Automotive Engineers
Did you know that by mid-2022, there were 1.45 billion cars on the road around the world? The global car industry is dominated by just a handful of companies — the most famous brands in the sector belong to only about 15 companies, based in a few major industrial nations like the United States, China, Japan, and Germany. There's fierce competition between these companies, since each one has to release new models of every car it produces every year, and each new car has to include features and advanced technologies that give it an edge in the market. But do you know who's responsible for all this within these companies? Automotive engineers are the ones tasked with developing every part and component of the car, equipping it with the latest technologies and electronic systems that make it more efficient, faster, and safer, all at the lowest possible cost so it can be sold at a price customers can afford. An automotive engineer spends most of their time thinking through these complex problems and running the research and experiments needed to achieve those goals.
Meet the Writer: Waleed Abo Omiraa
What You'll Actually Do
The core tasks and responsibilities that fill a typical day.
- Read current literature, attend meetings or conferences, or talk with colleagues to stay abreast of new automotive technology or competitive products.
- Establish production or quality control standards.
- Prepare or present technical or project status reports.
- Develop or implement operating methods or procedures.
- Write, review, or maintain engineering documentation.
- Conduct research studies to develop new concepts in the field of automotive engineering.
- Coordinate production activities with other functional units, such as procurement, maintenance, or quality control.
- Provide technical direction to other engineers or engineering support personnel.
- Perform failure, variation, or root cause analyses.
- Develop or integrate control feature requirements.
- Develop engineering specifications or cost estimates for automotive design concepts.
- Develop calibration methodologies, test methodologies, or tools.
- Conduct automotive design reviews.
- Calibrate vehicle systems, including control algorithms or other software systems.
- Build models for algorithm or control feature verification testing.
- Alter or modify designs to obtain specified functional or operational performance.
- Design or analyze automobile systems in areas such as aerodynamics, alternate fuels, ergonomics, hybrid power, brakes, transmissions, steering, calibration, safety, or diagnostics.
- Conduct or direct system-level automotive testing.
- Design control systems or algorithms for purposes such as automotive energy management, emissions management, or increased operational safety or performance.
- Create design alternatives for vehicle components, such as camless or dual-clutch engines or alternative air-conditioning systems, to increase fuel efficiency.
- Design vehicles for increased recyclability or use of natural, renewable, or recycled materials in vehicle construction.
- Design vehicles that use lighter materials, such as aluminum, magnesium alloy, or plastic, to improve fuel efficiency.
- Develop specifications for vehicles powered by alternative fuels or alternative power methods.
- Research computerized automotive applications, such as telemetrics, intelligent transportation systems, artificial intelligence, or automatic control.
- Research or implement green automotive technologies involving alternative fuels, electric or hybrid cars, or lighter or more fuel-efficient vehicles.