Scope for Engineers in Electric Vehicle Technology

It's the innate desire of each and every engineering student to take their career into advanced studies and choose a field which not only promises a bright future financially but also adds that element of innovation and creativity.

When it is about exploring career options in engineering fields, one of the most prominent options that comes to mind is renewable energy. It's capturing a humongous market, and thus the market too is inevitably moving towards it. So what kind of opportunities does the EV industry have for engineering graduates? For a majority of us staying in India EV still seems to be a field which isn't widely known, and even those who do know are skeptical about the opportunities. The EV market is rapidly evolving and catering to demands of the future. The field is sort of a hot kettle of tea being prepared to be served to the whole of India. It's already a goldmine of job opportunities in many countries.

Most engineers are employed in offices, laboratories or industrial plants. Engineers are employed by most industries that manufacture electric vehicles and their components. Engineering is one of the most in demand occupations when it comes to the EV manufacturing industry. Areas like manufacturing, R&D, design and development, testing, simulation and analysis, production, Servicing and maintenance, quality control, technical sales, customer service etc. have generated a  high demand for skilled EV engineers. 

Today every government is giving subsidies and creating an environment which acts as an incentive for companies to enter into the EV industry. This has not only caused a revolution within the industry but also created tons of job opportunities for the engineers.

Policies framework in foreign countries:

China: EV adoption offers exemption from purchase, and additional taxes range between CNY 35,000 and CNY 60,000 (USD 5,000 to USD 8,500).

Norway: Norway plans to ban the sale of petrol cars by 2025. EVs are exempt from the 25 value-added tax (VAT) on car purchases.

USA: The Federal Internal Revenue Service (IRS) offers a tax credit for $2,500 to $7,500 for every new EV purchased within the United States.

Schemes in India:

The Indian government has launched a scheme called FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electrical Vehicles), which aims to subsidize the acquisition of over 1 million electric two-wheelers, 7,000 electric buses, and 55,000 electric and hybrid passenger cars over a three-year period.

Multifaceted work for various engineering streams

The different streams of engineers get to be innovative and apply their creativity within the diverse playground that EV provides them with.

With the upcoming technologies like the AI, and advancements in manufacturing techniques, there are diverse opportunities for electrical engineers to explore career options pertaining to the research and development of Electric Vehicles.

Electric design is among the important aspects of Electric Vehicles. Electrical Engineers can enhance the subsisting design of the vehicles by employing improvements within the motor, braking system, electronic gadgets, Batteries, and electric lighting of Electrical Vehicles.

As the number of Electric Vehicles is going to increase in the country, charging stations are going to become the subsequent alternatives to petrol and diesel pumps.

The powertrain component and the development of it, as well as vehicle design depends totally on the skill sets of Medtronic engineers.

The operational functions of an automobile are developed and designed by automobile engineers.

Chemical Engineers take the onus for designing and manufacturing lithium-ion batteries, assembling battery packs, recycling batteries, development of advanced cell chemistries, testing and validation of cell chemistries, battery recycling etc.

The work of software engineers is to develop algorithms for battery management systems, designing and developing IoT (Internet Of Things) modules for sharing real-time data generated by electric vehicles, and also implementing AI algorithms and connecting mobility using IoT,  G5, AL & ML Edge computing, programming, Telematics etc. 

Mechanical Engineers are responsible for designing the parts of the vehicle. Being well versed with the design tools Mechanical engineers play a significant role in power training Design, developing intricate cooling systems, Battery Enclosure design, Packaging, Battery Thermal Management 

And various other design and simulation processes  like Thermal, FEA, CAE, CAD etc.

Electronics & Communication Engineers are in charge of designing sensor circuits, implementing controllers and various sensors put in electric vehicles. They also play a key role in creating embedded systems, autonomous and connected mobilities, designing the communication, EMI & EMC electrical systems and various other diagnostic and troubleshooting issues.

Current status in India

In line with the growing adoption of electrical vehicles, India is predicted to convert 30 of the vehicles on its roads to electric or hybrid electric vehicles by 2030. Currently India has about 23 crore vehicles. One third of the vehicles by 2030 could amount to about 10 crore vehicles.

The increasing vehicle population means an enormous ecosystem of Original Equipment Manufacturers and component companies. Electric mobility can thus create many local, green, and highly skilled jobs.

Job creation in EV industry 

According to the estimate of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, the EV industry alone will create one crore jobs by 2030. For each and every direct job, there'll likely be five indirect jobs within the society - this takes the total employment by the EV industry to about 5 crores. India in recent years has come up as a humongous potential market for the development and growth of EVs. Quite similar to the prevailing plants for conventional vehicles, many foreign auto-makers will be initiating their EV operations in India. The government has started laying down the blueprint of policies that assist its electric mobility mission by creating a specialized workforce, which aims at generating over 10 million jobs. Designing effective solutions for electric vehicles (EVs) is going to serve as a potential future career builder for engineers. The research and technical know-how and skills acquired by the engineers fit seemingly well into this promising field that is growing rapidly..

Autobot India has launched its EV technology specialized learning platform Autobot Academy in two major Automotive hub cities Pune and Bangalore. The vision has always been to shape the EV ecosystem that understands the needs of the future and helps in the evolution of technology through a training program.  The learning platform of  Autobot will cater to the EV industry that is already thriving. By 2030, there is expected to be a rise of 130,000 to 350,000 engineering jobs in the electric vehicle industry alone. The career in EV seems not only bright but also aiding towards a more noble cause. If this planet has to survive the tide of time and the devastation caused by our own actions then dependence on renewable energy is the way forward. Engineers will not only be making a career in the EV industry through the Autobot learning platform but would also be promoting the concept of a greener and healthier planet.