Rabat – The automotive future is electric. Most experts and reports seem to agree that electric vehicles are here to stay and that demand will only grow as the years go on.

At the same time, Morocco continues to look determined to further grow an already impressive automotive industry that has seen the country become Africa’s automotive hub.

The logical next step would be, then, for Moroccan enterprises to not only venture into engineering and designing their own vehicles – but also to go specifically into the EV sector.

Morocco World News (MWN) spoke with Yehya El Bakkali, founder and CEO of Atlas E-Mobility, to know more about the company’s plans for an electric vehicle and how it can contribute to Morocco’s plans.

A car for the middle class

A popular fear regarding electric vehicles for large swathes of the population is that of cost.

Although electric mobility solutions might prove to be more affordable in the long term, especially with the continually rising prices of fossil fuels, the upfront cost to obtain one is often higher on average.

Addressing the issue, El Bakkali told MWN that the company intends to dedicate its Atlas cars “to the middle class.”

“It will be within the purchasing power of the consumer that we are targeting,” he said. “So initially we’re targeting the African, European, and Middle Eastern markets and prices will vary from each market to the other because the purchasing power differs.”

El Bakkali detailed the efforts that Atlas is exerting to maintain the affordability of its car, explaining how the company will utilize existing platforms in order to minimize the need for proprietary development.

“We’re capitalizing on an existing OEM infrastructure or the EV platform, which is basically the engine of the car,” he explained, detailing that the manufacturer will collaborate with other established companies to cut down on its own costs.

“We want to make this car a simple car, and yet attractive,” El Bakkali added. “We would not include anything that the customer does not need necessarily, all the unnecessary software and buttons would be removed because that is where the reduced cost for manufacturing and assembly are.”

Despite that, the CEO affirmed that the car would be a “premium, SUV car” that everyone would be “proud to drive.”

“At the end we want to create something that is classless, and something that respects and meets the expectations of every consumer,” he concluded.

Even if electric vehicles can sometimes cost more to obtain, several reports have shown that they offer considerable savings in the long haul due to lower maintenance, repair, and fuel costs.

However, the higher buying prices can still be a barrier to entry for many people, which minimizes the positive environmental effects electric vehicles can have.

Rooted in Morocco

On Atlas E-Mobility’s official website, the company describes itself as an “an Anglo-Moroccan technology company born to redefine global e-mobility and launch the world’s first African-designed and engineered battery electric vehicle.”

El Bakkali stressed the company’s Moroccan and African origins and identity, saying that Atlas aims to make Morocco proud.

“We will, as proud Moroccans with proud Moroccan heritage, try to do our best in order to bring what is necessary to advance our country forward in this area of electrification,” he explained.

He additionally praised Morocco’s advancement in the automotive and renewables sectors, explaining how the company can get involved in the North African country.

“Our activity would be strictly related to anything that has to do with e-mobility, so we’re talking about infrastructure, we’re talking about batteries, we’re talking about range enhancement technologies and EV manufacturing,” he noted. “That’s really what our area of activity would be.”

He also voiced the intention to benefit from Morocco’s strong infrastructure when it comes to renewable energies.

“We want to really benefit from the fact that Morocco is looking to produce 52% of its electricity from renewable energy sources by the time we start production,” El Bakkali said, noting that such a strong infrastructure is “encouraging” for his company.

Morocco, already an automotive hub in the African continent, has been accelerating its efforts to manufacture electric vehicles. In late 2022, Government Spokesperson Mustapha Baitas said that the North African country is supporting the manufacture of electric cars.

In fact, a recent study from the Middle East Institute (MEI) concluded that Morocco has already become an “electric vehicle manufacturing hub.”

The report highlighted Morocco’s supplies of crucial battery minerals, explaining how it is hastening the country’s entry into EV production. The country announced in July 2022 negotiations to establish an electric vehicle battery plant to accelerate its local manufacturing capabilities.

A global company

Atlas, self-identified as an Anglo-Moroccan company, is looking to capitalize on the growing ties between Morocco and the UK, while also maintaining a global identity that values diversity.

“We’re not only sticking to British, but we’re also looking to other companies overseas,” El Bakkali said.

“If you look at our team we’ve got people from all kinds of backgrounds: we’ve got people from American backgrounds, British backgrounds, from European and even Southeast Asian,” he added.

Arguing that diversity is highly important to Atlas E-Mobility, El Bakkali said the company also wants to capitalize on both British expertise in the sector as well as the increased cooperation with Morocco.

“Britain obviously has a great history in Eastern luxury markets and manufacturing,” he said. “I think we will be in a very good position to facilitate that kn0w-how transfer in this space.”

As part of its efforts to diversify its international partnerships, Morocco has recently upped its cooperation with Morocco in various sectors, including trade and the economy, as well as clean energy.

Environmental impact

Of course, one of the biggest appeals of electric vehicles is their positive environmental impact, and El Bakkali stressed that one of the main missions of Atlas is to accelerate the spread of green energy and zero emissions not only in Morocco, but in Africa in general.

He stressed that the company aims to capitalize on the expertise existing in other companies to facilitate an effective partnership and create an electrification infrastructure in Morocco.

“Our commitment is that we don’t want to be the only leading country and leading company in electrification in Africa, but we would love to facilitate the path to other OEMs and other new startups to join this electrification race,” he detailed.

Morocco has one of the most ambitious clean energy plans in the region and the world, aiming to generate 52% of its electricity through renewable and clean means by 2030.

Efforts to switch to cleaner forms of energy have been particularly escalated following extreme weather events and natural disasters such as wildfires, as a result of rising temperatures and climate change.