“Dakar Future” to foster green innovation in rally raids by using low-emissions vehicles JEDDAH: The Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation has expressed its full support for “Dakar Future,” an energy transition plan dedicated to fostering green innovation in rally raids. Spearheaded by the Dakar Rally, “Dakar Future” aims to ensure that, by 2030, all participants involved in the event are using low-emissions vehicles, and that emissions related to the logistics are reduced significantly. The 2022 edition of the Dakar Rally will take place in Saudi Arabia on Jan. 2-14. Commenting on Dakar Rally’s positioning with Vision 2030, Prince Khalid Bin Sultan Al Abdullah Al-Faisal, chairman of SAMF, said: “SAMF welcomes environmentally effective innovation and technology, and we are keen to harness our capabilities for such causes, with thanks to the unlimited support of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and the Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.” He added: “We are also grateful for the trust of Prince Abdulaziz Bin Turki Al-Faisal, Saudi Minister of Sports, and the dedication to Vision 2030 to develop and support such exciting innovations, which have become the norm during the construction of the city of NEOM. “Not only will it be one of the world’s smartest cities, but it is also set to become a spectacular environmentally friendly tourist destination for the whole world.” The sustainability programme — which was first announced after Stage 9 of the 2021 edition of the Dakar Rally held in NEOM — aligns with NEOM’s unveiling of The Line, an initiative that promises carbon-positive residential developments powered by 100 percent clean energy. Approximately 1 million residents will be connected via a 170-km belt of communities in completely natural surroundings, free of cars and streets, extending 460 km along the coast of the Red Sea. The Dakar Rally will be using future events as an “open-air laboratory” to stimulate, test and validate the technical advances made by the constructors to ensure that the race vehicles of today are the production vehicles of tomorrow. The 2022 edition will see the launch of a new T1-E category for low-carbon emission prototypes. By 2026, all vehicles driven by elite competitors in the car and truck categories of the Dakar Rally will be subject to new ultra-low emission standards. A few years down the line, the technology is expected to enable amateur competitors to obtain vehicles that meet the same environmentally friendly standards. “Dakar Future” will also ensure logistics-related emissions are reduced by measures such as temporary accommodation camps being 100 percent powered by renewable energy and the use of recyclable materials.