Abu Dhabi’s EV infrastructure is getting a boost: UAE fuel distribution company Adnoc Distribution — an Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) subsidiary — is partnering with Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa) to establish a joint venture called E2GO to build and operate electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure in Abu Dhabi and the wider UAE, Taqa announced in a statement on Thursday.

What do we know about E2GO? The company is set to become the main provider of EV charging points and the infrastructure needed for EV growth in Abu Dhabi, the statement says. This will involve setting up a network of fast chargers at key locations, as well as parking and tolling services and digital platforms that support EV charging, it adds. No information was provided about when the company is intended to be up and running, or how much is being invested in establishing it.

Abu Dhabi is keen on strengthening EV adoption: Abu Dhabi’s Energy Department launched a new policy framework for EV charging infrastructure in May 2022 covering the regulation for ownership, installation, and management of electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE), the electricity supply to EVSE, and the pricing mechanism to end customers, a statement on the Energy Department website notes.

IN OTHER UAE EV NEWS- The UAE is getting its first EV battery end-of-life recycling plant: Bee’ah Recycling — a subsidiary of Emirati waste management company Bee’ah — has signed an agreement with the UAE’s Energy and Infrastructure Ministry and the American University of Sharjah (AUS) to set up the country’s first recycling plant for EV batteries that have reached the end of their lifespan, according to a Wam statement published last week. No timeline or financial details were disclosed.

Who is doing what: The agreement will leverage Bee’ah’s material recovery expertise, the Energy and Infrastructure Ministry’s national vision, and the research capabilities of AUS to help identify and apply cutting-edge battery recycling tech, Bee’ah Group CEO Khaled Al Huraimel was quoted in the Wam statement as saying.

Why is this important? Lithium-ion batteries used in EVs “contain many valuable materials worth recovering,” some of which could be used to manufacture new batteries, notes a 2022 post in the Union of Concerned Scientists’ blog the Equation. By 2050, recycled materials could supply some 45–52% of cobalt, 22–27% of lithium, and 40–46% of nickel used in US EV fleets, it adds. But globally, there’s “still no real industrial sector for recycling [EV] batteries,” notes a 2022 article in the Conversation. This is mainly because the EV sector is still so new that issues including what constitutes end-of-life for a battery and what the economic model is for recycling used batteries still need to be ironed out, it adds.