Self-driving cars may soon be on the roads in the United Arab Emirates after the government granted a license to the company WeRide.
According to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, the China-based corporation would be allowed to test its vehicles in the country.
WeRide already has a presence in the country, having given critical hardware and software to Yas Island, Abu Dhabi’s phase one trial of a self-driving taxi service, in 2022.
“Today in the Council of Ministers we approved the national policy for electric vehicles, which includes setting up a national network for electric vehicle chargers, regulating the electric vehicle market, and stimulating related industries to ensure reduced emissions, energy consumption, and the preservation of the high standard of roads that the UAE enjoys,” Al-Maktoum wrote on Twitter.
“The first national license for autonomous cars to operate on the nation’s roads was also authorised today in the Council of Ministers and was given to the specialist WeRide firm,” he continued.
“Today in the Council of Ministers we approved the national policy for electric vehicles, which includes setting up a national network for electric vehicle chargers, regulating the electric vehicle market, and stimulating related industries to ensure reduced emissions, energy consumption, and the preservation of the high standard of roads that the UAE enjoys,” Al-Maktoum wrote on Twitter.
“The first national license for autonomous cars to operate on the nation’s roads was also authorized today in the Council of Ministers and was given to the specialist WeRide firm,” he continued.
