Electric Vehicle (EV) Engineering: Jobs and Industry Insights
Electric vehicle technology is changing the way people get around. Sustainability, distinctive designs, and lesser fuel and servicing costs are some of the many reasons for going electric.
As climate concerns increase, EVs bring with them the promise of clean and renewable energy and lesser environmental impact. Moreover, EV components like Lithium-ion batteries and electric motors can be recycled or refurbished. Hence, consumer acceptance of EVs is growing rapidly. As per a report by Arthur D Little, the Indian EV industry is set to sell more than 10 million electric vehicles by 2030. 30% of automobiles on the road would be electric or hybrid by then.
Moreover, several American, European, and Chinese multinationals are also setting up their R&D and manufacturing hubs for EVs in India.
Specialists in EV engineering improve the infrastructure, technology, and trade capabilities of EVs. Hence, the demand for EV engineers in India is on the rise. Let’s survey the job outlook for engineers in the EV industry, and some tips on how you can get into the EV industry as an engineer.
EV Engineering jobs in demand:
The EV enterprises are operating new development projects with the help of improved electric automobile technology. Hence, the EV industry is developing a huge demand for tech talent to enable the production and maintenance of hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and all-electric vehicles. The Ministry of Skill Development estimates that the EV industry will create 10 Million jobs by 2030.
Especially, engineering jobs are on the rise as engineers lead the design and development process of electric automobile products for enterprises. From designing the product to evaluating it for sustainability, effectiveness, safety, and scalability, they take up different roles.
Here go some of the top engineering roles in the EV industry:
Chemical Engineer:
Since the battery is an essential component of an electric vehicle, the EV sector requires people who can work on improving the existing battery technologies and develop new designs. Chemical engineers do exactly that.
From battery pack and cell design to modeling and testing, they develop solutions related to the chemical processes by which a battery generates power. They also aid in designing equipment and methods for large-scale battery manufacturing.
Electrical Engineer and Power Electronics Engineer:
Electrical engineers are sought after in many industries. In the EV sector, they design, develop and test various electronic components of an EV. Moreover, they develop the circuitry that allows the generator to charge the battery and distribute the current to the electric motor in hybrid and plug-in hybrid models.
Electrical engineers also develop control systems like heating and air conditioning, and additional electric components like vehicle lighting. Power electronics engineers are hardware specialists involved with schematics and theoretical analysis for designing electronic boards of EVs. They work along with electrical engineers to design and test electric boards to ease AC/DC conversion to provide different levels of voltages required in the EV components.
The EV industry has a great need for skilled electrical and power electronics engineers.
Environmental Engineer:
Environmental engineers create an environmental detection plan that powers the manufacturing of EVs. They incorporate environment-friendly material that makes for a sustainable alternative. For electric vehicle manufacturers, environmental engineers contribute to creating a robust structure of the vehicle adhering to international environmental standards and policies.
Mechanical engineers design, develop and test mechanical components of electric vehicles, and also the machines used for manufacturing or repairing EVs. The 3 subsidiaries of mechanical engineering: Manufacturing, design, and thermal engineering, all have important use cases in EV.
Thermal engineers are involved in the thermal modeling and management of batteries, engines, compressors, and refrigeration systems of EV cars. They also focus on the electrical safety and durability of the battery module structure.
EV engineers in manufacturing work on the feasibility of the mechanical process of manufacturing machines and devices. They do this with their research and development efforts at improving the manufacturing of e-drive, electric motors, transmissions, steering systems, and other components of an electric automobile.
Mechanical engineers specializing in design bring about new and improved designs for EV devices and machinery by using computer-aided design (CAD) software.
Software Engineer:
Software engineers and software developers design and create computer programs and apps. Electric vehicle software is crucial to enable connectivity of onboard embedded systems, smart navigation, and monitoring systems for the maintenance of EVs.
Hybrid and electric vehicles also require embedded software to ensure regular electric power distribution and recharge of batteries. Since EVs need various control systems, software engineers develop software to control the various devices of the automobile.
How to get into the EV industry as an Engineer:
Engineers are helping in improving the affordability and infrastructure of EVs. In the electric automotive sector, engineers can take up various roles of research, product design, virtual simulation, testing, maintenance, and supervising a project. No matter their role or specialization, engineers are expected to bring their problem-solving and innovative abilities to design effective, scalable solutions. Here are a few things that can help you get into this ever-growing industry:
Gain the skills
Basic skills and industry know-how are required in every field. Therefore, gaining general and specialized skills required in the EV industry is crucial to becoming an EV engineer.
Once you decide on your specialization, pick the right course and gain knowledge and specialization in that skill. For this, you can look through job portals to know about the new technology and skills requirements evolving in the sector. Moreover, look for specialized training courses for various engineering domains in the EV industry.
Stay on top of the industry trends
EV is a fast-paced industry where tech is evolving at the rate of knots. Hence, enterprises love to hire people who stay up-to-date with the industry and its new demands. This includes skills in new technologies that help improve the affordability and service infrastructure of EVs.
Some ways you can stay on top of industry trends are by reading or watching the news about the automotive sector, attending car shows, and test-driving vehicles at local dealerships.
Apply for Jobs
Lastly, applying for jobs is the final step to becoming an EV engineer. Start researching automobile enterprises hiring EV engineers. Job portals like Linkedin and Naukri give access to thousands of job postings in varied fields. Optimize your skills and your resume, and quickly start applying for openings to get a leg up on a potential job offer in the EV sector.
The Bottomline:
As the industry develops, there is a demand for engineers in various fields such as CAD and CAE engineers, thermal engineers, vehicle simulation engineers, and system architects to perform the varied roles of designing, quality control, Integration engineering, and functional safety check. An individual with knowledge and experience in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, chemical engineering, or software engineering can adapt to any engineering role in the EV industry by specializing in the skills required. The aforementioned tips can help you power up your journey to become an EV engineer.
Xpheno helps to hire the best people for specialized skills with speed and at scale. Our staffing expertise is for automotive OEMs, Aerospace, and other high-growth sectors like Fintech, Agritech, logistics, IT services companies and GCCs of marquee corporations.
If you are looking to make a career as an electric, autonomous, or ICE automobile engineer, check out engineering jobs in the automobile industry on our portal.
