Saudi Arabia’s multinational petroleum and natural gas company, Saudi Aramco seeks to localize hydrogen-powered vehicle production in the Kingdom and to develop related technologies through its Advanced Innovation Center, LAB7.
Mr. Ahmed Al-Saadi, Senior Vice President of Saudi Aramco for technical services, said that the oil giant keeps pace with the latest technologies in the field of energy, expecting an increase in the use of hydrogen in the global energy system.
The use of hydrogen fuel would be instrumental in bringing down emissions in the transportation sector, especially in the category that is difficult to decarbonize such as heavy vehicles. According to Mr. Al-Saadi, the current trend to develop innovative fuels and efficient technologies for internal combustion engines contributes to reducing emissions from the automotive sector in the future.
“Saudi Aramco is cooperating with major motor manufacturers and technology developers to support developing internal combustion engine models, technologies with lower emissions and efficient hybrid solutions,” Mr. Al-Saadi said.
Last year, Saudi Aramco signed an agreement with the French renewable energy technology giant Gaussin to establish a modern manufacturing facility for hydrogen-powered vehicles in Saudi Arabia. Aramco’s LAB7 would be working closely with Gaussin’s hydrogen-powered vehicle and remote-controlled/autonomous hydrogen racing truck developments.
The state-of-the-art LAB7 facility would have 24/7 dedicated workshops that can accommodate 19 projects and up to 300 innovators at any one time. LAB7 is a product development initiative that provides a platform for 21st-century pioneers to develop groundbreaking ideas from conception to completion, helping them turn their vision into reality.
