World’s first electric vehicles charged using off-grid solar power unveiled at Expo 2020 Dubai

Staff Reporter, Gulf Today

From the x-ray machine to the telephone, throughout history world expos have been the home for inventions and technology that change the public’s way of life.

Expo 2020 Dubai is no exception. As the Official Logistics Partner, UPS is working with DP World, the Official Premier Global Trade Partner of expo, to showcase its transition to clean energy with UPS’s electrical vehicles being charged, for the first time, using an off-grid charging system to power on-site deliveries.

“Today’s deployment of one of the world’s first off-grid electric vehicle charging systems is a demonstration of how expo 2020 is connecting minds and creating the future,” said Scott Price, president of UPS international. “Our joint efforts allow us to decentralize the charging system, eliminate the need for electricity in charging vehicles at expo 2020 and further our goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050.”

During the six-month mega event, UPS will use the system to charge its fleet of electric vehicles, developed in collaboration with Arrival, at DP World’s FLOW Pavilion.

Sunlight will be captured by panels on the pavilion’s roof, with the solar energy flowing through an inverter to an off-grid Battery Energy Storage System unit which powers the charging station.

“DP World is proud to work with UPS, demonstrating the next generation of delivery vehicles at expo 2020 Dubai. We are committed to digital and technological innovation that makes supply chains smarter and more sustainable.

The DP World FLOW pavilion has been designed to demonstrate the future of global trade, increasing prosperity while reducing the use of energy and resources. The collaboration between UPS and DP World addresses sustainability issues and is closely aligned with the UAE’s Circular Economy Policy 2021-2031 and its Green Agenda 2030,” said Abdulla Bin Damithan, CEO and Managing Director, DP World - UAE Region and the Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza).

The sustainable collaboration is closely aligned with the UAE’s Circular Economy Policy 2021-2031 and its Green Agenda 2030, as well as supporting a key growth engine of Dubai’s economy through the development of cutting-edge circular economy technologies.