, Columnist
An EV Revolution Is Happening in the Heart of OPEC
The Gulf states are looking beyond oil and the internal combustion engine.
A Tesla drives past skyscrapers in Dubai’s Marina district.
Photographer: Christopher Pike/BloombergThink of the most important markets for electric vehicles, and you’ll have a list of the usual suspects: Norway, China, Germany, the UK. But Dubai?
It seems improbable, but OPEC’s second-biggest exporter deserves a place alongside those other markets. Fully-electric vehicles comprised 10% of the value of cars imported into the United Arab Emirates last year, according to trade data. Throw in hybrids and plug-in hybrids, and more than a quarter of the market is switching to batteries.