WASHINGTON — Saudi Doctor Yahya Mohammed Al-Qahtani, faculty member of Howard University, has invented modern technologies in manufacturing batteries for electric vehicles, directly supporting national plans to invest in electric vehicles. Speaking to the Saudi Press Agency, Al-Qahtani reviewed details of these technologies that are the outcomes of a research project, saying: “The research managed to reduce the duration of electric vehicles batteries to 12 minutes after it used to take hours, and managed to reduce battery weight to 20%, which will reduce the cost and contribute to providing a local product that can support national plans in investment in electric vehicles.” He added that the next step he aspires to realize is to localize his findings through research published by a team led by him and complete the first phase of his patent registration for a commercial product by establishing a local investment company to ensure having a Saudi product. Al-Qahtani stressed that his project is an essential part of Saudi Arabia’s strategy to invest in electric vehicles, stressing that his product will contribute to the localization of the industry in this area, which is growing in an unprecedented way. He added, “The production of electric vehicles has grown from 200,000 cars in 2012 to about 15 million cars in 2022.” — SPA