Dubai to install EV chargers at mosques under new deal

Dubai has announced plans to install electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in mosque parking areas across the emirate, as part of its broader push toward sustainable mobility and smart infrastructure. The initiative is being led by the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department (IACAD) in partnership with the UAE’s EV infrastructure provider, under a formal agreement signed in April 2026.

The agreement grants permissions to develop and operate EV charging infrastructure at selected mosque sites, with the project spanning eight years and including an option for renewal. The rollout will involve installation, maintenance, performance monitoring, and integration of smart payment systems, ensuring a seamless user experience for EV drivers.

This initiative reflects Dubai’s strategy to embed sustainability into everyday public spaces by transforming mosques into multi-functional community hubs. Authorities highlighted that integrating EV charging into such locations will improve accessibility to clean mobility solutions while supporting the city’s transition to low-emission transport systems.

The move aligns with Dubai’s wider environmental and smart city goals, including expanding EV infrastructure and reducing carbon emissions. By leveraging high-footfall community spaces, the government aims to accelerate EV adoption and reinforce its long-term commitment to sustainable urban development and energy-efficient infrastructure.

Mosque-based EV charging combined with eight-year IACAD-partner agreement reflects innovative use of high-footfall community spaces for EV-infrastructure expansion. Charging network density is a critical determinant of EV adoption; leveraging existing community-infrastructure sites accelerates network build-out at substantially lower cost than dedicated site development.

The multi-functional-community-hub framing is analytically important. Modern community spaces increasingly integrate multiple services - retail, financial, connectivity, mobility - into single accessible locations. Well-designed integration reduces per-service infrastructure cost while improving user convenience across all integrated services.

For EV-infrastructure developers, charging-network operators, real-estate and community-space managers, financial institutions and technology providers active in Gulf EV-infrastructure investment, Cognitud's climate action, energy transition and impact assessment teams help clients evaluate community-space EV-infrastructure opportunities, structure long-term commercial arrangements aligned with Dubai's smart-city priorities, and prepare disclosures aligned with UAE net-zero 2050, ISSB and jurisdictional sustainable-mobility frameworks.