King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) and Lucid Group, the manufacturer of some of the world’s most advanced electric vehicles, announced on Sunday the inauguration of the first Electric Vehicle Innovation Center in the Middle East, located in Saudi Arabia.
The new center, inaugurated in the presence of President of KACST Dr. Munir bin Mahmoud Eldesouki, serves as a key platform bringing together local, regional, and global research expertise.
It reflects KACST’s ongoing commitment to innovation and reinforces Lucid’s leadership in advanced technologies.
The center is also focused on enhancing the efficiency, functionality, and performance across Lucid’s product portfolio, contributing to their accelerated development, strengthening their leadership within their segment, and supporting the growth of the Kingdom’s future mobility sector.
“This new innovation center embodies our ongoing commitment to leading the advancement of electric vehicle technology, and our support toward strengthening Saudi Arabia a hub for technological innovation,” said Interim CEO at Lucid, Marc Winterhoff.
“By combining Lucid’s engineering expertise with KACST’s advanced research capabilities, we will continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible. Our teams are eager to begin the planned work together, recognizing this research will help shape the future of sustainable mobility,” he noted.
Senior Vice President for Research and Development at KACST, Dr. Talal bin Ahmed Alsedairy, emphasized that the center represents a pivotal step in enabling Saudi talent to develop future technologies in electric vehicles, batteries, and smart systems.
“The center enhances local content and bolsters the Kingdom’s capabilities in advanced industries, supporting the goals of Vision 2030 and broader national aspirations,” he said.
Alsedairy said this cooperation contributes to the transfer and localization of advanced, high-impact technologies, the establishment of new industrial value chains, and the strengthening of integration between the research, development, and innovation system, the industrial strategy, and the investment strategy, thereby accelerating the transformation of knowledge into products and technologies that support the future of sustainable mobility and enhance the competitiveness of the national economy.
For his part, President of Lucid Middle East, Faisal Sultan, said the opening of this center is a major step forward in Lucid’s commitment to the Kingdom.
“This collaboration strengthens our regional presence, nurtures local talent, and contributes to building a vibrant technology ecosystem aligned with Vision 2030,” he noted.
The center was developed in collaboration with KACST, one of the Kingdom’s leading research, development, and innovation institutions, forming the second phase of the ongoing strategic partnership between the two parties.
Its purpose is to advance scientific research, support innovation, and develop sustainable technologies by leveraging specialized Saudi expertise.
The center began its operations as a specialized facility for testing and validation and has since evolved to cover all stages of electric vehicle development. It represents a qualitative leap in the collaborative efforts between the two parties and serves as an extension of Lucid's comprehensive network of facilities in the US.
It will dedicate its efforts to advanced research, support the dissemination of the company’s world-leading technologies, and play a pivotal role in developing future products and will serve as a key pillar of the Kingdom’s national research and development infrastructure and actively contribute to the innovation and industrial application of future technologies within the country.
