RIYADH — The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing (MOMRA) has classified electric vehicles (EV) charging stations in the Kingdom into three levels. The classification is based on three types of locations where individuals leave their vehicles either for long hours such as parking lots of theaters, hotels, and commercial complexes; parking lots where vehicles park for long periods of time such as railway stations, parking lots of residential buildings, and regional transport stations; and the locations where vehicles park for a few hours such as the sides of commercial streets and gas stations in the categories of class A and B. The ministry has drawn up the most important technical requirements for EV chargers, and these include complying with application of the technical standards and requirements issued by the Electricity and Cogeneration Regulatory Authority, especially the requirements of the Saudi Arabian Distribution Code and the regulatory framework for charging electric vehicles, as well as the requirements of the Saudi Building Code; allocating five percent of the parking spaces for those wishing added activity, in addition to setting levels for EV charging stations. It is noteworthy that the Ministry of Energy recently announced the regulatory preparedness for the rollout of EV charging stations so as to ensure quality, efficiency and protection of users and EV charging facilities across the Kingdom. The infrastructure team for EV charging stations, led by the Ministry of Energy, announced that it has completed all the legislative, organizational and technical aspects to regulate the EV charging market in the Kingdom, by outlining the necessary regulations for the installation of charging stations and their equipment. The ministry stated that the new regulations contribute to achieving the goals of Vision 2030, as they will help the Kingdom to have a diversified and sustainable economy through enhancing productivity and raising private-sector involvement.
