Dubai will spend millions of dirhams on incentives to have 32,000 electric vehicles (EVs) on the emirate’s streets by 2020.

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) and the Road Transport Authority (RTA) announced four incentives to help expand EV motorists on Sunday, from free public parking and charging to toll fee exemption and discounts on the plug-in car’s registration.

Dewa’s managing director and chief executive, Saeed Al Tayer, said more than 100 charging stations throughout the emirate will provide free electricity to all EVs until the end of 2019. Previously, the standard electricity tariff of 29 fils per kilowatt hour (kWh) was applied.

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Mr Al Tayer said that EV cars such as the Renault Zoe had cost Dh7 to charge, while a similar petrol-fuelled car would cost Dh100 to fill its tank. For Tesla, the price to charge at one of the public stations was Dh29, more than 80 per cent cheaper than the Dh150 for fuel at a petrol station.

The other incentives offered by the RTA do not have an expiration currently. Any EV owner can apply for a Salik pass to bypass tolls as well as a special sticker to be placed on the car to allow free parking in designated areas throughout the emirate. In addition, the RTA is offering a 15 per cent discount on all registration fees for the green cars.

These incentives will only apply to some hybrid cars as the requirement is to have plug-in capabilities. Any car without this capability, such as hydrogen fuel Toyota Mirai, will not be eligible.

HE AlTayer:"I am pleased to announce that #DEWA & @RTA_Dubai will provide incentives to encourage the use of electric vehicles in Dubai" pic.twitter.com/5pBWDglolq — DEWA | Official Page (@DEWAOfficial) September 24, 2017