AVL Builds Tech Centre in Coventry, UK

AVL List GmbH will establish a new test and engineering centre in Coventry, UK, with full operation commenceing in spring 2018. The new test centre – covering an area of 16,000 sq. m – will be available to the UK automotive industry and set new standards for innovative technologies.

CEO Helmut List: "With the AVL Tech Centre in Coventry, we establish an advanced centre for engineering and testing excellence, incorporating a modular concept for the development of all kinds of future powertrains. The new tech centre is going to be a future-proof testing facility enabling the connection of testing modules in a flexible and fast way, which will cover the needs of modern hybrid and electric vehicles."

The new Tech Centre will operate state-of-the-art testbeds for advanced powertrains, including hybrid and battery electric vehicles. These will also play a major role in the development of advanced driver assistance systems. The building is designed for powertrain testbeds prefabricated in Graz, so that the building and testbeds can be built in parallel. The building will also support the fast integration of further modular testbeds later. The new Tech Centre will create jobs for around 100 AVL employees over the coming years.

Construction work in Coventry is already underway and is on schedule. Following a ramp- up phase, the centre will go into full operation in spring 2018.

AVL is already represented at three locations in the UK, and today provides jobs for around 300 employees. AVL is the world’s largest independent company for the development, simulation and test engineering of drive systems (hybrid, combustion engines, transmissions, electric motors, batteries and software) for passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles and large engines. AVL has more than 8,600 employees worldwide. In 2016, sales revenues reached EUR 1.4 billion.