ABU DHABI: The Department of Transport (DoT) – Abu Dhabi and Masdar, Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to cooperate in the study, testing and evaluation of sustainable, electrical and autonomous transport technologies.

His Excellency Khalifa Mohamed Al Mazrouei, Undersecretary of the Department of Transport, and Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Masdar’s Chief Executive Officer, signed the agreement at 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 electrical and autonomous vehicle technologies by both government and the private sector. Al Mazrouei affirmed 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,” said Al Mazrouei “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 sustainability mobility,” said Masdar’s 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 of sustainable mobility, introducing the world’s first permanent driverless Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) system in 2010. The PRT had carried more than 2 million passengers by the end of 2016.

At this year’s Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, Masdar announced that the PRT system will be extended with autonomous electrics vehicle provided by the French manufacturer Navya. Masdar is Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company which works to advance the development, commercialisation and deployment of clean energy technologies and solutions.

WAM