Avnet Express and UBM Electronics Reveal the Design Secrets of the General Motors Chevrolet Volt, at DESIGN West

PHOENIX and SAN FRANCISCO, March 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- What makes the Chevy Volt run? Find out during DESIGN West, March 26-29, when UBM Electronics, the daily source of essential business and technical information for the electronics industry's decision makers, and Avnet Express, the e-Commerce engine for Avnet, Inc. (NYSE: AVT), reveal the design secrets behind the Volt following their Drive for Innovation's Teardown of the vehicle.

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Brian Fuller, editorial lead of the Drive for Innovation – a year-long, cross-country road trip created to uncover and celebrate innovation in the electronics industry – will moderate a series of three presentations that center on key insights learned from a three-day teardown of the Chevrolet Volt. The teardown team, which included analysts from Munro & Associates and UBM TechInsights, removed approximately 600 components from the car. The presentations will take place in the DESIGN West Theater.

Working a few feet from the torn-down Chevrolet Volt, which will be located in booth 643, Munro's Al Steier and TechInsights' John Scott-Thomas will offer extensive detail on  the key electronics sub-assemblies of the car, including:

• Battery pack
• Battery pack's ECM
• Infotainment system and communications modules
• Body control module
• Charging system and inverters

"The Chevrolet Volt is considered a transitional technology as the automotive industry moves away from internal combustion engines and fossil fuel reliance," said Fuller. "But what engineers will see in the teardown is bleeding-edge electronics design coming from Detroit that offers an amazing view of the future of automotive design."

"This is the ultimate peek under the hood of the Chevrolet Volt," said Beth Ely, senior vice president, Avnet Express. "Not only will engineers be able to see how the Volt runs, but they get a front-row seat to examine the components inside that power this game-changing vehicle."

The sessions include:

• Chevrolet Volt Tear Down: Battery Pack will be held on Tuesday, March 27 at 12:30 p.m. This session will showcase advanced analysis of the Chevrolet Volt's lithium-ion battery pack made by LG in South Korea. Steier and Scott-Thomas will join Fuller to describe the 380V battery's properties, its design and safety systems and then describe a half-dozen boards and front battery pack control module.
• Chevrolet Volt Tear Down: Charging System will be held on Wednesday, March 28 at 12:30 p.m. This session will showcase the significant (and sophisticated) charging systems used to pull energy from the grid into the vehicle's main battery and then run a variety of subsystems. Steier and Scott-Thomas will show the modules and intricately designed boards that make up the charging system's inverter, AC-DC convert, DC-DC converter and charge cable.
• Chevrolet Volt Tear Down: Infotainment will be held on Thursday, March 29 at 11:00 a.m. This session will highlight the infotainment system in the Chevrolet Volt. It is a state-of-the-art interface that includes two displays (one a touch screen) and capacitive-touch control buttons for entertainment, climate control and navigation. Steier and Scott-Thomas will show many of the boards they removed from the car that control communication, radio, navigation, body positions and the flat panel displays (driver display and navigation/entertainment) in this presentation.

Registration for DESIGN West, which will be held at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, CA, is open at http://www.ubmdesign.com/highlights/avnet-drive-for-innovation/

About the Drive for Innovation Program:

The Drive for Innovation program is sponsored by Avnet Express, the e-Commerce engine for Avnet Electronics Marketing, an operating group of Avnet, Inc. (NYSE: AVT).  Since July 2011, the Chevrolet Volt has been making periodic stops throughout the journey, where Fuller, the driver of the Chevrolet Volt, has been interviewing engineers, entrepreneurs, innovators and students, and blogging and posting video updates about his experiences.  The trip details the electronic innovations behind the Chevrolet Volt and the future of plug-in electric cars.  The multi-faceted program is anchored by a website that features content from the road trip, a drive tracker and an interactive map that highlights the tour as well as games and prizes to fuel community engagement.

Avnet Express gives design engineers and purchasing professionals online access to the world's largest catalog of electronic component products, which tops five million parts. Avnet Express offers parametric searching capabilities and the ability to upload a bill of materials (BOM) for easier sourcing of products and a consistent global platform of localized content. The site can be accessed in nine languages and 13 currencies.

Check www.driveforinnovation.com for upcoming locations and to sign up to follow the stories and request that the Volt pull into your town or city for a visit.  Upcoming stops on the "Drive for Innovation" road trip include:

• San Jose, CA
• Los Angeles, CA
• San Diego, CA

To learn more about Avnet Express, visit avnetexpress.com.  To follow the Drive for Innovation and the Chevrolet Volt as it travels across the United States, visit www.driveforinnovation.com.  Follow the Drive for Innovation on Facebook and Twitter.

About Avnet Electronics Marketing

Avnet Electronics Marketing is an operating group of Phoenix-based Avnet, Inc. that serves electronic original equipment manufacturers (EOEMs) and electronic manufacturing services (EMS) providers in more than 70 countries, distributing electronic components from leading manufacturers and providing associated design-chain and supply-chain services. The group's website is located at www.em.avnet.com.

About Avnet, Inc.

Avnet, Inc. (NYSE: AVT), a Fortune 500 company, is one of the largest distributors of electronic components, computer products and embedded technology serving customers in more than 70 countries worldwide. Avnet accelerates its partners' success by connecting the world's leading technology suppliers with a broad base of more than 100,000 customers by providing cost-effective, value-added services and solutions. For the fiscal year ended July 2, 2011, Avnet generated revenue of $26.5 billion. For more information, visit www.avnet.com.

About UBM TechInsights

UBM TechInsights is the preeminent firm for the provision of sophisticated information and advice to technology companies. Our foundation of technical expertise and analysis tools, combined with years of experience on all aspects of the IP / Technology Lifecycle allow us to deliver the highest ROI to the client. Our leadership position is sustained by our commitment to the upmost integrity, and the ongoing investment and acquisition of knowledge and capabilities necessary to meet our clients' evolving needs. If you need assistance in managing your most complex technology or IP challenges, turn to UBM TechInsights for assured results. Visit www.ubmtechinsights.com.

About UBM Electronics

UBM Electronics is the global leader in media and marketing solutions for the electronics industry.   UBM Electronics delivers results for the key influencers and decision makers involved in the design, development and commercialization of technology through its market leading brands, peer communities and professional education services.   More than 1.7 million engineering professionals engage with UBM Electronics brands which include EE Times, EDN, Design News, Test & Measurement World, TechOnline, EBN, Datasheets.com, Designlines and Embedded.com across the globe to accelerate technology sales. The international electronics community gathers at UBM Electronics market leading events such as the Embedded Systems Conferences, DesignCon and ARM Technology Conference to share, learn, discuss, and advance the critical issues and challenges facing the electronics industry. Additionally, UBM Electronics provides end-to-end services ranging from next-generation marketing, integrated media, custom solutions and research.  UBM Electronics is part of UBM (UBM.L) a global provider of media and information services for professional B2B communities and markets.

For more information on UBM Electronics please contact:
Felicia Hamerman, Vice President, Marketing
T: 516.562.5652, E: [email protected]

For more information on Avnet Express please contact:
Bethany Helvie, Public Relations, Avnet Electronics Marketing
T:  480.643.7183, E: [email protected]

SOURCE UBM Electronics