UAE approves first license for self-driving vehicles

UAE approves first license for self-driving vehicles

DUBAI: Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum on Monday approved the first license for self-driving vehicles. The license was given to WeRide company, granting them the opportunity to test self-driving vehicles on UAE roads. “Today, in the Council of Ministers, we approved the national policy for electric vehicles, which includes building 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 quality of roads that the UAE enjoys.

We also approved today, within the Council of Ministers, the first national license for self-driving vehicles on the country’s roads, which was granted to the specialized WeRide company,” Sheikh Mohammed said via Twitter. Al-Maktoum also announced that the UAE will be the second country in the world to test autonomous vehicles on roads. Although fully autonomous vehicles have yet to make an appearance on the roads, Dubai has already carried out a few tests for driverless vehicles in the past few years.

In fact, the first driverless vehicle underwent trial way back in 2016 on Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard in Downtown Dubai for a month.