Commercial ADVISOR Vehicle Design Software Offers Advanced Features

PLYMOUTH, Mich., July 1 -- AVL today announced that the first commercial version of its ADVISOR design software is now available to industry and government users. Known as "ADVISOR 2004," the improved virtual vehicle analysis software enables rapid analysis of performance, fuel economy and emissions in current cars and trucks as well as hybrid electric and fuel cell vehicles. In addition to its fuel cell modeling and enhanced analysis capabilities, ADVISOR 2004 is bolstered by technical hotline support and training classes offered by AVL.

"Users of the original software reported potential fuel savings of up to 50 percent in air condition mode of hybrid-electric vehicles. This software directly impacts the design criteria for future generations of powertrain systems," said Ray Corbin, President of AVL Powertrain Engineering. "By making ADVISOR available to a wider commercial user base, we are helping our customers to intelligently make and evaluate future energy management decisions."

Using AVL's advanced software, automotive users can optimize vehicle component designs and configurations while reducing testing time and predicting fuel economy. The software enables users to simulate modifications to components including motors, batteries, catalytic converters, climate control systems and alternative fuels through a virtual interface. The updated version of ADVISOR offers new and improved, leading-edge features to simulate fuel cells in vehicles.

The U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) first developed ADVISOR in 1994 and in 2003 licensed AVL to further develop and market an updated commercial version of the software to a worldwide market. The software is now available at AVL's ADVISOR website (http://advisor.avl.com/ ) and has a price of $6000 US. AVL is the world's largest privately owned and independent company for the development of gasoline, diesel and alternative fuel powertrain systems, as well as fuel cell and hybrid technologies. The company offers combined solutions of powertrain engineering, simulation software and testing and instrumentation systems. AVL's North American Headquarters is located in the Detroit suburb of Plymouth, Michigan.