Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt all have ambitious plans for EV production. As the world appears to be shifting toward EVs as the future of mobility, these countries’ plans are viewed as a significant and telling sign.
Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, may have the most at stake, but it also has the highest aspirations. The kingdom’s Public Investment Fund invested $1 billion in the EV manufacturer Lucid in 2018, and the company plans to establish a new factory in the country.
Since then, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has launched Ceer, the country’s first home-grown brand, to design, manufacture, and sell sedans and SUVs. The Saudi Public Investment Fund is also investing in it, this time in collaboration with Foxconn and using BMW technology.
Both developments are critical to the oil-producing country’s goal of producing 150,000 electric vehicles by 2026. Meanwhile, incentives are being planned to replace combustion-powered fleet vehicles with electric vehicles, as well as the introduction of green-energy buses.
However, while Saudi Arabia’s current automotive landscape consists entirely of imported vehicles, Turkey ranks 13th in the world in terms of automotive production. With Ford, Toyota, Honda, Fiat, Hyundai, and Renault all having manufacturing operations in the country, a domestic EV shift is on the horizon.
Ford Motor Company and Koç Holding already produce the E-Transit cargo van EV, with plans to expand the range next year to include the production of the all-electric Transit Custom as well.
Togg, a Turkish e-vehicle manufacturer, plans to produce 175,000 midsize SUVs per year. However, the Togg brand is visibly associated with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to Kaan Kurşun, an Istanbul entrepreneur and co-investor in the “mindset” electric vehicle prototype. In an interview with VOA News, he expressed disappointment that the company is marketing the new model as President Erdoan’s car and doubts its appeal beyond Turkey.
Likewise, Egypt’s ambitions extend beyond relying on imported EVs. President Abdel Fattah El-Sissi stated at the start of the year that he is personally committed to seeing electric vehicles built in Egypt. Plans have already been made to launch the Cadillac Lyriq from an Egyptian facility by the end of 2023, and other collaborations with Chinese automakers are reportedly in the works as well.
The country’s EV charging ecosystem is being expanded in tandem with the Egyptian president’s wishes. As the country hosted the COP 27 conference earlier this year, more DC fast-charge points were added to a network of 440 charging points across the country.
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