Kizad, Nwtn sign lease agreement for EV assembly facility: Dubai-based green mobility company Nwtn Motors signed a lease agreement with industrial developer Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (Kizad) for an electric vehicle assembly facility, according to a KIZAD statement yesterday. Nwtn will run the manufacturing, R&D, vehicle testing and logistics facility, with Kizad handling construction.

The facility’s annual capacity in its first phase stands at 5-10k vehicles of semi-knocked-down EVs. In its second phase, NWTN wants to introduce several new EV models and expand the 25k sqm facility’s capacity to 50k units per year.

SOUND SMART- Semi-knocked-down kit is a car-industry term for vehicles that arrive at a plant with the body already welded and coated or painted, along with nearly all the parts needed for assembly. It’s called “SKD” in car-speak. A completely knocked down (CKD) kit is a box that arrives needing lots of work on site to assemble it, usually including welding and painting the body and often needing more local components. A CBU, or completely built up, vehicle is one that arrives at its destination already assembled, tires and all.

It seems Nwtn hopes to export some of the EVs assembled at the facility: “The strategic location, with direct access to regional and global markets and proximity to world-class manufacturing infrastructure in Kizad will allow Nwtn to enhance its operations long-term and increase our export potential,” Chairman and CEO of Nwtn Alan Wu said.

Kizad is home to several EV and other auto sector projects, including Lepidico lithium production facility — the region’s first, according to a statement in November.

There may be more EV plans for the UAE: Indian conglomerate Hinduja Group may be eyeing an EV assembly line in the UAE after the launch of its EV company Switch Mobility, we wrote last week. M Glory Holding Group, a Dubai- based tech investor, is also opening a USD 408 bn EV manufacturing plant with a capacity of 55k units annually, The National News reported.

SMART POLICY- In March, Abu Dhabi launched a regulatory framework for EV charging stations in a bid to attract investment to the sector and encourage consumers to switch to EVs. The UAE’s charging station to vehicle ratio is among the world’s highest, with the aim to have over 1K stations by 2025, according to a 2021 report by Clean and Energy Business Council MENA.