RIYADH: The installation of 16 electric vehicle chargers at the Roshn Waterfront in Jeddah Corniche is expected to be completed by the end of this year, according to Tony Mazzone, managing director of Electromin.
In an interview with Arab News during the EV Auto Show in Riyadh on Sept. 17, Mazzone announced that the company has signed two partnership agreements aimed at enhancing the sector’s infrastructure. The first agreement involves collaboration with Roshn Waterfront to develop EV charging facilities, ensuring that visitors can conveniently charge their vehicles while enjoying the corniche.
“Across the 4-km strip on the corniche, we’re looking to deploy 16 chargers in eight different locations. The intention is to support those that already visit the corniche and obviously more and more transition to EV, but they’ve got a place to charge while they enjoy the experiences there. The intention is not to go there to charge, the intention to go enjoy what you do, but while you’re there, you can charge at the same time,” Mazzone told Arab News.
He added that the installations are expected to be completed by the end of this year, at which point they will be accessible to the public and featured on the Electromin mobile application.
The second partnership involves an agreement with Solutions Valley, the commercial arm of Saudi Electricity Co., aimed at supporting the development of EV infrastructure.
The app
“All of our public chargers are all on (an) application. So, the application allows you to plan your routes. You can see those chargers. It’s all live. The key thing is to get over the anxiety of people that have an electric car to say, I have a car, where do I charge?” he said.
“We have over 110 chargers now, live locations. We have 26 in Jeddah. We have around 30 in Riyadh, specifically in the two main cities. And we’ll be adding to that by the end of Q4 of this year,” he added.
Expansion
As a private entity, Electromin’s expansion strategy is driven by the increasing demand for electric vehicle infrastructure. Mazzone noted that deploying chargers and establishing the necessary infrastructure requires substantial capital investment, making the commercial aspect a primary focus.
“In terms of the deployment plan, we need to align it with demand. We understand that EV adoption is currently progressing slowly, but there will be a ramp-up. It’s essential to deploy infrastructure as demand dictates,” he explained.
Additionally, the company is entering the rapid transit sector by installing and operating a fully electric bus system in Makkah, set to launch in the first quarter of next year.
Mass adoption
Mazzone stressed the necessity of accelerating EV adoption in Saudi Arabia, underscoring the vital role of government support.
“I think what’s critical to Saudi Arabia right now is to accelerate the adoption. We need support from the government, incentives to subsidize some of the costs to support the consumer in the purchase of electric vehicles. And we know in other countries or other regions around the world, the mass adoption has happened on the back and the strength of those incentives and legislation changes,” he explained.
He identified two primary barriers to widespread EV adoption in the region: price and convenience. “For potential EV drivers, there are two hurdles to overcome: the cost and the convenience of charging,” Mazzone stated.
Addressing current challenges, he highlighted that electric vehicles are generally more expensive than traditional cars and that insufficient charging infrastructure poses significant obstacles. “Right now, if you buy an electric car, it will cost you more than a traditional vehicle, and the lack of charging stations makes it more complicated,” he said.
“For the mass adoption to occur, you need to get price parity and you need to make sure that when people transition, they can do it seamlessly. So, our idea, our ideals, make sure that when people drive, like a traditional petrol car, they don’t think about where they fuel, they drive without any anxiety. And I think the infrastructure needs to be in place to support that adoption. It needs to happen in that order,” he added.
