UAE roads will open up for electric and hybrid vehicles beginning in 2016 as the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (Esma) has come up with a comprehensive scheme that will cover all aspects of operating and maintaining vehicles powered by alternative energy sources, according to a report by Gulf News.

Esma has drafted unified regulations and standards for electric vehicles (EVs), which will come into effect from the end of 2015 and all EVs and hybrid vehicles entering Dubai will have to comply with the new standards from next year, according to the report.

According to the new regulations, the minimum charge cycle of an EV operating in the UAE should be 250 kilometers running at a speed of 100km/h to 110km/h.The specifications will also cover the vehicle’s ability to withstand the impact of high levels of humidity as well as the dust and sand storms that are rampant in the region, according to the report.

According to Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), Dubai already has around 200 electric vehicles registered, including around 50 light passenger vehicles, apart from electric-powered construction and commercial vehicles as well as buses, according to the report.