Qatari Innovator Showcases Self-Charging Electric Vehicle

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Victor Bolorunduro | The Peninsula

Doha, Qatar: An electric vehicle (EV) that requires no recharging once in operation was one of the innovations showcased at the 'Made in Qatar' exhibition held recently at Doha Exhibition and convention Center (DECC).

The innovation, the brainchild of a Qatari, Dr. Adnan Fahad Al Ramzani Al Naimi, was one of the main highlights of the highly successful four-day event that featured over 500 exhibitors and 1,100,000 social media interactions.

Speaking to The Peninsula, Dr. Al Naimi, a retired engineer from QatarEnergy with several decades of experience in the engineering field, noted that he came up with the idea in 1983 and developed an MVP (minimum viable product), which was successfully tested, but he had to take a pause from pursuing the project any further due to education and career pursuits.

“In 1983, when I came up with the idea, I made a design similar to this, and the vehicle was running normally. The design was fully functional at the time, but I had to take a break to pursue some other major interests. But now, I have decided to resume where I stopped because I believe the time is ripe for a project of this nature to see the light of day, as I believe it will further put my country, Qatar, on the global map of innovations and inventions,” the Qatari innovator said.

Explaining how it works, Dr Al Naimi said,“The innovation runs on only one battery, and you don't need to stop to recharge your car as it charges itself. The battery is connected through a cable to a motor, which runs the engine, and then there is a charger that charges the battery as the motor runs. So this is how the cycle goes: from battery to motor, from motor to charger, and back again to the battery. That is why we don't need to stop and recharge the vehicle from time to time.” He added that the innovation has gone through different phases of upgrade over the years to arrive at the present stage.

On what distinguishes his innovation from the other EVs around, the former Qatar Energy staff said,“Firstly, my innovation uses just one battery, unlike other EVs that use at least two batteries.. You only need to charge the battery once, and you don't need to recharge after that. So it does not require a charging port, as it runs like a normal car. You do not need to worry about stopping to recharge once the car starts running.”

He noted that it cost around QR5,000 to convert a typical car to his EV innovation.

“The cost is not that much, but the overall benefits are huge considering that it saves fuel and even engine oil, as you are not using either of these,” he said. Dr Al Naimi added that he is planning another road test for his innovation before the end of the year, after getting the necessary approvals from the authorities, noting that necessary approvals are needed for this kind of innovation before it hits the road.

“Also, this kind of innovation would require some special insurance before being allowed on the road. All the same, all things being equal, the final road test will hopefully be done before the end of this year, 2023,” he noted.

Dr Al Naimi, whose factory presently has the capacity to convert one vehicle to his innovation every two weeks, said he plans to go on a bigger scale if he is able to secure the required investment.

“I believe that with a factory and more workers, this will definitely scale up. The production rate is dependent on the size of the manufacturing plant we are able to build from the investment. I am fully committed to contributing my quota to making Qatar an industrial hub and centre of innovation in the region and beyond,” he said.

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