Dr. Nasser Saidi’s comments (posted below) on the Middle East’s electric vehicle market, made during a panel discussion at the inaugural Electric Vehicle Innovation Summit (EVIS) in Abu Dhabi, appeared in the article titled “Middle East EV market ‘needs more infrastructure to support electric shift” on The National dated 23rd May 2022.

While government subsidies do play a role in encouraging consumers to shift from traditional vehicles, investments in infrastructure have been more effective and are responsible for about 40 per cent of EV sales globally, Nasser Saidi, chairman of the Clean Energy Business Council, said during a panel discussion at the inaugural Electric Vehicle Innovation Summit (EVIS) in Abu Dhabi on Monday. Aside from the core infrastructure, “we also look at charging points, the speeds and quality of EVs and if they are able to compete with internal combustion vehicles”, he said. Consumers also require options that are cheaper.

Oil prices can also be an influencing factor in consumer decisions. Prices have surged in the past several weeks, mainly because of supply concerns linked to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. “If we look at the tremendous increase in oil prices, that would encourage more [buyers of EVs],” Mr Saidi said.

The presentation titled “Clean Energy Challenges & Prospects” was given as the opening keynote address at the CEBC 7th MENA Clean Energy Summit held in Dubai on 20th November 2019.
In his speech, Dr. Nasser Saidi, in his capacity as Chairman of the Clean Energy Business Council, provided an oversight on the clean energy and clean technology developments while outlining the major themes for the MENA region’s renewable energy sector.
The focus was on energy efficiency (how it needs to be scaled up), the transformation of transportation (e.g. EVs), energy transition, and financial stability risks rising from climate change risks among others.