The electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure in the UAE is set for a boost later this year with the opening of a charging hub which will provide what has been described as a super-premium experience beyond standard stationary charging stands.
Developed by UAEV, the country's dedicated EV charging company, the site is expected to be the first of its kind in UAE and will feature green landscaping, fountains and an automatic queuing system, combining sustainability with sleek user design.
The hub is capable of servicing 20 EVs simultaneously and is expected to launch before the end of 2025.
While further details of the hub will be unveiled at an official announcement expected in the next two months, The National can reveal that the first hub will launch in Ajman this year, with another to follow in Dubai in 2026.
"This is a first-of-its-kind in the UAE," said Hicham Ezzahid, chief executive of UAEV, speaking at the Electric Vehicle Innovation Summit (EVIS) taking place this week in Abu Dhabi. Through the "flagship hub", Mr Ezzahid hopes to see EV charging become more of an experience than a utility.
Heiko Seitz, global and Middle East eMobility leader at PwC, told The National that such experiential establishments are important in creating educational awareness. "People need to be aware that this is actually a positive product, a product that gives them a certain lifestyle, that gives them convenience," said Mr Seitz.
Mr Seitz said such hubs will serve as a showcase for the industry, which could encourage further electric vehicle adoption. "They're going to be like flagships for the industry, where people see cars charging and say, 'that actually works. I can do that as well'," he said. "These things are important for the consumer, and they're an important blueprint for other investors. And, other charge point investors will want to follow suit."
The hub is part of UAEV's broader goal to install 1,000 public charging stations able to cater to varying numbers of vehicles across all seven emirates by 2030. More than 95 per cent of these are planned to be high-speed units, with next-generation ultra-fast chargers capable of delivering a full top-up in as little as 10 minutes in newer electric vehicle models.
Currently charge time can vary, depending on the vehicle and charging station, from 18 minutes to eight hours. In 2024, UAEV rolled out 120 new charging ports across the northern emirates. This year, another 200 ports are planned, mainly in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Strategic partnerships aim to ease EV transition
To support electric vehicle adoption, UAEV has signed a new agreement with AW Rostamani Group, the automotive distributor behind Chinese EV brand Zeekr and the modernised Smart car line-up. Under the partnership, new buyers of Zeekr and Smart vehicles will receive charging credits redeemable across UAEV's network.
Mr Seitz said this strategy is seen in Tesla models in the US, which offer free supercharging to encourage adoption. In December, UAEV announced that it had set tariffs for the faster Direct Current (DC) chargers at Dh1.2 per kilowatt-hour, and for Alternating Current (AC) chargers at Dh0.7 per kilowatt-hour.
Sandeep Arora, director of strategy and business excellence at AWR, said the deal reflects a market that is rapidly moving towards an EV tipping point. "If you look at the global trends, there is always a tipping point when the acceptance of electric cars increases. We believe that tipping point is the moment one fifth of the cars sold in the market are electric cars," he said.
"Electric car numbers have grown by five times in the last five years. We believe the tipping point – where EV adoption really takes off – is just a couple of years away."
Electric vehicle penetration in the UAE started to take off in 2023, with a sharp increase in the number of EVs making up the number of cars on the Emirates' roads to 11 per cent in 2023, up from 3.7 per cent the previous year.
"We already have close to 150,000 electric vehicles on the roads of UAE." said Mr Seitz.
From prospective buyers to EV adopters
Launched in May 2024, with an initial capital investment of Dh60 million, UAEV's primary purpose is to develop and expand a fast and accessible electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Range anxiety, the term which refers to fears about how far a vehicle can travel without running out of battery, and the time it takes to charge a vehicle, remain the two main barriers on the way to EV adoption.
Mr Ezzahid told The National that the company's strategy is not just to increase the number of stations, but to distribute them evenly enough to eliminate range anxiety. Both Mr Ezzahid and Mr Arora agree that the electric vehicle market in the UAE is moving faster than expected, and that electric vehicles could make up 30 per cent of cars on the roads ahead of the government's 2030 target.
Mr Seitz, meanwhile, notes that the market has already reached a certain level of maturity. He adds that mass adoption will come when more charging infrastructure is rolled out.
Tomb%20Raider%20I%E2%80%93III%20Remastered
%3Cp%3EDeveloper%3A%20Aspyr%0D%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Aspyr%0D%3Cbr%3EConsole%3A%20Nintendo%20Switch%2C%20PlayStation%204%26amp%3B5%2C%20PC%20and%20Xbox%20series%20X%2FS%0D%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Cricket World Cup League Two
Teams
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Namibia beat Oman by 52 runs
UAE beat Namibia by eight wickets
Fixtures
Saturday January 11 - UAE v Oman
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
History's medical milestones
1799 - First small pox vaccine administered
1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery
1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases
1895 - Discovery of x-rays
1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time
1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin
1953 - Structure of DNA discovered
1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place
1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill
1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.
1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Rock in a Hard Place: Music and Mayhem in the Middle East
Orlando Crowcroft
Zed Books
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The specs: 2019 Mini Cooper
Price, base: Dh141,740 (three-door) / Dh165,900 (five-door)
Engine: 1.5-litre four-cylinder (Cooper) / 2.0-litre four-cylinder (Cooper S)
Power: 136hp @ 4,500rpm (Cooper) / 192hp @ 5,000rpm (Cooper S)
Torque: 220Nm @ 1,480rpm (Cooper) / 280Nm @ 1,350rpm (Cooper S)
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 4.8L to 5.4L / 100km
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
MATCH INFO
Southampton 0
Manchester City 1 (Sterling 16')
Man of the match: Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)
The 10 Questions
- Is there a God?
- How did it all begin?
- What is inside a black hole?
- Can we predict the future?
- Is time travel possible?
- Will we survive on Earth?
- Is there other intelligent life in the universe?
- Should we colonise space?
- Will artificial intelligence outsmart us?
- How do we shape the future?
T20 World Cup Qualifier, Muscat
UAE FIXTURES
Friday February 18: v Ireland
Saturday February 19: v Germany
Monday February 21: v Philippines
Tuesday February 22: semi-finals
Thursday February 24: final
Red Sparrow
Dir: Francis Lawrence
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Egerton, Charlotte Rampling, Jeremy Irons
Three stars
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
England v South Africa Test series:
First Test: at Lord's, England won by 211 runs
Second Test: at Trent Bridge, South Africa won by 340 runs
Third Test: at The Oval, July 27-31
Fourth Test: at Old Trafford, August 4-8
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
NYBL PROFILE
Company name: Nybl
Date started: November 2018
Founder: Noor Alnahhas, Michael LeTan, Hafsa Yazdni, Sufyaan Abdul Haseeb, Waleed Rifaat, Mohammed Shono
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Software Technology / Artificial Intelligence
Initial investment: $500,000
Funding round: Series B (raising $5m)
Partners/Incubators: Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 4, Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 6, AI Venture Labs Cohort 1, Microsoft Scale-up
Other simple ideas for sushi rice dishes
Cheat’s nigiri
This is easier to make than sushi rolls. With damp hands, form the cooled rice into small tablet shapes. Place slices of fresh, raw salmon, mackerel or trout (or smoked salmon) lightly touched with wasabi, then press, wasabi side-down, onto the rice. Serve with soy sauce and pickled ginger.
Easy omurice
This fusion dish combines Asian fried rice with a western omelette. To make, fry cooked and cooled sushi rice with chopped vegetables such as carrot and onion and lashings of sweet-tangy ketchup, then wrap in a soft egg omelette.
Deconstructed sushi salad platter
This makes a great, fuss-free sharing meal. Arrange sushi rice on a platter or board, then fill the space with all your favourite sushi ingredients (edamame beans, cooked prawns or tuna, tempura veggies, pickled ginger and chilli tofu), with a dressing or dipping sauce on the side.
Read more about the coronavirus
The specs
Engine: 2.2-litre, turbodiesel
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Power: 160hp
Torque: 385Nm
Price: Dh116,900
On sale: now
England v South Africa schedule
- First Test: Starts Thursday, Lord's, 2pm (UAE)
- Second Test: July 14-18, Trent Bridge, Nottingham, 2pm
- Third Test: The Oval, London, July 27-31, 2pm
- Fourth Test: Old Trafford, Manchester, August 4-8
