Preview:
Automotive engineers are concerned with the design, development, manufacturing, and testing of cars, vans, motorcycles, buses and coaches, agricultural transport, ambulances, and every possible type of road transport. Automotive engineering is a broad subject covering most areas of mechanical engineering, but it also overlaps with some aspects of electronics, robotics, and production engineering.
The Job:
Automotive engineers work at every stage of the process from the conception of an idea for a new vehicle to its maintenance when in use. Creative design is essential in the car industry if market share is to be increased in the face of stiff competition. Automotive engineers are more concerned with the engine, brakes, suspension, steering, exhaust, and the structural integrity of the vehicle than its overall look, but this is, nevertheless, a creative occupation.
If the vehicle is intended to carry heavy loads, act as a crane or a combine harvester, or perform some other task that will cause it serious stress, the whole of the structure must be built to harmonize and facilitate its prime purpose.
Starting with the overall idea, each system and component is designed independently by a small team of designers. These systems must eventually coordinate with every other system in the final design of the vehicle. Automotive engineers are acutely aware of health and safety aspects, building in crumple zones, designing safety features, and adding catalytic converters to reduce pollution caused by exhaust gases. Designers intentionally reduce the numbers of parts required and ensure that the final product is easy to maintain.
Most vehicles are produced on continuous moving-belt production lines, which include robotic welders and sprayers. A few vehicles that are produced in small numbers may be hand built, assembled where they stand.
Having developed the vehicle, first using computer-aided design (CAD) and then progressing to prototype models, automotive engineers turn their attention to production. Most of the parts for a vehicle are bought in from suppliers. The logistics of production and the availability of parts are vitally important issues.
The production line must also be engineered so that it is in harmony with the vehicle and capable of undertaking all the tasks required of it by the design.
Once produced, vehicles are then tested thoroughly before being allowed to leave the plant for sale. Analyses of faults that arise during after-sales service provide confirmation of the good, and less good, aspects of the design.
A few automotive engineers may be employed by companies and organizations operating large fleets of vehicles.
Armies and other military organizations, bus companies, and similar enterprises employ automotive engineers to manage their maintenance departments.
Training Involved:
The training and experience required to become an automotive engineer takes 4 years, in addition to academic study. Training includes some time being spent in all the major departments, including design, development, production, and quality assurance. Training is conducted mostly on the job. Subjects include management and such engineering disciplines as robotics, with which trainees may not be familiar. Health and safety legislation and environmental regulations concerned with noise and air pollution are extremely important issues to automotive engineers and training includes acquiring a clear and precise understanding of all legal requirements.
While they are gaining experience in the major departments, competence in materials selection, computer-aided design systems, and other engineering matters, trainees are given their first job entailing responsibility for just an element of a project, a specific production area, or a particular service to the business.
Useful Qualifications to Have:
Useful subjects include: science and mathematics.
Salary Expectations:
The base salary range of an Automotive Engineer ranges from $41,500 to $93,500 annually, while the median salary for most Automotive Engineers is $62,800 annually. (US Base Pay)
Future Prospects:
The outlook for automotive engineers is generally good. Although the market fluctuates in line with the economy, there are so many different types of vehicles that jobs can usually be found by those who are flexible in their approach. In some countries, most cars are privately owned and in others, businesses are the most important customers of vehicle manufacturers.
Most countries are continually upgrading their road networks to take a greater volume of vehicles, and while there may be regulations introduced to limit noise, pollution, speed, parking, and many other aspects of vehicle ownership, there is currently no sign of a decline.
For further information, contact professional engineering institutions in countries with a vehicle manufacturing industry. Universities with relevant courses may also provide information.
