RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is rapidly advancing in the electric vehicle sector for commercial transportation, outpacing many other countries, according to an industry leader. 

In an interview with Arab News during the EV Auto Show 2024, Gary Flom, president and CEO of National Transportation Solutions Co., praised the Kingdom’s swift development, noting that it has achieved in five years what took the US 25 years. 

“The speed of progress here is like light speed,” he remarked. 

“Everything here is accelerated — maybe 10 times when you look at Europe or the United States,” he added. 

As part of its Vision 2030 initiative, Saudi Arabia is focused on creating a comprehensive EV ecosystem to diversify its economy and reduce reliance on oil. The government aims for 30 percent of vehicles in Riyadh to be electrified by 2030. 

To meet this ambitious goal, significant investments are being made in EV infrastructure, including public charging stations and policies favorable to EV adoption. 

Additionally, the government is collaborating with international partners to build an EV supply chain that encompasses sourcing raw materials for batteries and enhancing manufacturing capabilities. 

Flom acknowledged the difficulties in transforming the passenger vehicle market but expressed optimism about the advancements in the commercial sector.

“It’s a lot easier to decarbonize the commercial sector because we know what the customer does,” he said. “We know where the vehicle goes, where it lives, and the payload it carries. We know how to design the charging infrastructure for it,” the executive said.

NTSC is leading these efforts with its decarbonization roadmap. According to Flom, this comprehensive plan aims to assist government and private fleet operators in transitioning from internal combustion engine fleets to electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles. The roadmap is designed to measure the carbon baseline of fleets, provide the necessary ecosystem for charging infrastructure, and manage the maintenance of electric commercial vehicles using advanced software.

“Our decarbonization Roadmap gives government fleets and private fleets a cost-effective, organized way to transition from ICE fleets to new energy fleets,” Flom said. This initiative also provides accredited carbon reduction data, which will be crucial for carbon credit trading in Saudi Arabia as the market for this system continues to grow.

Flom added: “We give them this plan over the next few years on how to decarbonize their fleet. And also we give them the accredited carbon reduction data so they can actually use it to trade carbon credits when that becomes available in Saudi Arabia.”

The roadmap has already resulted in strategic partnerships with key players in the transportation sector, including agreements with J&T Express, Saudi Bulk Transport (SBT-SENDDEX), and UPS. These collaborations, announced at the event, are instrumental in promoting advanced decarbonization strategies across the Kingdom. “Our collaboration with SBT-SENDDEX and Electromin reflects our commitment to advancing sustainable transportation with leading companies in KSA,” Flom said.

“By leveraging innovative decarbonization strategies, we aim to make a significant impact aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals,” he added.

In addition to strategic partnerships, NTSC has developed innovative technologies such as DarbConnect, a proprietary fleet management software. The platform uses Internet of Things technologies to provide real-time GPS tracking, predictive maintenance, and a range of data services, helping fleet operators enhance efficiency and reduce costs. “DarbConnect has proven to be a huge success,” Flom said.

“In less than two years, we signed up more than 330 B2B and B2G customers and gained about 35 percent market share of the entire commercial units and operation sector,” he added.

While the commercial sector is advancing quickly, Flom noted that decarbonizing the passenger vehicle sector presents more challenges due to the variability in individual vehicle use. Unlike commercial fleets, which have predictable routes and payloads, passenger vehicles are utilized for various purposes, complicating the establishment of a uniform charging infrastructure and user behavior model.

Looking ahead, Flom remarked that the company aims to become a regional leader in sustainable transportation, planning to export its expertise, roadmap, and technologies to the broader Middle East and North Africa region. “NTSC will become not only the leader for fleet management and sustainable multi-modal mobility, but we also look to export the same outside of Saudi Arabia,” said Flom.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is set to advance its electric vehicle infrastructure with the introduction of next-generation mobile EV chargers by local manufacturer Volt Charge, revealed the company’s top executive. 

Elie Metri, CEO and executive board member of Volt Charge, told Arab News at the EV Auto Show in Riyadh that the firm is finalizing the prototype of its innovative mobile charger, in collaboration with its sister company QSS AI & Robotics. 

This comes as robust charging infrastructure is essential to Saudi Arabia’s plan to transition 30 percent of vehicles in Riyadh to electric by 2030, a crucial step in its broader strategy to cut city emissions by 50 percent and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.  

“What we’re doing is merging two emerging technologies — robotics and EV charging. We are currently finalizing the first prototype of a charger that comes to you. You won’t have to go to your charger anymore,” Metri said. 

He described a scenario where drivers use a mobile app at a mall to summon a charger, which uses AI to identify their car, handle the connection, and manage payment. After charging, the unit returns to its main station.  

Metri noted that this represents a significant advancement in electric vehicle technology.  

The CEO added that the company is the first Saudi brand to manufacture entirely within the Kingdom, with a 7,000 sq. meters factory in Sudair City, a sizable facility for assembling or producing the chargers.  

He highlighted that localizing technology aligns with Saudi Arabia’s sustainability goals, explaining that the company’s commitment to green energy is demonstrated by its early investment in both robotics and EV chargers. 

“We’re localizing the technology. This means we believe heavily that Saudi Arabia is moving into green energy,” Metri said, adding that they began investing in robotics in 2017, “when it was virtually unheard of in the MENA region.”  

He also mentioned their ambitious plans for manufacturing, saying: “We’re building a factory that can make 40,000 chargers while there are very few cars in the Kingdom. But we believe that it’s going to come, and we hope to have a huge market share being a local company and local factory.” 

The CEO acknowledged the challenges faced in producing the EV chargers, particularly in procuring the necessary components. He noted that Saudi Arabia does not yet have a manufacturing hub like China, which complicates the supply chain. 

“Not all the technical components are available in the local market,” Metri explained. “If I want to manufacture a charger, it has 20 or 25 components, so I need to ship them from different parts of the world,” he said, adding that this creates challenges, but “we’re overcoming all of those.”  

Volt Charge, headquartered in Riyadh, specializes in manufacturing robust EV chargers designed for extreme climates. The company’s efforts were showcased at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center, highlighting Saudi Arabia’s commitment to sustainable mobility as part of Vision 2030. 

The EV Auto Show serves as a key platform for discussing the future of mobility, featuring interactive seminars, panel discussions, and showcases of EV technologies and charging solutions.