735 Electric Buses Coming To Dubai Soon

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Dubai will be getting 735 new electric buses in 2026. Yes, it sounds sort of peculiar, doesn’t it? Who knows how it is possible to get so many new electric buses this quickly, but the Emirates News Agency posted this information on May 2, saying, “Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has accelerated the implementation of its strategy to transform into a zero-emissions public transport system by 2050, through the expansion of electric bus operations and the supply of 735 buses, which will be delivered gradually during 2026, in a move that represents the largest and first of its kind at the national level.”

The same transit authority currently has about 40 electric buses operating and it was reported the results have been a success: “The operational results showed a clear superiority of electric buses, especially on short and medium-term urban trips, with a satisfaction rate exceeding 95% among drivers and passengers.” Using all-electric buses there also supported decarbonization by preventing the release of 59,263 tons of carbon dioxide emissions during 2025.

Electric motors in electric buses are much more energy efficient than gas and diesel bus motors, so using electric buses saves energy. Additionally, when electric buses are not in use and their batteries are charged, they can be used to form virtual power plants to provide backup electricity to local grids. I was wondering if an electric bus battery pack would probably be about 400 to 500 kWh in capacity and the Emirates News Agency actually mentioned this figure: 470 kWh.

When Dubai has the full fleet of 775 electric buses, if each has a battery capacity of 470 kWh, the total capacity of all its electric buses will be 364,250 kWh or about 364 MWh. If the technology is available to connect all the battery packs and share electricity from them, Dubai could have a virtual power plant too. In addition, when the battery packs are no longer suitable for electric bus use they might be repurposed as stationary energy storage.

Another key aspect of the new electric bus development for Dubai is simply the speed at which such a huge number of buses will be procured and made operational. Soon enough, Dubai will have almost 800 electric buses and when this is the case, the goal of reaching zero-emissions public transportation by 2050 will be that much closer.

Diesel buses use fossil fuels which generate air pollution that is harmful to humans. Replacing diesel buses improves air quality and makes cities better for human health. Electric buses can be run on electricity from clean, renewable sources such as solar power, wind power, hydroelectric power, and geothermal.

Image credit: Emirates News Agency