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| Company type | Private company, subsidiary of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotiveelectronics |
| Founded | Sunnyvale, California,United States (August 1998) |
| Headquarters | Belmont, California,U.S. |
Area served | Worldwide, withNorth American emphasis[1] |
Key people | Nikolai Reimer,Director |
| Services | Research and development |
| Parent | Volkswagen Group |
| Website | VWERL.com |
TheVolkswagen Electronics Research Laboratory (VWERL) is a division of theVolkswagen Group of America, Inc., with its headquarters inSilicon Valley (Belmont, California).
The VWERL's sloganTechnology to the People! indicates its mission: to leverageSilicon Valley resources for the advancement of theVolkswagen Groups' products through technical knowledge andelectronics expertise.
The VWERL has recently received media attention surrounding its joint victory withStanford University in theDARPA Grand Challenge,[2] a prize competition fordriverless cars.
The Volkswagen Electronics Research Laboratory was founded in August 1998, and VWERL began operations in October 1998, with three employees. As of December 2002, the lab had outgrown itsSunnyvale, California office and moved toPalo Alto. In 2011 it moved again toBelmont. This current location provides a spacious office, workshop and prototyping areas for about 60 workers. It supports VWERL employees atVolkswagen Group of America's offices inAuburn Hills, Michigan, and the new headquarters atHerndon, Virginia.
The VWERL supports all brands within theVolkswagen Group.[3] This includesVolkswagen Passenger Cars,Škoda,Bentley, andBugatti as well asAudi,SEAT, andLamborghini. In addition to working withresearch and development teams inGermany, the VWERL also supports the development ofU.S.-specific features for theVolkswagen Group of America.
The VWERL comprises four teams:
The VWERL's headquarters are located at 500 Clipper Drive, Belmont CA.
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