MASDAR City, a low-carbon low-waste emerging development in Abu Dhabi, has installed the Middle East’s first rapid charging station in collaboration with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), as part of its ongoing efforts to promote sustainable transportation and serve as a testbed for cutting edge development in clean and sustainable technology.

The pilot project aims to assess how efficiently the rapid charger technology will function in the region’s harsh climatic conditions. The CHAdeMO-certified rapid charger (Efacec, EV QC) is a high-efficiency DC charger provided by Efacec, a leading manufacturer of AC and DC chargers. The charger will serve as a charging station for the 12 Mitsubishi Motors electric vehicles (i-MiEVs) currently in operation at Masdar City.

Previously, the electric vehicles (EVs) had to be charged for six hours continuously using standard electrical outlets. With the arrival of the new rapid charger, the EV’s batteries can now be charged up to 80 per cent in approximately 30 minutes. The chargers are networked to MHI’s EV control centre within Masdar City.

To date, the vehicles have transported over 35,000 passengers and saved approximately 33,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.

Masdar City continues to evolve with work currently under way on the first and second phases of the landmark development.