Dubai's First EV World Show Opens With More Than 300 Exhibitors and China EV100 as Co-Organiser

The event runs until November 12. It is organised with Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and China EV100, an alliance of Chinese electric vehicle groups, and about 120 speakers from transport, technology and energy are on the programme, WAM said. Its theme is a smart and sustainable mobility future.

The Chinese partnership is the clearest commercial point of the show. The RTA signed a cooperation agreement with China EV100 before the event to bring more Chinese companies to it, and the organisers have pitched it as a way for those manufacturers to meet regional distributors, investors, fleet operators and infrastructure developers. Chinese brands are already pushing into the UAE market, and two of them, BYD and XPENG, have stands at the exhibition.

Mattar Al Tayer, the RTA's director-general and chairman of its board of executive directors, toured the exhibition on the opening day. According to WAM, he visited stands run by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, Abu Dhabi Mobility's Integrated Transport Centre, Al-Futtaim Group, BYD, XPENG and Heriot-Watt University Dubai, along with companies that provide electric vehicle services and charging infrastructure.

The products on show include electric vehicles that can both drive and fly, autonomous robots for field work, advanced vehicle control systems, and last-mile delivery and logistics services, the agency said. The RTA is presenting its own electric and sustainable transport projects, including work to expand mass transit and the use of low-emission vehicles under Dubai's sustainable mobility strategy.

In announcements before the show, the organisers said they expected more than 10,000 specialist visitors and more than 30 business partners. The programme covers batteries and energy storage, charging networks, commercial fleets, autonomous systems, mobility software, air mobility and micromobility, as well as product launches, test drives and a start-up hub. Dawood Al Shezawi is president of EV World.

No deals or attendance figures had been announced by the end of the first day. The exhibition closes on Thursday, November 12.