QF experts discuss ways for Qatar to move towards electric vehicles
QATAR’S goal of greening three to five percent of its total car population by 2022 is to shift 25 percent of its fleet of public transport buses to electric buses by 2022 and to deploy electric buses in the main services during the FIFA World Cup in 2022 to make it the first World Cup to use electric mass transit buses.
“These steps are important in building public confidence in Electric Vehicles (EVs). The shift in bus fleets will be an important step in communicating the government’s commitment to EVs, “said Dr. Marcello Contestabile, Chief Economist at the Qatar Environment and Energy Institute.
Dr. Contestabile specialises in technology transitions and innovation policy, particularly in road transport, and was speaking at a webinar on Electric Vehicle (EV) Transition that was hosted by Qatar Foundation’s Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s research institute – Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI), where he discussed various aspects related to EVs, including how Qatar’s acceptance of EVs can be boosted.
In a region where fuel is cheap, it is difficult to point out one specific reason for the lack of electric vehicles on the roads of Qatar; according to Dr. Contestabile, it is more likely to be a combination of several factors. Apart from cheap fuel, higher purchase prices, lack of charging infrastructure and poor public awareness are some of the main reasons for the lack of popularity of electric vehicles.
And while the high purchase price of EVs may discouraging most people, Dr. Contestabile suggests that incentives in the form of government subsidies are one way to make the switch more attractive. “For Qatar to overcome the existing barriers at a cost that is commensurate to the benefits that EVs can bring, it is imperative that the government ensures its EV policy is designed bearing in mind the local needs and market conditions,” Dr. Contestabile said.
“Another approach would be to start taxing both conventional cars and fuel. Additional incentives can be in the form of the government mandating car manufacturers to provide EV buyers with free or discounted installation of a charging point at their home, saving buyers an additional expense that comes with buying an EV.”
It is also important to raise awareness among people – to help them understand how individual choices shape the carbon footprint of the country. Dr. Contestabile said, “There needs to be a dialog with the public to introduce EVs to them. A large portion of the population is completely unaware of how EVs can be beneficial to the environment.”
Several myths about electric vehicles also discourage people from buying them. “These need to be addressed in order to initiate a change in attitudes towards EVs,” said Dr. Contestabile.
One such myth is that the use of electricity produced by the burning of natural gas, as is the case in Qatar, essentially cancels out any environmental benefits of electric cars.
This is not entirely correct, according to Dr. Contestabile, as he says, “even if EVs are charged using gas-fired electricity, they still produce lower emissions than the average gas-powered vehicle.” In order to fully benefit from the environmental benefits of EVs, Qatar unveiled its first solarpowered charging stations in 2019 – currently 28 of these stations are in operation with plans of several more being added by 2022.
One more common concern is “range anxiety” – fear that the battery might run out before you get to the charging point. The good news is that Qatar is making active progress in the development of charging infrastructure – with the aim of having 400 charging stations by 2022.
“Range anxiety is valid in some cases, such as in cars with a small battery pack being driven in very hot weather where a large chunk of the battery power is consumed by the air conditioner. These vehicles will require some adaptation on the part of the drivers but can be dealt with by choosing the right EV model, one that has a battery pack suitable for their particular travel range requirements,” Dr. Contestabile said.
“We are lucky in the sense – Qatar is a small country by area – which means we don’t travel long distances on an everyday basis. And once the country’s planned 400 charging stations are operational, it will mean availability of charging stations at every few miles, making the likelihood of being stranded due to a dead battery quite low.”