TL;DR
In the 1970s, we thought that we’d be flying cars by 2020. But that did not happen. However, no one thought that we’d be self-driving cars by 2020, but that’s happening. Some people regard an automobile as the 8th wonder on planet earth, and I happen to agree.
Systems have evolved to the point that people work specialized in this domain to design, develop and manufacture cars, trucks, motorcycles, and other motor vehicles. Automotive engineers also design and test the many subsystems or components that comprise a motorized vehicle.
It includes design of the shape, modeling, shaping, and surfacing all in CAD, and then defining the mode of manufacturing, along with selecting color, material, and size of each component, and then finally making the actual car. With the need for a sustainable future rising, making fuels as efficient as possible becomes a goal to shoot for; even changing the fuel altogether: Yup I’m talking about EVs. And with knowledge of EVs, comes skills associated with battery and electronics. Finally, remember I mentioned Self-Driving Cars, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning have seeped in here as well.
How did I learn the skill?
I had always been passionate about Automobiles. My parents say that as a kid, I would shout the name of a new car model when I first saw it on the road, which sometimes they also did not know. When I entered university, I took many technical electives of Automobile specialization in spite of being a Mechanical Engineering Major. But both the fields interlink very well so that was not so much of a problem
Subjects studied
- AU 2490 Fundamentals of Automobile Engineering:
This is a basic level Automobile courses which made me well versed with virtually every system present in an automobile: ranging from Chasis, Engines and their working, Cooling system and lubrication pipelines. 2nd part of the dealt with breaking system (ABS), and power steering systems.
Final month project included designing a system which contains electronic steering system, and Anti-Lock Break System!
This one really got me started in the world of Automobile
Grade Earned: A+ - AU 4491 Electric and Hybrid Vehicles (EHV):
Not did did we learn the fundamentals of vehicla dynamics (powertrain, energy conversion from conventional engine to wheels and traction that causes friction which intern causes the vehicle to move and stop. The course required us to solve various problems to calculate aerodynamic drag, traction and resistance in different scinarios of pragmatic usage of a car. These dynamics concepts were then transferred to how a motor would powre the vehicle (in case of EVs), and how to design the motor for appropriate torque, and how gear and transmission is not a need in EVs. The section ended with electric propulsion systems, and how electric motor really transmits power and how we can reduce the losses.
Second part of the course deals with battery, battery design and construction and working, and how Li-ion batteries supply power, and what we can do to elongate their lives. This section included a project where we had to make battery working conditions to avoid quick dendrite formation, i.e. long battery life. This included taking care of SOC (state of charge), charging cycle, chemicals we used to form the terminals and solvent, energy efficienty and bettery currents
We ended learning this fabolous subject by studying in detail about Hybrid Vehicles, and how they are the future when it comes to sustainable development. The final project included a series of Hybrid Electric Drive Train Design and brief information about Regenerative Breaking, all of which was intended for us to take a sustainable outlook while designing systems.
Grade Earned: A+ - AU 4791 Trends in Vehicle Styling and Ergonomics:
Ergonomics is s subject of detailed attention for every automaker (heck! every product maker) today because even product with best features will not sell until is it ergonamically sound.
We started with learning crashworthiness and Vehicle Safety, studying in detail the types of collision and the necessary crash test needed to forsee each of them, and making sure how design takes into consideration safety (collision safety performance standards) and how evolution of techniques that we use today took place (like seat belts, dummy crash tests, airbags, etc.)
I learnt Vehicle Design, right from the very basics: Sketching concepts after reading about trends in design from 1980s to 2010s. This was accompnied with teaching us how to draw in perspective (1,2 and 3 point) simple objects, and implementing that learning on drawing automobiles. Group Project included Brainstorming a concept for an automobile, sketching it and finally rendering it on CAD software (CATIA preferred because of advanced surfacing capabilities).
The course ended with 20 cases studies with where vehicle design trends are going/intend to go in decades to come.
Grade Earned: A+ - ME 3657 Advanced Manufacturing Techniques
Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate level course had an entire section on how Additive Manufacturing is changing the world, and how more and more automakers are resorting to using 3D-printing to make interiors of the CAR. GE and Toyota accounced it publically for this movement to gain traction, and it makes sense – making customized parts on scale is cheaper using of 3D-Printing. This is the USP of Additive Manufacturing, and this course goes about exploring exactly that.
Grade Earned: A+ - AU 4590 Lean Six Sigma
This is an advanced undergrad course that I took which completely changed the way I looked at Production pipelines and manufaturing of cars in general. We learnt how continous improvment is a vital aspect of production process, and final project was intended to make us design a system that reduces takt time and inventory, and leads to ‘less’ waste overall.
Grade Earned: B
Certifications & Worshops:
- Bosch certified Automotive Specialist
- Workshop on IC – Engines: Insception and Future.
Projects, Internships & Awards
- Runners-Up in All India Nitro RC – Car Competition organized by IIT-Kanpur
- Bosch Internship on Automobile Technology.
- Buiding Vehicle at Purdue Autonomous Motorsports.