Projects /
Automotive
Moving COP28 with 370 electrified vehicles
How Al-Futtaim became Strategic E-Mobility Partner of COP28, turning a sponsorship into 370 electrified vehicles at the largest climate conference held to date.
Client
Al-Futtaim
Sector
Automotive
Services
Sponsorship strategy, activation planning, partner reporting
Delivered
Partnership strategy, fleet activation, public E-Mobility Zone
The outcome
370
electrified vehicles
Cars, SUVs and buses supported Dubai Police, the RTA and COP28 transport.
Every
journey a live proof point
Each trip showed electric mobility working under real conditions, not just a logo.
9
weeks of public E-Mobility Zone
The zone at Dubai Festival City Mall took the message beyond conference delegates.
The Challenge
COP28 brought about 86,000 participants to Expo City Dubai, making it the largest climate conference ever held. For an automotive group, being there only meant something if the partnership proved a point about electric mobility in the UAE. A logo on a lanyard wouldn’t do that. Al-Futtaim’s own survey showed the gap to close: 44% of UAE residents asked could not charge an electric car at home.
WHY IT MATTERS: INDUSTRY DATA
370
Electrified vehicles
Cars, SUVs and buses
86
k
COP28 participants
The largest COP to date
9
wks
E-Mobility Zone
At Dubai Festival City Mall
What we did
1
Built the partnership around a proof point
We shaped the partnership around moving people in electrified vehicles, so every journey showed the technology working in real conditions.
2
Put the fleet on the road
370 electrified cars, SUVs and buses from brands including Polestar, Volvo, BYD and Toyota, plus hydrogen Toyota Mirai for testing, supported Dubai Police, the RTA and COP28 transport.
3
Took it beyond the venue
A nine-week E-Mobility Zone at Dubai Festival City Mall, a VR showroom and an EV training centre carried the message to the public, not just delegates.
What happened next
Al-Futtaim and the RTA had already agreed to deploy 360 electric and hybrid vehicles at Dubai’s mega events over three years, supporting the emirate’s zero-emissions public transport strategy. COP28 showed the model working at the largest scale yet. The group’s stated 2030 targets are for new energy vehicles to make up 50% of its portfolio and for it to run 10% of the UAE’s charging stations.
