Abu Dhabi: A convoy of electric cars will embark on a nine-day trip, covering 1,217 kilometres without using a single drop of fossil fuel, organisers said on Monday.
After the success of last year’s road trip across the UAE, the 2018 edition of Electric Vehicle Road Trip has been expanded to include Oman’s capital Muscat and the city of Sohar, said a press release issued by Global EVRT, an organisation aiming to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles for the creation of smart and sustainable societies.
The nine-day road trip will see the convoy of all-electric powered vehicles drive through the deserts of Abu Dhabi, the mountains of Oman and along the rugged coastline of the Northern Emirates.
Setting off from Abu Dhabi on January 18, the cars will visit Madinat Zayed in Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi before driving to Sohar in Oman and on to Muscat. The convoy will then return to the UAE, calling at Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah before passing through Umm Al Quwain, Ajman and Sharjah.
The cars will reach the finish line and final destination, at The Sustainable City in Dubai on January 26, just in time to join in a special family fun day celebrating the road trip and all things sustainable. This will give the public a chance to learn everything they need to know about electric cars through test drives, workshops and exhibitors.
Each day of the trip will see the Tesla and other electric car models explore the open roads before stopping at sites of outstanding natural beauty as well as important sustainable energy projects such the Shams-1 solar park near Madinat Zayed.
The cars, which can travel as far as 400km on a full charge (depending on make and model), will be recharged using a network of charging stations offered by a company called Green parking at IHG hotels.
Car lovers can join the trip from January 18 to January 26.
Tickets are available for the full nine-day journey or for one of the two five-day stages, where participants can join for Abu Dhabi (January 18) to Muscat (January 22) or Muscat (January 22) to Dubai (January 26), with the chance to drive an electric vehicle on sections of the route.
Road trip participants can also enjoy activities such as visiting Oman’s Botanic Garden with the country’s first solar park, sightseeing in Muscat, experiencing authentic Omani culture in Sohar, relaxing on the beaches of Fujairah, and driving through the famous golden sand dunes of Madinat Zayed etc.
Ben Pullen, managing director of Global EVRT said despite significant development of electric vehicle market, there is still a lot of misunderstanding among consumers of the capability of these cars.
“By tackling this tough terrain across 1,217km we are demonstrating that these cars are not just environmental-friendly options for the future, they are real options for car buyers right now,” he said.
“Driving an electric vehicle during the road trip is the perfect way to fully appreciate the capabilities of the technology that is shaping the future of transport and to see first-hand how well the cars handle the open road, especially over long distances,” Pullen said.
