GCC countries have adopted the UAE's draft regulations on the use of electric vehicles, thanks to their positive features which take into account safety requirements, overall performance of electric vehicles, and their adaptation to weather conditions in the region, said a report.

The main purpose of adopting these directives was to protect the environment from pollution and emissions, as well as to support the national economy, encourage new sources of economic growth, reported state news agency Wam, citing a senior official.

The GCC Standardisation Organisation is currently drafting its own regulations based on those documents, remarked Abdulla Al Maeeni, the director-general of the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (Esma).

This will held realise the country's strategy that aims to support eco-friendly concepts and innovation.

Esma is also working on, through the UAE draft, a new phase of eco-friendly and economically-beneficial national policies, he added.