In collaboration with Volvo trucks and Mesa Engine solutions, two test cells were built and installed in KAUST. Two Volvo D13C500 6 cylinders engines (Euro5 version) were customized into a single cylinder and installed in a test bed equipped for advanced research projects.​​ Current research project are flex fuel engine and pre-chamber.

KAUST compression ignition (CI) engines are AVL Single Cylinder Research Engines, including thermodynamic metal engine and full-transparent optical engine. These two CI engines are dedicated to studying low-temperature combustion (LTC) of low-octane gasoline-like fuel compression ignition with partially premixed combustion mode.

High-speed color imaging (FASTCAM SA4, Photron) was installed to record in-cylinder fuel injection and combustion process. Planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) imaging was installed to capture spray/wall interaction, formaldehyde (CH2O) distribution (cool flame phenomenon) and OH radical evolution (hot flame).

Cooperative Fuel Research (CFR) engine is a variable compression ratio single-cylinder Spark Ignition engine used to rate the octane numbers of gasoline-like fuels. Octane numbers reflect the knock tendency of a fuel, or in other words the resistance of a fuel to autoignition. CFR engine allows to rate the Research Octane Number (RON) and the Motor Octane Number (MON) respectively through the ASTM 2699 method and the ASTM 2700 method.