Saudi Aramco has opened a research and development (R&D) centre in the Detroit area of the US as part of company’s global fuels technology program, reported Trade Arabia.

The Aramco Research Centre-Detroit, located in Novi, Michigan, is owned and operated by US subsidiary Aramco Services Company and covers 50,000-sq-ft with supporting facilities including a prototype engine build lab, fabrication shop, vehicle soak room, engine start-cart lab, and associated vehicle integration facilities.

“Fuels technology is a critical area of research for Saudi Aramco where we are leveraging on our leading position in integrated oil and gas production and refining to invest in innovative solutions that will significantly improve efficiency and lower emissions from the (production) well-head to the (car) wheel,” said Amin H Nasser, president and CEO, Saudi Aramco.

“Opening a research centre in Detroit demonstrates our commitment to enabling meaningful impacts and the Motor City gives us an ideal platform to bring the talent of Aramco’s researchers together with great collaboration partners in the heart of the US automotive industry”, he added.

“Aramco’s presence here contributes to our community’s tremendous growth and vibrant spirit in support of the automotive industry,” said City of Novi Mayor Bob Gatt. “Novi has become an attractive location for research, technology and service providers.”

According to the Aramco webpage the center will be dedicated to research on fuel combustion and emissions, technology integration and strategic transport studies, and developing low-carbon-footprint transportation technologies, in support of reducing CO2 emissions from transport sources.

The Detroit research centre is also equipped with four state-of-the-art engine dynamometer labs, and in mid-2016, a vehicle integration lab featuring a chassis dynamometer for evaluating engine performance and identifying solutions to all types of system integration challenges.

US subsidiary Aramco Services Company’s other research centres are:   the Aramco Research Centre-Boston, in Cambridge across the street from MIT; and the Aramco Research Centre-Houston, in the city’s northwest area Energy Corridor. Aramco’s other research facilities are located in Aberdeen; Delft, The Netherlands; Daejeon, Korea; Paris; and Beijing; as well as Dhahran and Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.