Tesla officially launched in Saudi Arabia on Thursday, marking a new chapter in the company’s global expansion after Elon Musk ’s troubled relationship with the kingdom — but the Middle East country’s extreme heat could pose a challenge for its electric vehicle performance and battery efficiency.

EVs accounted for just 1% of all car sales in the kingdom in 2024, according to PwC. Saudi Arabia is developing its own local EV manufacturing and has a majority stake in California-based EV maker Lucid Motors.

Electric vehicle giant Tesla is set for an entry in the Saudi Arabian market on Thursday – a country where, on a 900-kilometer (559-mile) stretch of