Middle East & Africa Electric Vehicle Market Outlook, 2027

The Middle East & Africa region is to remain the second least contributing region globally followed by South America. Known for its oil and gas resources, the electric vehicle market is to have a hard time in the region. According to the recent publication titled,’ Middle East & Africa Electric Vehicle Market Outlook, 2027‘ the market was value is expected to reach USD 3 Billion in the year 2027 with 27% CAGR during the forecast period.

Electric vehicles are increasingly visible on roads, with a sharp drop in the cost of EVs in the past years that has encouraged increased adoption in the region. With low fuel prices and a passion for speed, luxurious electric automobile drivers have shown a slow shift in the market. However, the adoption of electric cars will enter the fast lane in the Gulf, especially in tech-savvy urban hubs like Dubai. In particular, Saudi Arabia and UAE are becoming early adopters of electric vehicles in the region. In addition, even though it is still cheaper in both countries to drive an internal-combustion engine vehicle than EVs, the efforts of these governments are encouraging.

The proximity to and resultant cheapness of vast reserves of petrol below its desert sands is a powerful disincentive to make the region switch away from fossil fuels. However, the region is not just promoting electric cars but has also launched e-scooters to reduce congestion and pollution in cities. A major hurdle in the growth of the electric vehicle market of the region is the insufficient number of charging stations in the region. Gas stations are located every few miles in urban and suburban areas; however, public infrastructures for EVs are only in large metropolitan areas.

The automotive industry has grown enormously over the years owing to the rising demand for luxurious electric vehicles. Some of the factors driving the sales of electric vehicles include stringent government regulations towards vehicle emissions, increasing demand for fuel-efficient, high performance, and low emissions. It has been observed that governments of many states are raising the awareness among the citizens about electric vehicles and providing more benefits like tax redemption or rebate. People are shifting towards more automated and technologically updated electric vehicles, as more electric vehicles have been observed on the roads.

Dubai gained the highest market share as compared to others in the region owing to the better electric vehicle supporting infrastructure. Authorities and private companies are working towards improving the charging technology that would reduce the charging time for electric vehicles. As part of Saudi Arabia’s Fiscal Balance Program 2024, the Saudi Cabinet has noted incremental price increases for gasoline and diesel. Inclusive of the VAT, standard gasoline prices increased by 83% in the year while premium gasoline prices increased by 127%. Some key players in the Middle East & Africa electric vehicle market include Tesla, Inc., Hyundai Motor Company, Volkswagen Motor Company LTM, Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, and others.

The price of oil and gas has always fluctuated for several reasons, the non-renewable source being one of the major reasons. Geopolitical restraint and complications also affect the price of the fuel. The prices of energy tend to be very high in different countries, which affect the economic growth of countries and the spending power of individuals. The high fluctuating prices of fuel globally is creating a need for individuals to choose electric vehicles as an alternative mode of transportation. Cloud based charging allows E.V. charging stations to be connected to the internet and constantly communicate with a central system. In case of a server failure, the cloud system uses one of the multiple back servers, and your charging station won't notice any change. Cloud based charging stations create vast opportunities as it has many benefits like easier to connect to the user and vehicle data, performing calculations a lot faster and being easier to replace and can easily be upgraded.

Cloud based charging allows E.V. charging stations to be connected to the internet and constantly communicate with a central system. In case of a server failure, the cloud system uses one of the multiple back servers, and your charging station won't notice any change. Cloud based charging stations create vast opportunities as it has many benefits like easier to connect to the user and vehicle data, performing calculations a lot faster and being easier to replace and can easily be upgraded.

Tesla’s entry into the EV (electric vehicle) market rattled the automobile industry with its all-electric range of vehicles. It gave competing manufacturers a reason to expedite the process of dedicating resources to create fully electric models in the United Arab Emirates. Dubai has been working toward its long-term goal of electrification. It has launched several initiatives over the past few years to encourage sustainable choices among its residents. For instance,

To promote the United Arab Emirates' plans for green mobility solutions and as part of its plan to have 25% of the city’s trips converted into driverless journeys by 2030,

Although the electric vehicle market in the African region is in the nascent stage, various key players in the market are trying to establish new facilities for product development, thereby increasing their presence in the market. For instance,

In March 2021, Volvo launched XC40 Recharge Pure Electric - the first all-electric car from the Swedish luxury brand - will be available in South Africa by July 2021.

The adoption of electric cars is set to enter the fast lane in the Gulf, especially in tech-savvy urban hubs, like Dubai. As EVs are in the nascent stage in the country, it has not yet set out incentives for deploying EVs, such as free charging stations, Greenbank loans, etc. EV incentives are yet to be developed, especially when EV deployment starts on a commercial scale. However, the country has taken a few initiatives which are likely to boost the EV demand in the country. For instance,

Saudi Electricity Company signed a deal with Nissan Motor, Takaoka Tokyo, and Tokyo Electric Power Company for the first EV pilot project in Saudi Arabia. Reportedly, the agreement provides for the development of fast-charger EV stations.

Saudi Arabia has signed a memorandum of understanding (“MoU”) with the United Kingdom in a move to reduce carbon emissions and support Saudi Vision 2030. The MoU commits both countries to cooperate and share expertise to develop technologies, including smart grids and EVs.

The United Arab Emirates is another most developed market for EVs regarding sales and charging infrastructure, with Dubai having some 200 charging stations and Abu Dhabi around 2020. The UAE government is targeting 42,000 electric cars on the roads in a few years. Moreover, favorable government policies and incentives offer lucrative opportunities to major players to promote the adoption of electric vehicles over the coming years in the region.

The Middle-East and African electric vehicle market is consolidated by a few players, such as Tesla Motors Inc., Volkswagen AG, Toyota Motor Corporation, Nissan Motor Co. Ltd, and Geely. As the demand for electric vehicles is growing in the region, the companies are entering into partnerships, joint ventures, and acquisitions with major players in the market. For instance,

In Feb 2022, The new Mercedes-EQ division will launch the EQA, EQB, and EQC SUVs around April 2022, as well as the EQE and EQS luxury sedans. The range will be sold and serviced through 36 specially appointed South African dealerships.

Recent Developments

In April 2022, TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION announced the launch of its all electric S.U.V. bZ4X. It will be available with a choice between front-wheel-drive (FWD) and rear-wheel-drive (RWD), both of which will have a 71.4 kWh battery pack. Thus with this, the company will offer a S.U.V. with longer driving range to their customers.

In January 2022, Mercedes-Benz Group AG announced that their E.Q. division will launch the E.Q.A., E.Q.B. and E.Q.C. S.U.V.s as well as the EQE and E.Q.S. luxury sedans in South Africa. The cars will be sold and serviced through 36 specially appointed dealerships in the country. Thus with this, the company will expand its presence in the region.

In March 2022, A Dubai company that invests in technology, M Glory Holding Group, is opening an electric vehicle manufacturing plant, marking its foray into the highly competitive EV market amid the UAE's strategy to expand its manufacturing sector. The Dh1.5 billion facility at Dubai Industrial City - which will have a total land area of 93,000 square meters - will be one of the largest in the Middle East and aims to make 55,000 EVs a year as demand for green mobility rises.

In February 2021, Rubicon, a commercial solar components and solutions supplier in South Africa, announced that it is bringing a Tesla Model X Performance Edition all-electric SUV into the country to emphasize its focus on electric mobility in the country.

Technological advancement and growing investment in the advancement of the vehicles are also majorly responsible for the growth of the Middle East and Africa Electric Three-wheeler Market in the forecast period. Based on vehicle type, the market is distributed between passenger carriers and load carriers. By battery capacity, the market is distinguished between less than 101Ah and more than 101Ah. Based on battery type, the market is distributed between lead acid and lithium acid. The market is also analyzed among the countries in the Middle East and Africa region.

Saudi Arabia derives approximately 90% of its export earnings from the petroleum sector, which also accounts for almost half of the GDP of the country. Saudi Arabia has become largely dependent on oil due to this reason. However, the country now wants to cut down on the domestic consumption of oil, making more oil available for export, as well as to cut down its carbon emissions. The automotive companies on South Africa have appealed to the government to create a market for electric vehicles in the country or face the prospect of the sector being left behind in international developments. Companies like Nissan and BMW have been pushing the South African government to waive-off the import duty on electric vehicles to make them more affordable.

There are many countries in the middle east which are in nascent stage in the field of Electric vehicles whereas countries like Dubai, UAE, Saudi Arab is already having a lot of growth and development in term of infrastructure, charging station incentives for customer, different attractive schemes, etc. Israel’s Electric vehicles market sales have a much better scope if compared to other countries as the size of the country is less that can be seen as the advantages for the manufacturer and companies can introduce the EV of that range segment in the market. UAE has decided to introduce 200 Tesla EVs in their Dubai Taxi Market as the sign and promoting green mobility in the coming future. AS the solar energy available in the country is in abundance the solar roof panel will be installed on the charging station to provide the charging facility. Electric vehicles count in Dubai’s government organizations was 258 vehicles, while the number of hybrids has reached almost 2600.

Covid-19 Impacts:

COVID-19 highly impacted the transportation of the public. During social distancing, travelers were asked to avoid travel unless it's essential. Also the behavior of the individuals has certainly changed in the pandemic, which leads to decrease in the sale of automotive vehicles. The pandemic brought a huge drop in sales for the electric vehicle market as the lockdown prevailed in most of the regions. The lockdown led manufacturers and consumers to stop the processes for few months completely. The demand for electric vehicles faced a drastic downfall due to the shutdown of various automobile, transport and electronics industries. Also, global electric car sales experienced an unprecedented drop. However, the things are getting normal day by day, E.V. growth are now obsolete. Manufacturers are making various strategic decisions to bounce back post COVID-19. The players are conducting multiple research and development activities to improve the performance and sales electric vehicle. With this, the companies will bring advanced electric vehicle to the market.

Companies Mentioned:

Ashok Leyland, Beijing Automobiles Industry Holding Corporative limited, Bentley Motors Limited, BMW Group, BYD Company Motors, Citroen, Daimler AG, Ford Motors, General Motors, Hyundai, Irizar, Micro Mobility, Nissan Motor, SAIC, Tata Motors, Tesla, Toyota Motor Corporation, Volkswagen, Yutong, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group.

Considered In the Report

• Geography: Middle East & Africa
• Base year: 2021
• Historical year: 2016
• Estimated Year: 2022
• Forecasted year: 2025

Countries covered:

• Saudi Arabia
• Qatar
• South Africa
• UAE

Aspects Covered In the Report

• Market Size By Value for the time period (2016-2027F)
• Market Size By Volume for the time period (2016-2027F)
• Market Share by Vehicle Type (Passenger & Light Commercial)
• Market Share by Propulsion Type (BEV & PHEV)
• Market Share by Sales Channel (2016, 2021 & 2027F)
• Market Share by Charging Type (Normal & Fast)
• Market Share by Country

Key Points Covered in this report:

• Market Evolution through value and volume CAGRs at different verticals
• Detailed discussion on the market dynamics that influence the market and the possible opportunities
• In sights on the market leader's performance including market shares, strategies, products, financial positions, etc

Intended Audience

This report can be useful to industry consultants, manufacturers, suppliers, associations & organizations related to the electric vehicle industry, government bodies, and other stakeholders to align their market-centric strategies. In addition to marketing & presentations, it will also increase competitive knowledge about the industry.