Dubai RTA and General Motors sign an agreement on operating hybrid vehicles

The vehicles use 2-Mode Hybrid engines that run on fuel and electricity.

This agreement comes as a first step in a comprehensive plan to reduce emissions resulting from vehicle exhaust systems, and to make all vehicles in Dubai environmentally-friendly.

The agreement was signed by His Excellency Matar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board & Executive Director of the RTA and Terry Johnsson, President of General Motors Middle East Operations, in the presence of Maureen Kempston Darkes, GM Group Vice President and President of GM Latin America, Africa and Middle East. Also present were Engineer Essa Al-Dosary, CEO Public Transportation Agency, Engineer Abdul Aziz Malik, CEO Dubai Taxi, and a number of department directors and officials from RTA and General Motors.

In January 2008, RTA will start an operational trial of 10 General Motors hybrid taxis - 5 all-new Chevrolet Tahoe's, equipped with a 2-mode Hybrid engine, and 5 Chevrolet Malibu's.

The trial period will last for one year, during which General Motors will provide technical training on safety and other aspects for 15 RTA technicians, and 40 Dubai Taxi drivers.

His Excellency Matar Al Tayer said that this initiative is the implementation of the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai, to seek a safe, clean, attractive and sustainable environment that lives up to the reputation and prestige of the Emirate. It also comes in the framework of the RTA's commitment to protect life and property, preserve the environment and natural resources, improve standards of occupational health and public safety, and implement all the necessary technologies to reduce noise levels caused by means of transportation.

He added that RTA is putting assiduous efforts to change the infrastructure of public transport and make it environmentally-friendly, in order to satisfy the ever increasing demand in the emirate. Last June, the RTA formed a team to work on the project of converting vehicles to the twin operational system of fuel & electricity (2-Mode Hybrid) so as to minimize gas emissions from vehicles. He pointed out that the team has focused its efforts on achieving four main objectives: implement the available technology to reduce emissions from vehicle exhausts, improve the quality of fuel used for public transportation, apply the global standards for the emission of gases from cars in Dubai, and initiate the implementation of environmentally-friendly Hybrid technology in Dubai.

Al-Tayer said that this step is set to pave the way for hybrid public buses to follow suit, and that the RTA will gradually introduce hybrid taxis and buses to its fleet.

He added that the public transport fleet currently includes 80 buses equipped with environmentally-friendly engines, which conform to the highest environmental standards applied in Europe, the Euro 4, and outfitted with SCR technology. As of February 2008, new buses fitted with Euro 4 engines, and EGR technology will begin to arrive in Dubai. He expressed hope that this step will contribute to reducing pollution from vehicle exhausts and RTA will pursue its efforts to secure environment-friendly public transportation buses.

Maureen Kempston Darkes, GM Group Vice President and President of GM Latin America, Africa and Middle East, said "We are honored that the Dubai RTA selected the all-new Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid and Malibu Hybrid for this program". She indicated that these advanced technology vehicles are leaders in their respective automotive segments and that selecting them is testimony to the visionary leadership of the Government of Dubai.

She affirmed that as a global carmaker, it is clear that in order to address the many energy and environmental issues facing us - and to ensure sustainable growth for years into the future - GM must develop alternative sources of propulsion, using a variety of energy sources, and that hybrid vehicles play an important in the company's strategy.

She also said that GM believes energy diversity is the key to removing the vehicle from the environmental debate, and that it is determined to make advanced energy diversity technologies practical and affordable for everyday use and available to consumers worldwide.

Kempston Darkes added that the agreement is important for both parties as it reflects their pursuit to reduce the impact of emissions on the environment, as well as organize sources of energy and set strategic plans aimed at diversifying sources of energy , or reducing the demand for it.

Engineer Abdul Aziz Malik, CEO Dubai Taxi, listed the advantages of using hybrid vehicles, and said that the Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid boasts vastly improved fuel economy over its gasoline-only sibling, thanks to a state-of-the-art hybrid system using GM's all-new Electrically Variable Transmission (EVT). The two-wheel-drive Tahoe Hybrid, for example, delivers 21 mpg in the city, a 50-percent improvement over its 5.3L non-hybrid sibling.

At the end of the press conference, a ceremony was held to reveal the all-new Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid, which is currently on display at General Motors' stand in Zaabeel Hall at the 9th Middle East International Motor show.