AVL to expand with new North American facility

19 February 2000

Plymouth, MI-based AVL Powertrain Engineering, Inc. said it will open a second North American facility in early 2002, a 41,000 sq. ft. operation in Ann Arbor, MI.

The facility, located at 1801 E. Ellsworth Rd., will feature a full complement of powertrain durability and validation test operations, together with light duty vehicle emissions testing, according to Terence Rhoades, vice president of powertrain validation operations for AVL, and general manager of the new facility. The first test sites will be available in early 2002, with the remaining sites added during the rest of the year.

The new facility will feature a large number of engine and chassis dynamometer test cells, including a motorcycle chassis dynamometer, and a chassis dynamometer for 4-wheel drive vehicles. The test cells will be offered in addition to the seven development cells already in operation or under construction at the company’s Plymouth headquarters.

Durability and validation operations will be conducted around the clock, seven days a week, with the variety of test cell configurations able to accommodate a very wide range of engines and powertrains. The laboratory will feature AVL dynamometers, emissions analysis and test automation systems.

AVL Powertrain Engineering provides services to the powertrain industry, including design, analysis, research and development and testing. The company is a subsidiary of Graz, Austria-based AVL, the world's largest privately owned and independent company for the development of powertrain systems and related instrumentation and test systems.

Source: AVL