Dubai Taxi to trial Chinese Skywell electric vehicle

Dubai Taxi Corporation (DTC) has started trials of Chinese electric vehicle Skywell as part of its limo service. Photo: Dubai Media Office

Dubai Taxi Corporation (DTC) has started trials of Chinese electric vehicle Skywell as part of its limo service.

The three-month phase will include testing on Dubai's roads to identify various features and its ability to operate within the DTC fleet.

It is part of DTC's feasibility study to assess EVs, which includes testing a range of models from various companies.

The Skywell ET5 SUV gives a range of 520km and charges from 20 per cent to 80 per cent in 40 minutes.

The introduction of EVs to the fleet is part of plans to achieve emission-free transport by 2050, said Mansoor Al Falasi, chief executive of DTC.

“Electric vehicles are safe and eco-friendly transportation modes capable of reducing emissions," he said.

"Eco-friendly vehicles already make up 70 per cent of the DTC fleet. DTC strives to add 70 eco-friendly vehicles to its fleet each year in a bid to migrate to emission-free public transport means in Dubai."

Phasing out petrol-only taxis

Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) last month announced that all taxis would be eco-friendly by 2027, meaning all public transport cars will be hybrid, electric or hydrogen-powered by the end of the five-year plan.

In July, two Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicles, equipped with sensors and cameras, began creating a digital map of Dubai for the first driverless taxis in the emirate.

The public-private partnership with US company Cruise was the "first of its kind worldwide", with the initial phase starting in Jumeirah.

Cruise’s technology uses a high-resolution map of the physical environment, which is created using mapping vehicles equipped with sensors including Lidar (Light detection and ranging) and cameras.

The vehicles driven throughout the city will collect data, which will then be used to create and maintain a navigable map for driverless cars.

The launch of driverless taxis is part of a long-term vision to make 25 per cent of total trips autonomous across various modes of transport by 2030.