Admiral Mobility, a Dubai-based distributor of commercial electric vehicles manufactured by China's Geely, will unveil its first fully electric lorries in the UAE and Saudi Arabia in 2023.
The move is part of a commitment to make 5,000 electric lorries for the Middle East and Africa, and will support the UAE's sustainability agenda.
An initial 500 electric lorries will be produced and sold by the spring of 2023, with a further 2,500 in the next two to three years, the mobility unit of Admiral Corporation of America said in Dubai on Thursday.
Admiral Mobility will supply the vehicles through a partnership with Farizon Auto, the new energy commercial vehicle brand under Geely Farizon New Energy Commercial Vehicles Group.
The companies signed a strategic agreement at the event, which includes a further commitment for 2,000 electric Farizon SuperVans from 2024.
The first phase will concentrate on major cities in the Arab world's two largest economies, including Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Riyadh and Jeddah.
A launch across the wider GCC and Africa — particularly in cities with big projects — will follow shortly thereafter, the company said.
The manufacture of the electric lorries is in line with the UAE's sustainability efforts, especially in the run-up to the Cop28 climate change conference that will be hosted by Dubai next year, Con Unerkov, chief executive of Admiral Energy Asia-Pacific, told The National.
“At the end of the day, the commitment is there. It is a balance; you might have the commitment and everybody may want to do it, but it is also making sure that you have the infrastructure, from charging stations to being educated for it,” he said.
The global electric vehicle market continues to grow amid a government and societal shift towards energy conservation, with both the consumer and commercial verticals tapping into the technology's potential.
The UAE is promoting the use of green transport, part of its Net Zero By 2050 initiative. The country also aims to have 42,000 EVs on the roads by the end of the next decade.
Dubai has 336 charging stations, helping EV owners to travel further while cutting refuelling costs, the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority has said.
Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi hosted Mena region's first Electric Vehicle Innovation Summit in May, which gathered key industry players to boost the growing EV market.
Both the Emirates and Saudi Arabia have also ventured into EV manufacturing.
In October, Dubai's M Glory Holding Group opened its $408 million EV factory in the emirate.
Saudi Arabia has Ceer, its first EV maker. Last month, the company bought land worth $96 million in the King Abdullah Economic City, where it plans to build its factory.
The global EV market is expected to expand to more than 39.2 million units by 2030, from about 8.15 million in 2022, a 21.7 per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR), according to data from research firm Markets and Markets.
Its value is forecast to hit more than $1.1 trillion by 2030, from an estimate of $178.5 billion in 2021, at a CAGR of 22.5 per cent from 2022, a study from Beyond Market Insights showed.
Tesla, the world's biggest EV maker, delivered its first heavy-duty Semi electric lorry to Pepsi earlier this month, but without offering updated forecasts for the cargo-hauling vehicle's pricing or production plans.
We want to demonstrate to the UAE that we are in line with the green strategy and be a good partner when Cop28 hits because you need tangible things to happen when that comes
Frank Bernthaler,
chief operating officer of Admiral Mobility
Admiral Mobility similarly declined to provide specifics on the cost of its electric lorries, as they are “customer-specific”.
The company's main commercial model will be year-round leasing, chief operating officer Frank Bernthaler told The National.
“We will not only offer the lorries; we will also offer the entire ecosystem. The infrastructure is in place, and customers can get it all out from us in one hand, with our strategic partners,” he said.
“We want to demonstrate to the UAE that we are in line with the green strategy and be a good partner when Cop28 hits because you need tangible things to happen when that comes.”
Admiral Mobility's 8-tonne electric lorry has a payload of 3,300kg, a top speed of 90kmh and a range of between 250km to 430km, according to its website. No charging times were provided.
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Getting there
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,025 return including taxes
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
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Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
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What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
The%20specs
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
