Dubai likes to be grand with mostly everything it does. From building man-made islands to introducing flying taxis and not to forget the streets on which Ferraris and Lamborghinis are common sightings. Now, the fancy city of UAE has added Tesla cars to its taxi fleet. Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai has launched the latest addition to the Dubai Taxi Corporation (DTC), including cars fitted with several components of self-driving tech. The introduction of Tesla electric vehicles is a result of directives of Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The said objective behind the move is to transform Dubai into the smartest city in the world.
The move of adding Tesla electric cars to the taxi fleet is in line with the Green Economy for Sustainable Development Initiative of Shaikh Mohammad and the Dubai Smart Autonomous Mobility Strategy aimed at converting 25 percent of total journeys into driverless journeys by 2030, according to a Gulfnews report.
Video: Ahmed bin Saeed marks official deployment of 50 Tesla electric vehicles to #Dubai Taxi fleet@RTA_Dubai pic.twitter.com/jXmNVuLIEi
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) September 17, 2017
The Tesla vehicles procured by the RTA of Models S and X are equipped with the hardware needed for full self-driving capability.
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Tesla Model X is not just known for being non-polluting and loaded with tech, it also recently made headlines for pipping a Lamborghini Aventador, setting a world record for the fastest SUV in the world.
The Model X beat the Lambo by 0.05 seconds. Later in the day, the Tesla established the current world record time for an SUV at 11.418 seconds.
