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News Release - Feb. 25, 2008
Danville, VA – The City of Danville and Pittsylvania County announced today that the Advanced Vehicle Research Center (AVRC) will expand to the Cyber Park near the Danville Regional Airport. The company plans to invest $3.5m and employ 30 full-time workers. The company will do research on off-road and alternative fuel vehicles. “We see the Danville area as the perfect place for our expansion,” said Dick Dell, Executive Director of the AVRC. “The region already has significant assets that support the auto racing industry such as the Virginia International Raceway and neighboring speedways. Our work to support military and off-road testing will offer a new dimension to attract new automotive industries, and our work on advanced technologies and alternative fuel vehicles will benefit from the extensive research being done at the Institute, Jouster, and Virginia Tech.” “We are thrilled that such a leading edge firm will be the first private investor in the Cyber Park, “ said Jerry L. Gwaltney, Danville city manager. “When the city and the county conceived this park, this is exactly what we hoped would happen. We are seeing our city/county partnership grow new investments on all fronts. This is a partnership that works and we are seeing more jobs and investment come to Southside because of it.” Gwaltney continued, “AVRC is at the forefront of alternative fuel research and vehicle conversion. To have them here to take the research from the lab to the real world and to allow our young people to see first hand the future of tomorrow is a terrific victory for us.” “The future is emerging today in Danville, Pittsylvania County and across Southside Virginia. AVRC has proven its dedication to cutting edge research and development, especially in its work with research into alternative fuels and its work to convert vehicles to run on these new fuels. AVRC’s decision to expand into the Cyber Park underscores the research initiatives going on at the Institute and offers a clear signal to our students that there is a bright future for them here.” Said Virgil Goode, Congressman, Virginia Fifth District. “This is an exciting day for Pittsylvania County and Danville and we are grateful that Congressman Goode has worked so diligently on our behalf to help bring this exciting research and development project to fruition”, said Dan Sleeper, Pittsylvania County Administrator “This is a very thrilling time for Danville and Pittsylvania County and Virginia’s Motors Sport Alley. The partnership that they have developed is an amazing success story and others should take note. And with the continued support of an ally such as Congressman Goode, the future continues to look bright,” said Patrick Gottschalk, Secretary of Commerce and Trade. AVRC started in North Carolina in 2001 and now does work on ethanol efficiency research and other alternative fuel technologies in partnership with North Carolina State University. They also have a commercial initiative to convert hybrid Toyota Priuses to Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles. (PHEV’s). At their center in NC, they have helped convert the first PHEV’s on the East Coast, for clients including Progress Energy, Duke Energy, the City of Raleigh, and the Advanced Energy Corporation. The AVRC also partners with other academic institutions to promote educational programs in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math and automotive technology. AVRC will construct a 20,000 square foot headquarters building including a research and design center in the Cyber Park on a 13-acre site on Stinson Drive. Additionally, they will construct a closed loop natural terrain track on a 63-acre site near the Danville Regional Airport. The track will be used to test manned and unmanned military vehicles and off-road vehicles. The track will also include an observation center and offices. Future plans call for the expansion of the test track to include an additional 144 acres. Average salaries will be approximately $50,000 and construction is planned to start in the Fall of 2008.
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