News
SWITCH Mobility To Trial New E-Buses In UAE & Saudi Arabia In 2025
The SWITCH EiV12 and E1 offer cutting-edge features, cater to both the public and private sectors, and align with GCC sustainability goals.
SWITCH Mobility, a leading player in the commercial EV sector, has announced plans to conduct trial runs of its cutting-edge electric buses in the UAE and Saudi Arabia during the summer of 2025. If all goes to plan, the company aims to roll out the vehicles commercially across the wider Gulf region by the fourth quarter of the same year.
Speaking at a launch event in India where two new e-bus models — the SWITCH EiV12 and SWITCH E1 — were unveiled, SWITCH Mobility Chairman Dheeraj Hinduja shared the company’s growing interest in the GCC markets.
“The launch of the [buses] is a proud milestone for the Hinduja Group and Ashok Leyland, underscoring our commitment to sustainable mobility […] At SWITCH Mobility, we are driving a greener future and advancing our long-term vision to democratize electric mobility worldwide,” Hinduja explained.
Also Read: Viasat Satellite Messaging Tech Showcased In Saudi Arabia
According to the SWITCH chairman, the EiV12 is likely to appeal to private companies, while the SWITCH E1, designed for the European market, is meant for the public sector. The company also plans to eventually manufacture buses at Ashok Leyland’s Ras Al Khaimah facility once demand reaches sufficient levels.
SWITCH E-Bus Models
- SWITCH EiV12: This model is India’s first low-floor city bus equipped with chassis-mounted batteries. It offers a scalable battery capacity exceeding 400 kWh and can accommodate up to 39 passengers. Powered by SWITCH iON, the company’s proprietary telematics system, the EiV12 ensures efficient fleet management with features like real-time vehicle health monitoring. Its rear-end charging interface allows quick recharges while optimizing depot space. Interiors are spacious, well-lit, and provide excellent visibility thanks to a large panoramic glass area.
- SWITCH E1: Engineered in the UK for European markets, the SWITCH E1 boasts a triple-door layout (front, center, and rear) and a flat gangway, making it highly accessible. With a capacity to carry up to 93 passengers, the bus is powered by in-wheel motors and sets a new standard for sustainable public transport in urban areas.
SWITCH Mobility has revealed that both models have already attracted significant global attention, with the company having received 1,800 orders to date.
News
Microsoft Plans $10 Billion-Plus Gulf Expansion Despite Iran Conflict
Security is shaping Microsoft’s approach, from resilience work with governments to what it will say about how the money splits by country.
Microsoft is planning more than $10 billion of investment across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait through 2030, Vice Chair and President Brad Smith told Reuters, calling the spending schedule aggressive. The Iranian conflict that began on February 28 has not persuaded the company to scale back.
“We’re sustaining all the investments we planned to make before this conflict started, and we are in fact adding to them,” Smith said. The $10 billion-plus total does not, however, show how large those additions are.
The investment, which Smith described as part of Microsoft’s continued infrastructure expansion, is aimed at cloud and AI infrastructure and at the company’s growing regional operations. Microsoft also intends to put more than $400 million into subsea and terrestrial connectivity across the Middle East by 2030.
The spending fits the region’s own ambitions too. Gulf governments have been investing heavily in AI infrastructure as part of a push to diversify their economies beyond oil and gas and turn themselves into global technology hubs. Major cloud and AI providers have been drawn in part by the land and relatively low-cost energy on offer.
Microsoft is widening its partnerships with regional AI companies, though not on identical terms. In 2024, it invested $1.5 billion in Abu Dhabi-based G42 for a minority stake, and Smith currently sits on G42’s board. Saudi Arabia’s Humain and Qatar’s Qai are working with Microsoft on selected priority areas, but Smith said the company does not plan to make capital investments in either.
Also Read: Egypt’s Mobile Wallets Are Booming, But Cash Still Has Power
The conflict has added another strand to Microsoft’s work in the region. Since it began, Smith said, the company has supported regional partners with digital resilience assessments, and it is now working with Gulf countries through a digital resilience initiative focused on preparedness and the protection of critical data.
So far, the company has given no country-by-country breakdown of the investment, citing security among other factors. So while the headline figure is public, how Microsoft divides the spending among the four countries is not.
Microsoft Plans $10 Billion-Plus Gulf Expansion Despite Iran Conflict
In Kuwait, Your Surgeon Might Be Operating From Another Country
Qatar Folds 45 State Companies Into A Single Investment Platform
Trip.com Is Betting An AI Agent Will Book Your Next Vacation
Meta’s New $499 Plan Puts A Price On Reaching A Real Person
Apple’s First Folding iPhone Arrives Late To A Shrinking Market
Trip.com Is Betting An AI Agent Will Book Your Next Vacation
Egypt’s Mobile Wallets Are Booming, But Cash Still Has Power
OKX Bets Streaming Perks Can Take Crypto Mainstream Across MENA
Musk’s Boring Company Wants To Dig 150 KM Of Tunnel Under The UAE
-
News3 weeks agoApple’s First Folding iPhone Arrives Late To A Shrinking Market
-
News2 weeks agoTrip.com Is Betting An AI Agent Will Book Your Next Vacation
-
News2 weeks agoEgypt’s Mobile Wallets Are Booming, But Cash Still Has Power
-
News2 weeks agoOKX Bets Streaming Perks Can Take Crypto Mainstream Across MENA