By Andreas Flourou, Executive Director, Operations & Mobility at Red Sea Global
The road to recovery has been paved with urban developments, with the World Economic Forum expecting the share of the world’s population living in cities to rise from the current 55% to 80% by 2050. This rate of growth undoubtedly puts pressure on healthcare, housing, governance, and public transport. But equally underscores the importance of smart cities and smart infrastructure to bind them together.
Smart Mobility Through the Saudi Lens
Saudi Arabia is keeping abreast of these projections with its own proactive measures. The most notable developments in this arena are of course the iconic giga-projects taking shape across Saudi Arabia.
Each historic project is primed to drive economic diversification unlike any the world has seen before – driven by vital pillars of sustainability, health, luxury living, and smart mobility. The main objective, however, is to fuel economic growth and improve quality of life.
Against the backdrop of this advancement, we at Red Sea Global see our role accelerated even further toward pioneering cleaner, greener, and smarter mobility. And even more so with the Kingdom’s recent announcement to convert at least 15% of its public transport and 25% of goods transport to advanced mobility vehicles including autonomous (AVs) by 2030.
Each historic project is primed to drive economic diversification unlike any the world has seen before
The roadmap for this journey is still unfolding. But, when successful, it would place Saudi Arabia as a major entity in the future generational transport category. When weighed against the backdrop of the giga-projects, these targets make the Kingdom the proving grounds for new mobility and the advancement of AVs through development, regulation, and legislation. Red Sea Global, in particular, is willing and able to take on testing and development of electric vehicles, AVs, and other advanced mobility products from manufacturers, in synergy with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.
Pioneering Carbon-Neutral Smart Mobility across the Red Sea
As we embarked on a journey to becoming the only developers in the world to achieve sustainable smart mobility across land, sea, and air (at the same time), we realized almost immediately that there is no one-size-fits-all approach – particularly as true zero-carbon mobility hasn’t yet been attempted at scale.
As pioneers in this regard, much like our overarching destination development strategy, it was imperative that our mobility strategy also places people and planet at the center. Guided by this commitment, we are constantly scrutinizing and finetuning our smart destination goals to expertly cater to our different audiences, from guests to staff, while decarbonizing mobility in line with our wider ambitions to deliver 100% carbon-neutral operations across both our destinations, The Red Sea and Amaala.
Not only have the masterplans for this rollout already been established, but we have also cemented partnerships with some of the industry’s leading players. We have partnered with luxury electric vehicle manufacturers and bus manufacturers to deploy a next-generation fleet of zero-emission electric buses for employee transportation and luxury electric vehicles for guest mobility across The Red Sea. And we’ll soon take receipt of bespoke electric vehicles that will offer unparalleled luxury for guests, while helping us remain committed to our zero-carbon principles. Across the rest of the Kingdom, electric cars are already on the roads, with more and more charge points being installed, and the first electric buses starting operation in Jeddah earlier this year.
In terms of sustainable mobility at sea, the introduction of electric boats keeps us at the peak of maritime technology, while eliminating the fallout from fuel spills and an adverse environmental impact on the seascape. Renewable hydrogen energy will also be used across our marine technology as early as next year, as well as for our aircraft further down the line.
We are also evaluating futuristic and holistic solutions through our advanced air mobility program, in keeping with Vision 2030 objectives. Innovations in Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL), and Electric Short Takeoff and Landing (eSTOL) across The Red Sea and Amaala are cases in point of a complete ecosystem of connectivity along the west coast of Saudi Arabia.
In terms of sustainable mobility at sea, the introduction of electric boats keeps us at the peak of maritime technology
Indeed, these milestones wouldn’t be possible without the supporting infrastructure. Our electric vehicle charging capabilities will be one of the largest-ever discrete deployments of its kind across the Kingdom, servicing a 28,000km2 resort. Our advanced infrastructure will support the creation of a skilled cadre of technicians who can repair and maintain both electric and hydrogen vehicles.
Our advanced infrastructure will support the creation of a skilled cadre of technicians who can repair and maintain both electric and hydrogen vehicles
This is Only the Beginning
The exciting news is that we are not done yet. Well-coordinated efforts from our partners across the value chain – whether original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) or technology firms – will continue to drive us in the right direction. The door is also open for local, regional, and international innovators to join us in incubating and accelerating smarter transport solutions and rise to the forefront of sustainable mobility across all three modalities. This is an important step as we welcome the world to witness our remarkable destinations later this year.
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