Dubai: First individual test drives of autonomous vehicles in the UAE will be available during the third International Conference on Future Mobility (ICFM) that will be held on November 7-8, the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (Esma) announced on Wednesday.
Announcing the details of the two-day conference and exhibition, Abdullah Al Muaini, director-general of Esma, told Gulf News that more than a dozen automobile firms will showcase their autonomous cars during the event that will be held at Grand Hyatt.
“For the first time in the UAE, people will have an opportunity to come and test drive these vehicles of the future and personally experience how the driverless cars operate. We will have around 21 autonomous cars on display at the ICFM,” said Al Muaini.
He added that the trials will be carried out in a segregated environment, after taking into consideration all aspects of safety and other issues.
Speaking to Gulf News, Al Muaini said that Esma is currently working with several local and federal authorities including Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai to legalise test drives of autonomous vehicles and soon authorised car dealers will be allowed to offer the test drives.
“Currently, it is illegal in the UAE to conduct any test drives of autonomous cars. We are working on this issue and soon this will be legalised. We are aware that many manufacturers have autonomous vehicles ready for trials but they are facing legal hurdles. We are sorting out the issues surrounding insurance, liability etc and soon the test drives will be legal,” said Al Muaini.
However, owning and driving a driverless car on the UAE roads are still a long way off.
“The autonomous technology is new and it is constantly changing and improving. As regulators, it’s not easy to come up with specifications for something that is still not ready. We are in touch with manufacturers and other regulators around the world and we are closely following the developments in the sector, but this is something that will take time, at least a few years,” he added.
Al Muaini said the electric vehicles law is ready and is awaiting ratification by the cabinet.
The two-day ICFM will see auto manufacturers and experts from around the world participating and showcasing the latest on offer in future mobility.
