside introducing innovative ownership options to accelerate their adoption, including customer leasing and subscription.

Endorsing this potent strategy is the announcement of Al-Futtaim Group as the Strategic E-Mobility Partner of Cop28 - a major alliance and a significant step in steering the sustainability mission of the group.

As part of this strategic partnership, Al-Futtaim Group will deliver a fleet of 370 electrified passenger cars, sports utility vehicles, and buses to be utilised for the globally-significant event, happening at Expo City Dubai from November 30, until December 12. The company will also install its Charge2Moov electric charging stations for the gathering.

Going forward, Al-Futtaim Automotive - one of the major divisions of the Al-Futtaim Group - has pledged to deliver 50 per cent new energy vehicles (NEVs) and install 10 per cent of the UAE’s charging stations by 2030.

Helping to empower the company’s strong sustainable vision and accompanying strategy are valuable partners that it identified as sharing its goals, namely BYD, Polestar, Volvo, Volvo Group, River and Charge2Moov with Siemens.

In partnership with German company Siemens, Al-Futtaim Electric Mobility Company is able to offer a wide range of charging solutions for its customers at a variety of prices.

Charge2Moov is a reliable smart home charger that comes with fast and efficient charging capabilities, enabling EV drivers to seamlessly power their EV with a five-year warranty for peace of mind. Charge2Moov brings rapid-charging performance of up to 22 kW, adjustable to individual requirements.

Al Futtaim’s investment in Indian scooter company River underscores its commitment to developing a full electric ecosystem in the UAE, ranging from commercial vehicles to passenger cars, and last-mile connectivity solutions.

River was the leading two-wheeler start-up in Al-Futtaim’s search and evaluation of more than 50 companies across the globe.

It said it stood out with an outstanding leadership team and relentless commitment to in-house product development that were a testament to River’s focus on producing an exceptional vehicle in less than two years.

The Polestar Project 0, meanwhile, is Swedish automotive brand Polestar’s goal of creating the first truly climate-neutral car by 2030.

Al-Futtaim says the scope of the project is to identify and eliminate all greenhouse gas emissions from the extraction of raw materials, through to when the car is delivered to a customer, as well as end-of-life handling.

The Polestar 0 project aims to cut carbon emissions by changing the way that cars are made, rather than using traditional processes and then planting trees to offset CO2 - essentially encompassing collaboration across the entire development process and value chain, from suppliers to retailers.

In another dynamic partnership, BYD - the world’s leading new energy vehicle manufacturer - has been working on electrification of urban public transport to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, with a vision to “Cool the Earth By 1°C”.

Perhaps a more familiar name to the public, as a leader in sustainability Volvo Cars says it is committed to reducing its lifecycle emissions per vehicle by 40 per cent by 2025, and to producing only fully electric vehicles by 2030.

Ahead of that date, Volvo Cars says it aims to become a leader in the fast-growing premium EV market.

Likewise, Volvo Group, has stressed commitment to shaping the future landscape of sustainable transport and infrastructure solutions.

Its goals include offering a net-zero emission truck range by 2040, while in its bus division the ambition is to reduce emissions from the group’s operations by 50 per cent and its vehicles by 40 per cent per kilometre by 2030.

Within Volvo Group’s construction equipment division, the aim is to achieve net-zero value chain greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, with significant reductions by 2030.

Al-Futtaim Automotive says its greener vehicle vision is attaining reality at speed with a defined strategy and strong partnerships.

“Our sustainable journey has been progressing at pace and our electric vehicles goals are gaining traction,” said Antoine Barthes, Vice-President of Al-Futtaim Automotive.

“With the collaboration of these other great innovative companies we can ensure the UAE’s electric vehicle revolution is rapidly realised and contributes significantly to the sustainable future we all wish for.”