31 Aug August 31, 2016 Electric cars are still rare in the Gulf region. Hybrid vehicles, where a petrol engine and battery pack work together, are far more common. Some UAE dealers offer battery-operated models Renault Twizy and Renault Zoe, but larger models, such as the Nissan Leaf or Chevrolet Volt, are not yet on sale. Owning one of the more known Tesla cars — which cost from Dh240,000 to Dh425,000 — is only possible with the import from abroad. Unlike almost all car brands, Tesla sells cars directly without car dealers. But because they are not formally present anywhere in the Middle East, the car has to be shipped abroad for any repair or replacement of damaged parts. To charge their cars, owners can use one of 100 electric-car charging stations across the Dubai emirate or link the power usage to their home bill and use a wall-mounted charging unit. Smallest home charging unit will take three to four hours for a full refill, while using one of only four fast-charging units in the emirate will take around 40 minutes. According to one of the local Tesla owners, a full charge for any Tesla costs only around Dh20 — around five times cheaper than the average tank of petrol for cars of a similar size. The cheapest Tesla on offer, the Model S with a 60 kWh battery, will take the driver around 350 kilometres on a full charge at average speed of 105km per hour and AC turned off. Renault Zoe has 210 km of range at the same conditions, making trips to other emirates – where not many charging stations are available – difficult. Another issue, according to Amit Benjamin, the editor of a UAE car magazine Wheels, is fast discharging of battery at high outdoor temperatures, which means that the driving range is reduced drastically. How to buy an electric car in the UAE Through new-car showrooms in the UAE, just two options exist: Renault Twizy: a microcar that costs Dh80,000 Renault Zoe: a larger, five-door supermini, currently on sale for around Dh120,000 Other choices are available only by importing from overseas and the shipping fees for a car from New York to Dubai’s Jebel Ali port will run up to around Dh6,000 while shipping from the UK costs Dh2,200. A five per cent duty on the value of the car also applies. You need a clearance certificate as well, costing Dh4,700, plus another Dh700 for container inspection. Final step is getting the insurance, registration and number plates. Source: GN
