Electra, Quds EV Lebanon
When people think of electric vehicle (EV) companies, most don’t think of countries where electric vehicle research and development takes place, so most don’t think of Lebanon.
Jihad Mohammed, the CEO of EV Electra is working to change that. European Business Magazine named him Middle East CEO of the year in 2023 for his part in successfully launching Electra Lebanon’s first EV company despite the economic downturn that came after the Covid-19 pandemic. Lebanon is facing massive energy blackouts. And people are investing in solar panels because they can’t get access to electricity from the grid.
In an interview with European Business Magazine, Mohammad said, “I am honoured and humbled to receive this prestigious award from European Business Magazine. This recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our talented team at EV Electra, who are the driving force behind our success. I share this award with each and every one of them.”
The company’s stated mission is: “Produce electric vehicles, compete at a global scale, and take part in the World’s transition towards sustainable energy. Being the first EV automotive company in the Middle East and the Arab world, we decided to be the front runners and transit our area from a consumer market to an industrial one.”
The company has already begun production of the Quds RISE, named after the Arabic word for Jerusalem. Like its city namesake this car is beautiful!
The Quds RISE by EV Electra
To say it resembles a Maserati or Porsche 911 doesn’t say enough about this sports car’s unique lines. The technical specifications are also impressive. The 50 kWh Lithium ION battery gives it a range of up to 450km. It can go from 0 to 100km/h in less than 5 seconds with a top speed of 250km/h. It also boasts regenerative braking, butterfly doors, a 360 degree camera system and a UV disinfection system.
It comes in an assortment of colours. This one is called Plum crazy and Metallic White:
EV Electra is in good company. Want more EVs from the Middle East? Oman (see Mays Motors), Saudi Arabia Ceer electric cars, and even Turkey’s Togg EV are all EVs developed locally for the Arab world. Israel’s failed Better Place is ancient news, but Israel now has an electric transformer car.
Mays Motors, an EV, all electric car from Oman
Author: Brian Nitz
Brian remembers when a single tear dredged up a nation's guilt. The tear belonged to an Italian-American actor known as Iron-Eyes Cody, the guilt was displaced from centuries of Native American mistreatment and redirected into a new environmental awareness. A 10-year-old Brian wondered, 'What are they... No, what are we doing to this country?' From a family of engineers, farmers and tinkerers Brian's father was a physics teacher. He remembers the day his father drove up to watch a coal power plant's new scrubbers turn smoke from dirty grey-back to steamy white. Surely technology would solve every problem. But then he noticed that breathing was difficult when the wind blew a certain way. While sailing, he often saw a yellow-brown line on the horizon. The stars were beginning to disappear. Gas mileage peaked when Reagan was still president. Solar panels installed in the 1970s were torn from roofs as they were no longer cost-effective to maintain. Racism, public policy and low oil prices transformed suburban life and cities began to sprawl out and absorb farmland. Brian only began to understand the root causes of "doughnut cities" when he moved to Ireland in 2001 and watched history repeat itself. Brian doesn't...
