If you reside in the UAE or any tropical region, you would know how scorching the summers are, and it just makes our life miserable. One of the few things that you do not want to face under the scorching heat is to get on a taxi that emits loads of carbon gases, that not only pollutes the air but also cause damage to your overall health conditions. But imagine riding on an eco-friendly vehicle or cab that runs on electricity. Doesn’t that sound fantastic? It’s like a snippet of a futuristic lifestyle, isn’t it? Unless! It is not in the future but at present! 

Dubai Taxi Corporation (DTC) has initiated a test for the new electric cabs from the Chinese Automobile company, Skywell. The initiation was advanced due to the alarming temperature rise in Dubai, especially in the summer season. The Skywell electric cabs are not only environmentally-safe, but they are also fuel-efficient, which will keep the riders chilled throughout the ride. The decision was instituted by Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) to support Dubai to achieve its objectives of offering environmental-friendly public conveyance by the end of 2050. 

As remarked by Mansoor Rahma Al Falasi, the CEO of Dubai Taxi Corporation, “This strategic operational step is in line with the best practices for achieving the vision of our leaders to offer quality services that make customers happier and enrich the mobility experience across Dubai. Such a drive warrants delivering top-notch services while ensuring comfort and safety in line with the top environmental protection standards to achieve emission-free transportation by 2050.”

The trial of the Electric Vehicles is set for a three-month duration, which will comprise evaluation on the street of Dubai to determine its different attributes and qualifications to function within the fleet of DTC. At the same time, the evaluation will also take into consideration the global standards of safety, comfort, and protection. Various EV models from different companies and brands will be participating in the trial course to guarantee optimal results.

Dubai Taxi Corporation x Skywell Electric Cars

Among the various company EVs that will be tested during this trial period in Dubai, Skywell will be one among them. The EVs from Skywell will be available for the span of 3 months to study and determine their performance and whether it meets the DTC fleet while focusing on the rider’s safety, convenience, and security. Skywell’s ET5 SUV is set to offer a broad range of up to 520 kilometres to riders with charges starting from 20% to 80% in 40 minutes. Additionally, the examination of electric vehicles will also determine the enhancement of carbon-free transportation in the city by the end of 2050. 

In inclusion to the above, the DTC administration plans to include 70 more sustainable electric taxis per year, which is a part of their mega project to achieve zero-emission public transit by 2050. As said by Mansoor Al Falasi, “Electric vehicles are safe and eco-friendly transportation modes capable of reducing emissions. Eco-friendly vehicles already make up 70% of the DTC fleet. DTC strives to add 70 eco-friendly vehicles to its fleet each year in a bid to migrate to emission-free public transport means in Dubai.”

Electric Vehicles Charging Stations

The Dubai Taxi Corporation announced that the rapid multiplication of the demand for charging platforms for EVs throughout the United Arab Emirates serves an assorted scale of varieties and models of EVs, where it can utilize the same platform to charge. Furthermore, it is also reported that DTC is under scrutiny to study the capabilities and financial viability of the diverse models of EVs. DTC will be further testing new EV models with the aim to achieve the best outcomes, in terms of financial and environmental aspects. 

Benchmark For The Trials

The admins of the Dubai Taxi Corporation also established the criteria and agreements for experimenting latest releases for the trials, which would determine whether the product is qualified for operations or not. This will be based on the outstanding aspects of operational strategy as well as whether the vehicle will be financially justifiable. The framework to judge the benchmark of a product will involve inspecting the functioning of indicators, its level of maintenance, and the rate breakdown per 100,000 kilometres. Through this approach, the team hopes to draw attention to unexplored research subjects so that it may serve and benefit the customers and also utilize their perspective during the testing protocols for accomplishing the most satisfactory, secure, and eco-friendly approaches.

Aside from what is mentioned above, the expansion of sustainable transportation in the UAE was advanced after two Bolt EVs from Chevrolet were presented in July 2022, with a vision to build a futuristic graph of Dubai. Cameras and detectors were attached to the Bolt EVs before exercising their way to the Dubai streets. The motive behind this was to create a graph for taxis and cabs that operates with no drivers. In correspondence, the Roads and Transport Authority of Dubai announced their plan to transform the city with eco-friendly taxis or cabs by the end of 2027. This insinuates that every public transit that has to do with cars will be operated by hydrogen-powered, hybrid, or electric-powered vehicles.

Know About Skywell

Skywell is an automobile company based in China that focuses on producing and building sustainable automobiles, such as electric buses, cars, and commercial automobiles. The company is led by Huang Hongsheng. The Electric Vehicles of Skywell are generated by using rechargeable batteries, which deliver admirable performance and capacity. Some of the notable creations of the company include Skywell ET5, which is a sedan, and Skywell ES6, an SUV. The two product models have received positive feedback because of the stunning structure, state-of-the-art features, and reasonable pricing. 

Skywell Automobile also plays a major part in the bus retail that operates with electricity. They have a broad spectrum of models that are designed and produced for mass transportation and to operate commercially. Skywell’s electric buses are presently operated in major cities throughout China, wherein, the company continues to diligently expand its business operation and is slowly taking over the global market to achieve the goal towards eco-friendly transportation.