What Is Automotive
Engineering:
Automotive
Engineering can also be called as Automobile Engineering. Automotive Engineers
mainly design, develop and manufacture vehicles such as Cars, Bikes, Buses and
Trucks, and respective engineering systems. Manufacturing domain and related
works deal with the creation and assembling the whole parts of the automobiles is also included in it.
Automotive
engineering is a combination of various branches that deals with mechanical,
electrical, and materials science. It also includes the branch study of
mechanical, electronic, software, and safety elements. You will be specialized
in a particular area such as engines, exhaust systems, structural design,
vehicle electronics, etc.
Not
only manufacturing, as an Automobile you will design new products and in
required conditions, you also need to modify the designs or some machines that
are currently in use. You will also need to identify and solve engineering
problems.
As an Automobile Engineer, you will focus on one of three main areas:
- design
- production
- research and development.
So, What Automotive Engineers Do:
Most of the Automotive Engineers work with vehicles like Cars, Motorbikes, Buses, Trucks, and some off-road vehicles. Their work includes designing, manufacturing products (both vehicles and their spares and also respective engineering products), modifications, solve the engineering problems of the existing models. The following are the most popular works of the Automotive engineers.
- Design new products.
- Modify
existing ones.
- Troubleshoot
and also solve Engineering Problems.
- Plan and
design manufacturing processes.
- Research,
design, develop, and producing vehicles and components.
- Preparing
cost estimates and design specifications.
- Analyze the energy, environmental, and safety aspects of the planned project.
- Predict the
vehicle behavior under different conditions using
computerized models.
- Developing
testing procedures.
- Investigating product failures.
- Mechanical Design Engineer: They create, develop and test machine products, tools & sensors by applying the principles of physics, chemistry and mechanics to the real world. They work on prototype performance and supervise the manufacturing process for their designs.
- Automotive designer: Automotive designers come up with ideas for overall vehicle designs or specific components within an automobile's structure.
- Automotive service technicians: They maintain, repair, test and inspect vehicles.
- Executive and Managerial Positions: An executive manager defines the vision and goals of the company, by implementing policies and procedures, and by establishing budgets.
- Diesel Mechanics: Diesel mechanics complete inspection, maintenance and they keep track of important system components such as diesel engines, brake systems, electrical systems, cooling systems, steering systems and transmissions.
- Production Engineer: Their responsibility is to make production as efficient as possible by using various principles of engineering, technology, manufacturing and management science.
- Driver Instrumentation Engineer: They help in perfecting the accuracy and performance of devices or systems and should have skill in the Installation, Maintenance, Repair and Calibration Of Metering Devices, Electronic Instrumentation Systems, Process Control Computers And Peripheral Equipment.
- Quality engineers: They work across all phases of product development to make sure that processes and procedures are followed correctly or not.
Responsibilities Of An Automotive Engineer:
The
responsibilities may vary according to your specialization, levels in a job,
work area and they also vary depending on the company you work. The following
are some of the fundamental responsibilities of an Automotive engineer.
- Use
Computer-Aided Design (CAD) to develop designs.
- Develop new
test procedures, using both conventional and innovative methods.
- Inspect and
test-drive vehicles and check for faults and also report the problems.
- Investigate
mechanical failures or unexpected maintenance problems.
- Take into
consideration and changing customer needs and government emissions
regulations when developing new designs and manufacturing procedures.
- Solve
engineering problems by using mechanical, electrical, hydraulic,
thermodynamic, and other principles.
- Build
prototypes of components and test their performance, weaknesses, and safety
and perform changes to the design if requires to meet the needs.
Qualifications for Automotive Engineer:
Very
few universities and colleges in India offer bachelor’s degrees in automotive
engineering. So, many students do their B.Tech in Mechanical engineering because automotive
engineering is a specialization of Mechanical Engineering and much of the
coursework is the same. However, there are some Mechanical Engineering colleges
that offer undergraduate courses that cover diesel engine theory, automotive
electronics, and automotive power systems.
You
may also need to have a degree to become an automotive engineer and relevant
subjects include:
- Automotive
engineering
- Electrical/electronic
engineering
- Mechanical
engineering
- Production
and manufacturing engineering.
Skills Required for Automotive Engineer:
In addition to Educational qualifications, the automotive engineer should also have some special qualifications:
- Interest in motor vehicle engineering and design..
- The ability to analyze and interpret data to help with problem-solving.
- The ability to work effectively in teams or independently, and to take responsibility.
- Solid analytical skills.
- A creative approach to problem-solving.
- Capability of understanding of technical concepts and federal safety standards and laws.
- Good time-management and organizational skills.
Job opportunities:
- Commercial vehicle and motorcycle manufacturing companies.
- Vehicle Design houses and Test laboratories
- Automotive component suppliers.
- Tyre manufacturers, accessory, and safety equipment manufacturers.
- Motorsport teams, preparation specialists, and engineering consultancies.
Salary: