Insufficient Quantity of Charging Stations is Main Obstacle to Pure EV Use in Saudi Arabia

The number of electric vehicles (EVs) registered in Saudi Arabia currently stands at 23,170. Still, the Kingdom has set very ambitious targets. The EV share is targeted to rise to 30% by 2030, which means the EV share in the country’s capital, Riyadh, alone would have to rise to over 1 million.

Imported EVs came mainly from the United States, Germany, and China. Although Saudi imports of electric vehicles more than doubled in 2023 to a total of 779 EVs, compared to just 210 in 2022, there is still much work to be done to realize ambitions in the Kingdom’s 2030 vision of economic transformation plan. Currently, there are no domestic manufacturers, but Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Investment, Khalid Al Falih, announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2025, that the country’s plans to establish a local EV automotive industry with three EV production facilities to be built in the Kingdom.

Foxconn Technology Group and Saudi’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) set up a joint venture to develop and produce electric vehicles under the name “Cheer” in Saudi Arabia, where Foxconn would supply the vehicle’s software, electronics, and electronic architecture. Last November, it said it was building a factory in King Abdullah Economic City with production to begin in 2025. The California-based EV manufacturer Lucid Motors, in which the PIF holds a 63 percent stake, also awarded a 640 million USD contract to build the EV plant for local construction company Al Bawani. Construction is targeted for completion in 2025 or 2026. The main obstacle to pure EV is the insufficient charging stations, as Saudi Arabia had only 103 charging stations in 2023. However, a growing network of charging stations is seen across the country as the PIF and Saudi Electricity Co. have established the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Company (EVIQ) with a stated aim to install over 5,000 fast chargers in more than 1,000 locations by 2030.

Saudi Arabia is actively promoting the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) as part of its Vision 2030 initiative to diversify the economy and reduce carbon emissions. The PIF has invested significantly in EV manufacturing, aiming to produce 500,000 electric vehicles annually by 2030. This initiative is expected to contribute to a 13% reduction in emissions compared to an all-internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle fleet. The Ministry of Transport and Logistic Services oversees the development and regulation of the nation’s transportation infrastructure, including the integration of EVs.