To support the transition of the automotive industry towards green mobility and the recent initiatives taking places in the UAE, the New Energy Vehicles Club has been created under the umbrella of the Clean Energy Business Council, CEBC, at the initiative of ENGIE, an energy company, charging station manufacturer and board member of the CEBC. The creation of the club was announced on the occasion of a webinar on green mobility welcoming 400 participants including regional and global stakeholders from the public and private sectors.

The club’s role is to function as an electric vehicle and clean energy industry representative, connecting private sector players to relevant stakeholders in order to support the development of the electric vehicle market. Founding members of the club include key international and local companies involved in the electric vehicle ecosystem. Work will start in the UAE with a goal to expand activities across the MENA region.

"With growing demands on transportation across the MENA region, electric vehicles are arguably the future of sustainable mobility, said Stephane le Gentil, CEO of the Clean Energy Business Council. "Leading industry analysts believe that by 2025, EVs with ranges from 200-500km on one charge will have the same up-front costs as combustion engine vehicles. This marks a game changing shift in the global economics of oil and presents a significant opportunity for the electricity and renewable energy industries."

"With an approach structured to raise awareness within regional government entities as well as among the general public, the New Energy Vehicles Club aims to facilitate development of local electric vehicle markets by bringing both the public sector and private entities on board to change the face of mobility in the MENA region. This change will bring about immense opportunities for the energy market, but it will also come with urban infrastructure challenges that need to be addressed by the entire supply chain. That is much easier to accomplish with a unified approach," he continued.

Globally, the 2 million milestone sale figure of electric passenger and light weight utility vehicles was passed in December 2016 . In contrast, passenger vehicle sales in the MENA region are predicted to reach 3.37 million units in 2020, with the majority of cars being sold in the GCC region.

Marwan Haidamous, Managing Director at Renault Middle East, a founding member of the New Energy Vehicles Club, said, "Every year there are more customers for electric cars and Renault is making a major contribution to this with its constant innovation and dedication to developing infrastructure and ecosystem. As European leader for electric cars and pioneer in the Middle East region with a full range of pure electric vehicles, we want to make EVs accessible to everyone. With ZOE we have already the longest driving range of any mass-market fully electric car yet it is still the market’s most affordable electric car. On top of that we need to have a global strategy for electric mobility working with public bodies and other players. Our customer satisfaction, which stands at 98 percent for the ZOE, encourages us to keep pushing onwards."

Speaking on behalf of ENGIE, Florence Fontani, Director of Strategy and Communications for the Middle East, South and Central Asia and Turkey, said, "Governments across the region have set ambitious renewable energy targets, and it’s important that these goals are echoed across the entire value chain. Initiatives such as this one are necessary to help the automotive industry adapt to the modern world. ENGIE is already providing technologies that help transform cities and regions into sustainable communities in response to urban changes. Joining the New Energy Vehicles Club as a founding member is yet another way we can work to achieve our goal of a green energy transition."

Throughout the remainder of 2017 and beyond, The New Energy Vehicles Club will put in place a working program to support the growth of the EV market and raise awareness about the electric vehicle industry, as well as interacting with key stakeholders to establish partnerships and collaborations