It is widely known that Hans List is the forefather of today’s AVL.
But did you know that he was already well on his way to becoming
a hydrogen pioneer back in the 1940s? Or that at almost 100
years old, he is one of the oldest people in the world to have
received a patent? But let’s start at the beginning.
orn on April 30, 1896, Hans List grew up around the
turn of the century in an upper-class family in Graz. His
grandfather, Eduard List, ran the renowned “Grand Hotel
à l’Éléphant” until 1900 – one of the biggest hotels in the city,
whose guests included members of the imperial house.
Hans List’s father, Hugo List (1857–1932), studied at Grazer
Handelsakademie (Graz commercial academy) before starting
his professional career at Escompte Bank. After the stock
market crash of 1873, he left the bank and developed an in-
creasing interest in technology. He studied civil engineering at
Graz University of Technology and went on to work as an en-
gineer for the Styrian state rail authority, in the field of railway
construction. From 1890 to 1906, he and his partners Brunetti
and Radl ran the company “Brunetti, List & Radl”, which built
narrow-gauge railways in Lower Austria.
Inspired by his father, Hans List also developed a passion
for technology. He studied mechanical engineering at Graz
University of Technology and completed his studies after six
semesters. In 1920, he got a job working in the diesel engine
department at the Grazer Waggon- und Maschinenfabrik (Graz
Wagon and Machine Factory). He was initially responsible for
various detailed drawings of crankshafts but was gradually
entrusted with the design of more complex parts. He even-
tually designed a control mechanism for a reversible engine,
which was completely smokeless, and in which the fuel was
atomized by compressed air.
In 1926, he was employed as a scientist at Tongji University in
China. The turbulent trip took him by ship from Genoa, through
the Suez Canal, to Colombo, Singapore, Borneo, and Hong
Kong, before arriving in Shanghai. Once he had arrived, he set
up an institute for important research to calculate vibrations
during the charge exchange process in internal combustion
engines.
From 1932 to 1941, he held a teaching position as Professor
of Combustion Engines at Graz University of Technology.
During this time, graduate engineer Egon Niedermayer was
employed as his assistant and Dr. Anton Pischinger as his
research assistant. Together, they continued their research
work. In 1941, Hans List was called to Dresden and proposed
that Dr. Pischinger should take over his teaching position in
Graz – a proposal that was approved. In Dresden, List forged
close connections with the industry, particularly the aircraft
Ingenious, Right into His
Senior Years: Prof. Hans List
Main teaching building of
Tongji University in Woosung
Foundation and
Development
of AVL
We have come an extraordinary way in
75 years: from a robust industrial diesel
engine in 1949 to one of the world’s
leading mobility technology companies
for development, simulation, and testing.
SPECIAL EDITION
4 | 5
75 YEARS AND BEYOND