AVL announced that it will open a research and development center dedicated to fuel cell technology in Vancouver, Canada, by May 2018. The investment in this new R&D center will extend AVL’s leadership in delivering next-generation powertrain engineering solutions.

“Vancouver has one of the world’s largest fuel cell tech clusters and a solid base from which to break new ground in these technologies,” says AVL CEO Helmut List. “The region is known for its expertise in the field of hydrogen fuel cell. AVL is delighted to open a new technology center in Vancouver.”

The objective of the new facility is to complement AVL’s existing competencies in powertrain electrification development from electric battery and fuel cell systems to include hydrogen fuel cell stack development. AVL has more than 15 years of experience and numerous engineering teams working globally on fuel cell development for the world’s leading automotive OEMs and research organizations.

As a result of AVL´s dedicated investment in R&D and product development, the company is setting its industry standards in many fields of powertrain development and testing.

“With our Vancouver facility, we plan to elevate fuel cell technology development and commercialization,” says Urs Gerspach, AVL executive vice president, Instrumentation and Test Systems. “This stack research and development center in Vancouver complements our work in Graz, Austria, where we have developed a fuel cell engine test bed that is state-of-the-art and provides unmatched dynamics for studies in fuel cell systems.”

AVL is the world’s largest independent company for the development, simulation and testing technology of powertrains (hybrid, combustion engines, transmission, electric drive, batteries and software) for passenger cars, trucks and large engines. AVL has more than 8,600 employees all over the world. In 2016, sales revenues reached EUR 1.4 billion (USD 1.72 billion)