Middle East lagging in electric mobility helps avoid trial-and-error cost, say experts

The Middle East lags other regions when it comes to electric mobility, and this goes in its favour because the region doesn’t have to bear the cost of the trial-and-error phase that other regions faced over the decades, say industry experts.

“When you look at the Middle East region, it likes to lead in technology innovation. When it comes to electric mobility, the region is a follower. But that's a good thing, because when we look at the world, electric mobility is actually not that new. China, Europe, and the US have been pioneers, and the Middle East is a little bit late to the party. That's great, because all those regions went through the trial-and-error phase, which is a very costly and painful phase," said Heiko Seitz, global e-mobility lead, PwC Middle East.

"So here, in the region, we are now building and leading in terms of profitability, quality, and technology. We are building an ecosystem here in the region, which is going to be more profitable, because you don't go through all this painful trial and error phase,” he added.

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Seitz was speaking during the panel discussion at the Journey to Net Zero – UAE 2025 conference.

Abdelrehman Elsheriff, Group Sustainability Manager, Agthia Group PJSC, Manosij Ganguli, Group Chief Sustainability Officer, Aramex, Ahmed Samir Elbermbali, Sustainability Growth Director, MCA Region, Bureau Veritas Group, Roberto Colucci, Director – Electric Vehicles, AW Rostamani, Heiko Seitz, Global E-mobility Lead, PwC Middle East, in the panel discussion at the Journey to Net Zero – UAE 2025, UAE's premier climate action conference, organised by Khaleej Times in Dubai. 17 September 2025. KT Photo: Shihab

Organised by the UAE’s first English daily Khaleej Times, the conference is a premier climate action gathering, attending by senior public and private officials across various walks of life. The fourth edition conference provided insights into various aspects of the regulatory framework, green financing, and ESG compliance.

He pointed out that the UAE is seeing a more and more inflow of electric vehicles.

“By 2035, our forecast is that 25 per cent of all new cars sold will be battery electric. Hydrogen will not be a big game in the passenger market or in general mobility. EVs are going to be more and more, which means more charging infrastructure would be required,” he said during the panel discussion on the topic of sustainability-driven mobility – EVs, logistics, and last-mile insights.

Manosij Ganguli, group chief sustainability officer, Aramex, also highlighted the challenges in terms of eco-friendly mobility solution and the company’s target to achieve net zero.

Ahmed Samir Elbermbali, sustainability growth director, MCA Region, Bureau Veritas Group; and Roberto Colucci, director – electric vehicles, AW Rostamani, also took part in the panel discussion.

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