Abu Dhabi: The Department of Transport – Abu Dhabi (DoT) and Masdar, Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, have signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate in the study, testing and evaluation of sustainable, electric and autonomous transport technologies.
Khalifa Mohammad Al Mazroui, undersecretary of the Department of Transport, and Mohammad Jameel Al Ramahi, Masdar’s chief executive officer, signed the agreement during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2018.
The multifaceted partnership aims to establish pilot projects promoting local capacity building. The agreement also covers the development of infrastructure for the testing and validation of smart electric and autonomous vehicle technologies by both the government and the private sectors.
Al Mazroui affirmed the DoT’s commitment to support sustainable transport by establishing standards encouraging the use of low-emission vehicles.
“The Department of Transport is continuously working to motivate the public to move towards the use of environmentally friendly vehicles in order to further boost the quality of life in the emirate of Abu Dhabi,” he said.
“Masdar is committed to the commercial development of sustainable transport infrastructure and Masdar City in Abu Dhabi is at the heart of the emerging trend in sustainable mobility,” said Al Ramahi. “This partnership will help to identify innovative technologies that may be potentially developed at scale, complementing the larger sustainable transport strategy of Abu Dhabi.”
Abu Dhabi’s flagship sustainable community Masdar City has been a pioneer in sustainable mobility, introducing the world’s first permanent driverless Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) system in 2010. The PRT had carried more than two million passengers by the end of 2016.
