News

Abu Dhabi Rolls Out Barq Ultra-Fast EV Chargers

The new 360 kW network will feature 50 charging stations with the aim of speeding EV uptake as the UAE pushes toward Net Zero.

Published

4 months ago

January 12, 2026

Nour Nasir

abu dhabi rolls out barq ultra-fast ev chargers

Abu Dhabi Department Of Energy

Abu Dhabi is deploying an ultra-fast electric vehicle charging network branded Barq, in a move by the Department of Energy (DoE) and TAQA Distribution to hasten the shift to cleaner transport.

More than 50 stations rated at 360 kW will be installed at busy sites across the emirate. Locations include Manarat Al Saadiyat, Mina Market, Burjeel Hospital in Mohammed Bin Zayed City, several spots in Al Ain — UAE University, Tawam Hospital, Al Jimi Mall — and City Mall in Madinat Zayed (Al Dhafra).

The first phase of the project goes live on January 13 during the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, where charging will be free for visitors.

Speed is the main promise of the Barq network: Drivers will be able to add roughly 100 kilometers of range in about three minutes. TAQA will grant a free charge after every three paid sessions to nudge adoption, a tactic aimed at early EV owners as well as fleet operators.

Officials are framing Barq as part of a sustainable mobility ecosystem backed by advanced infrastructure. “This is a strategic step in Abu Dhabi’s sustainable mobility journey, providing an advanced charging network that combines speed and reliability,” said Abdulla Humaid Al Jarwan, Chairman of the DoE, who tied the rollout to the UAE’s Net Zero 2050 pledge. TAQA Distribution CEO Omar Al Hashmi said the project reinforces the emirate’s positioning in smart energy and sustainable mobility.

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The push fits into national EV policies and air quality goals that target roughly half the vehicle fleet being electric or hybrid by mid-century. It also dovetails with planning through the Department of Municipalities and Transport, which is coordinating sites and grid upgrades. Battery-electric uptake remains modest across the region, but governments are investing in hardware ahead of mass-market demand.

For the Gulf, the Barq buildout shows climate and diversification agendas moving from targets to infrastructure. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have rolled out EV incentives, while Saudi Arabia and Qatar are setting similar transport targets under economic overhauls tied to their national visions.

News

At I/O 2026, Sundar Pichai Concedes AI Must Deliver Real Value

Gemini 3.5, a personal agent called Spark, agentic shopping, and Android XR eyewear are all aimed at making AI feel useful, not just impressive.

Published

6 days ago

May 20, 2026

Nour Nasir

at io 2026 sundar pichai concedes ai must deliver real value

Google

Google’s annual I/O developer conference (I/O 2026) has recently become a status update on the same question: can the company turn its AI spending into products people use every day? This year, chief executive Sundar Pichai described Google as being in a phase of hyper progress, while conceding this is the part of the cycle where people want to see real value in the products they use on a day-to-day basis.

The strategy on display was to push agents — AI systems that act on a user’s behalf — into nearly every Google product at once. Search now has an “intelligent search box” that returns generated explainer videos alongside links. Gmail, Docs, YouTube and Maps are gaining their own agent layers, including a Docs Live feature that turns spoken instructions into drafted text with citations.

Two new models, Gemini 3.5 and a cheaper Gemini 3.5 Flash, arrived the same day. Google says 900 million people now use Gemini, and that more than 50 billion images have been generated with it. The pricing tier names are likely to confuse buyers: a new AI Ultra plan launches at $100 a month, while the older Gemini AI Ultra drops from $250 to $200.

The flashier announcements were Gemini Omni, a video generator pitched as a more realistic answer to OpenAI’s discontinued Sora 2, and Gemini Spark, a personal agent that handles recurring tasks across a user’s Google account. A new universal shopping cart lets agents complete purchases across multiple retailers from inside Google itself, placing the company between the merchant and the buyer, and also owning the checkout.

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Google also confirmed its Android XR eyewear, built with Samsung and frames from Warby Parker and Gentle Monster. Audio-only glasses ship this autumn; a display-equipped version, which would superimpose live translations into the wearer’s field of view, is still in development. Both sets translate, however only the display version shows you the result.

What Pichai did not resolve is the bargain underneath all this. An agent is only useful to the degree it knows your calendar, your inbox, your shopping history and your physical surroundings. Google has now confirmed that, in time, the same context may carry advertising.