Qatar has yet again reiterated its commitment to protect the eco-system and help mitigate climate change by promoting electric vehicles in the country. In the recent days, Doha has come out with several guidelines for setting up the necessary infrastructure for electric vehicles in the country.
On Monday, Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa) represented by National Programme for Conservation and Energy Efficiency (Tarsheed) launched the Electric Vehicle and Charging Infrastructure Guideline. The guideline is aimed at supporting establishment of infrastructure regulations for electric vehicles in the country which will encourage the spread of such vehicles. The move is expected to result in the diversification of energy sources and the reduction in carbon emissions.
The guideline specifies the requirements for the installation of charging units at different locations, types of charging equipment, charging capacity, charging current, payment and collection options etc. A team of Kharamaa’s Tarsheed and Ministry of Transport and Communication’s (MoTC)Technical Affairs Department has been assigned as the nodal authority for receiving requests for installing charging units and ensuring all the requests comply with the standards and specifications and are in line with state’s plan set out in the electric vehicles strategy.
In a few decades to come, the transport scenario of the world is expected to undergo fundamental changes as the countries across the world are struggling to meet the emission reduction targets. Vehicles without internal combustion engines are expected to be replaced by electric vehicles which are acclaimed for their zero emission quality.
Even though the plug-in vehicles come with more advantages such as quick reaction of the electric motors, excellent responsiveness and very good torque compared to the conventional ones, they have to overcome several challenges to steal the heart and minds of motorists such as battery capacity, efficiency, quick charging options etc. Several countries have announced to ban the sale of conventional vehicles in the coming years, but no state has come up with any legislation in this regard. The sector needs more research and development to make it a viable option for users.
Qatar has always been at the forefront of embracing new technology in all fields. The country has come up with a strategy for electric vehicles sector. On February 15, 2020, the MoTC announced that the country was in the final stages of developing the strategy. It aims to replace 25 percent of the public transport bus fleet with electric vehicles by 2022 and use them as the main transport option for the FIFA World Cup. The strategy is becoming a reality and soon we can see several electric vehicles plying on Doha roads.
