Electric vehicles are a common sight on roads across the world but not everywhere.
In Saudi Arabia, electric vehicles (EVs) account for just over 1% of overall car sales, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) eMobility Outlook 2024: KSA Edition, published in September 2024. Globally, about 18% of all cars sold in 2023 were electric, according to the International Energy Agency .
There are several roadblocks to the rollout of cleaner cars in the desert kingdom, but things are changing quickly.
The Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Company (EVIQ) is at the forefront of that transformation. EVIQ was founded in late 2023 as a joint venture between the countrys sovereign wealth fund the Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Saudi Electricity Company.
By the end of 2023, there were around 285 public charging points in the country, according to the PwC report, mostly slow chargers. In January 2024, EVIQ opened its first fast charging station in the countrys capital, Riyadh. By 2030, it plans to have 5,000 fast chargers installed across 1,000 locations.
Very few people are willing to buy an electric vehicle without having the comfort of seeing infrastructure being available, EVIQ CEO Mohammad Gazzaz, told CNN. Were paving the way.
Building an entire industrial ecosystem
Today, EVs are mostly purchased by people that can charge at home with their private wall boxes, said Heiko Seitz, Global eMobility Leader, PwC Middle East, and an author of the eMobility report.
A lack of charging stations isnt the only reason for the slow uptake of EVs in Saudi. In 2024 more than 60% of models available cost more than $65,000, according to PwCs report, while nearly 73% of gasoline-powered models cost less than that. Generous fuel subsidies mean a liter of gasoline, about a quarter of a gallon, currently costs Saudi drivers around 60 cents.
EV batteries can struggle with the temperatures typical of a Saudi summer, and the additional energy needed for cooling them can significantly impact their charging speed and range. And the country is vast just over a fifth of the size of the US with the distance between its two largest cities more than 950 kilometers (almost 600 miles), longer than the average range of most EVs.
But the country has ambitious plans for reducing its dependence on oil revenues and its carbon emissions. Oil accounted for 60% of government revenue in 2024, with crude oil and natural gas accounting for more than 20% of the countrys GDP over the same period.
It wants 30% of the cars in its capital Riyadh to be electric by 2030. But Saudi isnt just adopting EVs, its building an entire industrial ecosystem around them, said Seitz. The country is embracing eMobility as a strategic lever to decarbonize, diversify its economy, and localize manufacturing at scale.
That includes plans to become an EV manufacturing hub. PIF is the largest shareholder in the US-automaker Lucid, which in 2023 opened the first car manufacturing facility in the country.
CEER, a joint venture between PIF and the Taiwanese company Foxconn, plans to launch its first Saudi-produced EV by 2026. And a joint venture between PIF and Hyundai has broken ground on a manufacturing plant in the country.
Major EV producers are now selling in the country. Chinas BYD opened its first showroom there in May 2024, and in April, Tesla launched in Saudi Arabia .
Seitz said the introduction of Chinese models is likely to help drive prices down. BYDs Saudi website lists its Atto 3 model with a starting price of approximately $27,000.
Combatting range anxiety
More than 40% of Saudi consumers are considering purchasing an EV in the next three years, according to PwC.
Today, there are EVIQ chargers in Riyadh and Jeddah. In April, the company rolled out its first highway EV charging station. Its still really foundational work, said Gazzaz.
He said that EVIQ is targeting 50 to 60 new charging sites this year, including in smaller cities like Mecca and Medina. By the end of 2026, Gazzaz anticipates that the country will have a minimum viable network.
Were not talking only tier-one, but even tier-two cities, and covering some of those main highways, he said. Ultimately were trying to cover about 70 to 80% of travel requirements across the Kingdom by 2026.
Gazzaz declined to share how much would need to be invested to reach the targets.
Seitz said that the countrys official target of 30% electric cars in Riyadh is likely to be met, but that an additional push might be required to make EVs a mass product for the entire country.
A survey published in May 2024 by Saudi Arabias King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center, and University College London, concluded that large-scale uptake of EVs in Riyadh would likely require the government to introduce financial incentives such as VAT exemption for new vehicles, subsidized charging, and free installation of home chargers, at least in early stages of deployment.
The government says it has introduced some financial incentives and subsidies for EV buyers.
Better infrastructure will help push forward the countrys EV revolution, experts say.
EV prices are falling, model options are growing, and government signals are clear yet range anxiety remains, said Seitz. Public charging is the main gap, and its now a top priority to fix.
电动汽车在世界各地的道路上已司空见惯，但并非所有地方都是如此。
根据普华永道（PwC）2024年9月发布的《2024年电动出行展望：沙特版》报告，在沙特阿拉伯，电动汽车仅占汽车总销量的1%略多。国际能源署数据显示，2023年全球销售的汽车中约有18%为电动汽车。
在这个沙漠王国推广清洁能源汽车面临诸多障碍，但形势正在迅速转变。
电动汽车基础设施公司（EVIQ）处于这场变革的最前沿。该公司成立于2023年底，由该国主权财富基金——公共投资基金（PIF）与沙特电力公司合资组建。
普华永道报告显示，截至2023年底，该国约有285个公共充电桩，其中大部分为慢充桩。2024年1月，电动汽车充电服务商EVIQ在首都利雅得启用了该国首个快充站。该公司计划到2030年在全国1000个地点部署5000个快充桩。
EVIQ首席执行官穆罕默德·加扎兹向CNN表示："如果看不到充电设施到位，很少有人愿意购买电动车。我们正在为此铺路。"
构建“完整的产业生态系统”
普华永道中东地区全球电动出行业务负责人、《电动出行报告》作者海科·塞茨（Heiko Seitz）表示：“目前购买电动汽车的主要是那些‘能够在家中通过私人充电桩充电’的人群。”
充电桩短缺并非沙特电动汽车普及缓慢的唯一原因。普华永道报告显示，2024年该国市场上超60%的电动车型售价高于6.5万美元，而近73%的燃油车型价格低于这一门槛。丰厚的燃油补贴使当地汽油价格维持在每升约60美分（相当于四分之一加仑）。
电动汽车电池可能难以应对沙特夏季的典型高温，而冷却电池所需的额外能量会显著影响其充电速度和续航里程。此外，该国幅员辽阔——面积略超美国的五分之一——其两大城市之间的距离超过950公里（约600英里），比大多数电动汽车的平均续航里程更长。
但该国制定了雄心勃勃的计划，旨在减少对石油收入的依赖并降低碳排放。2024年，石油收入占政府财政收入的60%，同期原油和天然气占该国GDP的比重超过20%。
沙特计划到2030年使其首都利雅得30%的汽车实现电动化。但赛茨（Seitz）表示，该国不仅是在推广电动汽车，更致力于围绕电动车“构建完整的工业生态系统”。沙特正将“电动出行作为脱碳、经济多元化和大规模本土化制造的战略杠杆”。
其中包含打造电动汽车制造中心的计划。沙特公共投资基金（PIF）是美国电动汽车制造商Lucid的最大股东，该公司于2023年在沙特开设了国内首家汽车制造工厂。
由沙特公共投资基金（PIF）与台湾富士康公司合资成立的CEER公司，计划于2026年前推出首款沙特本土生产的电动汽车。此外，PIF与韩国现代汽车的合资企业已在沙特破土动工建设一座制造工厂。
各大电动汽车制造商正加速进军该国市场。中国车企**比亚迪**于2024年5月在此开设首家展厅，而**特斯拉**也于同年4月登陆沙特阿拉伯。
塞茨（Seitz）表示，中国车型的引入可能有助于压低市场价格。比亚迪沙特官网显示，其Atto 3车型起售价约为2.7万美元。
缓解续航焦虑
普华永道数据显示，超过40%的沙特消费者正考虑在未来三年内购买电动汽车。
目前，利雅得和吉达已部署EVIQ充电桩。今年4月，该公司推出了首个高速公路电动汽车充电站。"这仍是真正的基础性工作，"加扎兹表示。
他表示，EVIQ公司今年计划新增50至60个充电站点，覆盖麦加、麦地那等较小规模城市。加扎兹预计，到2026年底该国将建成一个“最低可行充电网络”。
他表示："我们不仅着眼于一线城市，还包括二线城市，并覆盖部分主要高速公路。最终目标是到2026年，满足沙特王国境内约70%至80%的出行需求。"
加扎兹拒绝透露为实现目标所需的投资金额。
塞茨（Seitz）表示，该国在利雅得实现30%电动汽车的官方目标很可能达成，但若要让电动汽车成为全国范围内的普及产品，可能还需要‘再加一把劲’。
沙特阿卜杜拉国王石油研究中心与伦敦大学学院于2024年5月联合发布的调查报告指出，若要在利雅得大规模推广电动汽车，政府或需推出财政激励措施，包括新车增值税豁免、充电费用补贴及家用充电桩免费安装等政策，"至少在推广初期阶段"需实施这些举措。
政府表示已针对电动汽车购买者推出了一系列财政激励措施和补贴政策。
专家表示，完善基础设施将有助于推动该国的电动汽车革命。
赛茨（Seitz）表示："尽管电动车价格持续下降、车型选择日益丰富且政府政策导向明确，但续航焦虑问题依然存在。公共充电设施是当前主要短板，解决这一问题已成为当务之急。"
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