Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), in partnership with the Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority (DIEZ), has opened a new testing facility for self-driving vehicles called Dubai Mobility Labs, located in Dubai Silicon Oasis. The facility allows companies and researchers to test, validate and certify autonomous and future mobility technologies before they are deployed commercially on Dubai's roads.
The site is built around 248 traffic scenarios in total — 143 incorporated into its core design and 52 more added through later enhancements, with 195 scenarios available in its multi-purpose testing area. Tesla, WeRide and Pony.ai have already carried out trials at the facility.
Operations at the facility have been awarded to Germany's DEKRA under a three-year contract. The project supports Dubai's Smart Self-Driving Transport Strategy, which aims to convert 25 per cent of all mobility journeys in the emirate into autonomous trips by 2030.
Dubai officials described the facility as a key step in establishing the emirate as a global hub for future mobility, stressing that rigorous testing of these technologies before public rollout is essential to ensuring resident safety.