AVL (engineering company)
AVL ( Institute of Internal Combustion Engines List) is a company for development of powertrains (combustion engines, transmissions, software, hybrid systems, electric drive ) as well as to associated simulation and test systems. In 2009, the Austrian company employed 4300 employees worldwide and recorded sales of 590 million euros.
History
Under the leadership of Hans List, the father of the current CEO of AVL Helmut List, several motors experts joined in 1948 to form an association and founded the IBL ( Engineering Office List). The founders pursued the goal to develop products based on the latest findings of basic research modern engines with respect to the important for the motor industry profitability criteria.
Already the first diesel engines of 1949 were made standard on the Jenbacher Werke in Tyrol and in the Andritzer machine factory in Graz.
1951 from the IBL the AVL, the Institute for Internal Combustion Engines. The following year, the central test site was established in the Kleiststraße in Graz, where even today the Executive Committee and the headquarters of research and development activities are located.
Among the most important achievements in the initial phase of the company include the development of the first direct-injection four-stroke diesel engines with swirl channels for truck engines in 1958. This replaced the hitherto conventional two -stroke engines and four-stroke prechamber.
In 1963, the intensive development of diesel engine technology to build a 18- cylinder two- stroke diesel engine with 2250 horsepower.
In addition to the AVL engine development began in the early 1960s with the production of engine test equipment with speedy mass production of quartz pressure transducers, gravimetric fuel consumption measuring devices, flue gas measurement equipment and complete Motorindiziersystemen.
At the beginning of the 1970s AVL began the first fully automatic AVL test beds for sale. Other important milestones in the 1970s include the development of the capsule technology for sound insulation of motors and the development of DI diesel engines for passenger car applications, which was begun in 1974. The first prototype of an LD light diesel engine was introduced in 1976.
In 1979 Helmut List, who worked since 1966 in the company, the chairman of the board.
Since 1982, it is possible to obtain real-time view of the combustion processes for diesel engines. In 1986 the world's first HSDI Diesel Engine (High Speed Direct Injection) as a drive system for light commercial vehicles in mass production.
In the 1990s, the tomographic combustion analysis TCA could be implemented. For the first time it was possible to detect combustion phenomena in a close-to- gasoline engine visually.
In 2002, the AVL test track was opened in Gratkorn near Graz. In the same year Schrick was acquired and integrated into the company.