Will technology eliminate car wash woes in UAE?

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)The high cost of traditional car wash techniques in the UAE and across the region is spurring innovative technological alternatives that cut water consumption according to participants in the upcoming Gulf Car Wash - Gulf Car Care Expo.

According to statistics compiled by the UAE's Federal Energy and Water Authority (Fewa) the country has a per capita water consumption of 550 litres per day - the highest in the world.

The need to wash the UAE's 11.87 million vehicles is hence considered a major drain on water resources.

Jayaraman Nair the chairman of VIS - which is organising the expo - said the sandy environment of the UAE coupled with the scarcity of water is prompting motorists to adopt high-tech solutions to wash their vehicles.

"In many parts of the Middle Eastern countries the car wash business has taken off. In the UAE particularly motorists are known for their modern outlook and keenness to adopt advanced technologies and solutions. Also the notorious sandstorms make intensive cleaning and maintenance services a necessity" he said.

"Increases in water charges coupled with sustainability initiatives by the government are encouraging car wash operators to embrace eco-efficient products and solutions" he added.

Schezir Knoll regional managing director of Trade X a car care company said that automatic washing techniques - such as ones developed by Otto Christ a German company - have the potential to save significant amounts of water over traditional methods.

"Here a high-pressure wash takes about 150 to 300 litres of water" he said. But now with new technology it might take about 100 to 150 litres of water 60 to 80 litres of which can be recycled." Looking to the future Knoll said that sustainable car wash solutions will eventually have to be adopted on a nationwide scale because of government regulations..

"This will be mandatory. The government is becoming stricter in terms of environmental consciousness" he said. "In the past there were rules but really not many as to where old oil and water went."

"Even now if you wanted to start a car wash tomorrow you basically cannot get approval with the old methods" he added. Knoll noted that the steadily rising demand for car washes in the UAE is outpacing supply. "The demand is growing on a yearly basis. In Dubai wand the rest of the UAE people are very conscious about how their cars look and this being a desert area cars get dirty very quickly" he said. "But queues are enormous."

Another expo participant Prashant Nair general manager of Meos Establishment said that the sustainable car wash industry is growing slowly in the UAE. "Car wash and car care awareness are growing but we still have a long way to go. The primitive bucket wash is still present in the region and this has to be replaced with machine wash" he said. The industry is quite sizeable but is growing at a slow pace. This could be due to (the need for) initial capital investment."

Bernd Debusmann Jr. Originally from Mexico City I've been in Dubai since January 2015. Before arriving in in the UAE I worked as a general news reporter in TV and print in Mexico City NYC and Washington DC. I'm interested in defence issues politics technology aviation and history. In my spare time i enjoy traveling and football - I'm a keen fan of Chelsea FC. I developed an interest in the Middle East traveling through Jordan and the West Bank. I have a BA in Political Science from Dickinson College in the USA and an MA in International Journalism from City University London.