Roads & Transport Authority - News Details

A session titled "Electrification: A Green Revolution Against Climate Change" explored the role of electricity and its use in transportation to reduce carbon emissions and enhance sustainability. It also addressed the importance of developing advanced infrastructure that contributes to the successful operation of electric vehicles.

The session was moderated by Ms. Jenny Simonsen, Moderator and Chief Operations Officer of ITS Norway.

As a keynote speaker at the session, Muna Al Osaimi CEO of Strategy and Corporate Governance Sector, at Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), stated, “RTA focuses on tracking the topic of "The Future of Cities" by monitoring reports from the International Energy Agency and statistics on the sale and use of electric vehicles, as well as following the global expansion in the sale of electric buses and trucks.

“The main challenges facing electric transport are the high prices, the battery lifespan which needs to be extended, along with the high taxes and the infrastructure that requires more charging stations, added Al Osaimi. 

Mr. Connor Allen, Manager of Government and External Relations at Mitsubishi Electric in Belgium, discussed the role of partnerships between governments and the private sector in providing solutions and building sufficient knowledge about operating electric transport efficiently.

Dr Axel Volkery, Deputy Head of Unit for Sustainable and Intelligent Transport in the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport of the European Commission in Belgium, spoke about the remarkable rise in the use of electric vehicles worldwide, noting the directions of governments and cities to establish parking spaces and infrastructure encompassing charging equipment.

Mr. Kome Ajise, Executive Director of the Southern California Association of Governments said, “The ingredients for transitioning to electric transport are available. However, we face challenges that require study and solutions, the most important of which is the difficulty in obtaining government permits, which need more trust and flexibility. Governments, research centres, and the automotive industry must work intensively to invest well and benefit from hydrogen.”

Dr. Douglas Wilson, Associate Professor in Transportation Engineering in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Director of the Transportation Research Centre the at University of Auckland, New Zealand., summarized the contributions of most participants, stating that the challenges of electric transport include the high cost and how charging can be integrated into urban infrastructure.

Lastly, Mr. Emrah R&D Management specialist, Ford Otosan mentioned that electric energy is not used sufficiently due to challenges and that the future lies in the use of hydrogen, through transitioning from fuel-powered engines to hydrogen-powered engines.