Saudi Arabia is on its way to adopting new technologies across sectors in an attempt to guide its economy towards sustainable growth and away from its current dependency on petroleum. As part of this shift, the county has been working on providing cleaner energy sources and more efficient modes of transporting people such as trains, and Saudis themselves have been looking towards alternative modes of transportation such as electric vehicles, a move which today has facilitated the creation of the country’s very first electric vehicle charging plant.
This milestone facility located in Jeddah was made possible by Schneider Electric, a French company specializing in digital transformation. According to Al Arabiya English, development of the plant began in the third quarter of 2017. Najib Al-Naim, President of Schneider Electric Saudi Arabia, told the news site that the plant has been designed to be environmentally friendly as it is located in Deyaar Al Salam, a residential area of Jeddah.
“The project is designed to be environmentally friendly by achieving high standards of sustainability. This includes providing chargers for eco-friendly electric vehicles, special bicycle parking, energy and water saving measures and a full program to enable people to recycle consumer products,” Al-Naim explained.
The plant has been designed to house seven electric vehicles in its parking lot, and drivers can access the vehicles through an electronic chip that has been programmed to allow owners to monitor their car’s level of electricity consumption throughout the year.
As highlighted earlier this year by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz, in a UN report, this Jeddah-based plant is one of many projects that has been envisioned for the Kingdom under its Vision 2030 objectives.
“We are part of this world and we live the problems and challenges it is facing. We all share this responsibility and we will contribute, God willing, actively to the development of solutions to many of the world’s pressing issues, including the issues of the environment and sustainable development. We will continue in this regard to work with international organizations, institutions and partners,” King Salman said in the first voluntary national review report.
