Saudi Arabia to Host First of its Kind Motor Show for Electric, Hybrid Cars

This photo taken on July 21, 2017 shows Mahindra's electric car "e2o Plus" plugged in for charging at a showroom in New Delhi. (AFP)
This photo taken on July 21, 2017 shows Mahindra's electric car "e2o Plus" plugged in for charging at a showroom in New Delhi. (AFP)
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Saudi Arabia to Host First of its Kind Motor Show for Electric, Hybrid Cars

This photo taken on July 21, 2017 shows Mahindra's electric car "e2o Plus" plugged in for charging at a showroom in New Delhi. (AFP)
This photo taken on July 21, 2017 shows Mahindra's electric car "e2o Plus" plugged in for charging at a showroom in New Delhi. (AFP)

Saudi Arabia will host the first of its kind e-Motor Show in the Middle East for electric and hybrid cars between February 25 and 28, with the participation of major car manufacturers and agents.

The e-Motor Show-Middle East will highlight recent developments in the electric and hybrid vehicles sector and clean technologies in the region, which are expected to become a natural part of the environmental transportation system, given the advanced technical capabilities and the promising opportunities.

Saudi Vision 2030 encourages such industries that help build a competitive economy along with sustainable development and infrastructure that promotes the realization of the Kingdom’s strategic short and long terms objectives.

The show also aims to enhance public awareness about electric and hybrid vehicles, which reflects the future of transportation in the Kingdom.

In addition, investing in such types of vehicles is an important trend, both in terms of manufacturing, various applications, import and export.

Chairman of the Cars Agent National Committee at the Council of Saudi Chambers Faisal Abu Shusha said it was a “matter of pride” that such an important event is being organized inside the Kingdom.

He described it as a stepping-stone towards a prosperous future for modern transportation.

Abu Shusha stated it is important to prepare relevant policies and regulations pertaining to the electric vehicles (EVs) industry in both a clear and proactive manner.

He also called for activating the role of the private sector to provide new job opportunities and enhance the utilization of this technology.

Investing in the field of manufacturing electric vehicles in the Kingdom is something worth studying, especially as it falls in line with Vision 2030 and the national industry development program, he remarked.



What Is Bluesky, the Fast-Growing Social Platform Welcoming Fleeing X Users?

In this photo illustration, the Bluesky logo is displayed on a cell phone and computer monitor on November 14, 2024 in Pasadena, California. (Getty Images via AFP)
In this photo illustration, the Bluesky logo is displayed on a cell phone and computer monitor on November 14, 2024 in Pasadena, California. (Getty Images via AFP)
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What Is Bluesky, the Fast-Growing Social Platform Welcoming Fleeing X Users?

In this photo illustration, the Bluesky logo is displayed on a cell phone and computer monitor on November 14, 2024 in Pasadena, California. (Getty Images via AFP)
In this photo illustration, the Bluesky logo is displayed on a cell phone and computer monitor on November 14, 2024 in Pasadena, California. (Getty Images via AFP)

Disgruntled X users are again flocking to Bluesky, a newer social media platform that grew out of the former Twitter before billionaire Elon Musk took it over in 2022. While it remains small compared to established online spaces such as X, it has emerged as an alternative for those looking for a different mood, lighter and friendlier and less influenced by Musk.

What is Bluesky? Championed by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, Bluesky was an invitation-only space until it opened to the public in February. That invite-only period gave the site time to build out moderation tools and other features. The platform resembles Musk’s X, with a “discover” feed and a chronological feed for accounts that users follow. Users can send direct messages and pin posts, as well as find “starter packs” that provide a curated list of people and custom feeds to follow.

Why is Bluesky growing? Bluesky said in mid-November that its total users surged to 15 million, up from roughly 13 million at the end of October, as some X users look for an alternative platform to post their thoughts and talk to others online. The post-election uptick in users isn’t the first time Bluesky has benefited from people leaving X. The platform gained 2.6 million users in the week after X was banned in Brazil in August — 85% of them from Brazil, the company said. About 500,000 new users signed up in one day in October, when X signaled that blocked accounts would be able to see a user’s public posts.

Across the platform, new users — among them journalists, left-leaning politicians and celebrities — have posted memes and shared that they were looking forward to using a space free from advertisements and hate speech. Some said it reminded them of the early days of Twitter more than a decade ago.

Despite Bluesky’s growth, X posted after the election that it had “dominated the global conversation on the US election” and had set new records.

Beyond social networking Bluesky, though, has bigger ambitions than to supplant X. Beyond the platform itself, it is building a technical foundation — what it calls “a protocol for public conversation” — that could make social networks work across different platforms — also known as interoperability — like email, blogs or phone numbers.

Currently, you can’t cross between social platforms to leave a comment on someone’s account. Twitter users must stay on Twitter and TikTok users must stay on TikTok if they want to interact with accounts on those services. Big Tech companies have largely built moats around their online properties, which helps serve their advertising-focused business models.

Bluesky is trying to reimagine all of this and working toward interoperability.