EV Lab, a Dubai-based electric vehicle platform, has partnered with Silicon Valley’s Drako Motors to present a preview of the limited-production Drako Dragon electric supercar at Expo 2020.
It will be the first time the vehicle will be shown in the Middle East before its official launch in early 2022.
The Dragon’s private debut will be open to an exclusive clientele of EV Lab, which has worked with various organisations to promote sustainable transport.
“We’re delighted to be partnering with Drako Motors to debut their new flagship vehicle in the Middle East ahead of any other market during Expo 2020 – further strengthening our commitment to supporting the recent announcement by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to net-zero emissions by 2050,” Kevin Chalhoub, founder and chief executive of EV Lab, said in a statement on Wednesday.
EV makers have been accelerating the pace of investment and production, with global electric car stock hitting the 10 million mark, a 43 per cent increase over 2019, according to the International Energy Agency.
The global EV market was valued at $162.34 billion in 2019 and is projected to reach $802.81bn by 2027 at a compound annual growth rate of 22.6 per cent, according to Allied Market Research. And despite supply constraints because of the pandemic, sales surged 160 per cent to 2.6 million in the first half of 2021 compared with the same period last year, according to technology analysis firm Canalys.
EVs play an important part in meeting global goals on climate change, because they are responsible for far lower emissions over their lifetime than conventional internal combustion engine vehicles, according to climate change news website Carbon Brief.
The UAE is also a hotspot for luxury vehicles. The country ranked fifth on a list of the world’s most supercar-smitten countries on social media, according to motoring website Chasing Cars.
The Dragon features a quad motor powertrain that offers a substantial increase in torque and its inverters have been upgraded to handle the additional load. Its battery comes with new cell technology for better power, range and longevity, as well as an upgraded cooling system.
founder and chief executive of EV Lab
EV Lab and Drako will release more details as the official launch draws near for the Dragon, which Mr Chalhoub described as the “most powerful GT car ever made”.
“With the new Drako Dragon as the flagship vehicle in EV Lab’s fully electric line-up, we’re excited to introduce supercar enthusiasts to an entirely new paradigm of driving performance,” said Dean Drako, president, co-founder and chief executive of Drako Motors.
EV Lab is focused on the transition to sustainable mobility by leveraging the benefits that EVs provide to air quality, the overall environment and diversified economic growth.
