Alumnus Puts Training To Work With Proterra

Over the years, many of our graduates have gone on to do great things in engineering. The real-world experience gained from HEVT is always helpful in their new careers—none more relevant than 2012-2013 electrical subteam leader Brian Kelly.

Brian gives a thumbs up working in the Ware Lab.

Since graduating May 2013, Brian has been working with Proterra as a mechanical engineer. For those who don’t know, Proterra is the world's-leading manufacturer of zero-emission electric buses. They are also a bronze-level sponsor of EcoCAR 2. Brian’s experience with HEVT has given him a range of skills to use in his work with Proterra.

“I am in charge of all of the mechanical subsystems of the high and low voltage modules of the bus,” Brian said. “EcoCAR 2 helped me get a lot of electrical experience. I now know what conditions need to be met on both the electrical and mechanical side.”

Since Brian works on an all-electric bus as a mechanical engineer, he is a sort of hybrid himself. His co-workers jokingly call him a “mech-elec,” meaning mechanical electrical engineer. He is using a lot of CAD to work on designs for the newest version Proterra’s electric bus. He is in charge of all of the mechanical subsystems of the high and low voltage modules of the bus. If an electrical component needs a place to be mounted, he designs a way to integrate it.

“As the electrical subteam leader, Brian was in charge of all of the vehicle’s electrical work including the high and low voltage systems, said HEVT team leader Eli White. “This was majorly focused around the high voltage A123 battery pack we installed into the rear of our vehicle, which powers the rear traction motor.”

His experience working with high voltage electrical systems has been integral in his success with Proterra. Being a mechanical engineering major, he had very little knowledge of electrical systems before his work with HEVT. Brian leveraged his experience and networking from EcoCAR 2 to land his current job with Proterra. 

Brian says it best, "There is no doubt in my mind that I wouldn't be where I am today without my involvement with EcoCAR 2."

Do you or someone you know have a similar success story? Tell us all about it in the comments below!

Alumni Spotlight: Andrew Karpin

Andrew with Lynn Gantt working on the engine test stand.

Andrew Karpin was an electrical subteam member of HEVT during Year 3 of EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge. He is now an engine calibration engineer at Robert Bosch LLC and was hired through one of the EcoCAR sponsor socials. 

“Advanced vehicle technology competitions exposed me to the tools and processes of the auto industry, which has lead me to excel in my profession,” Andrew said. He is responsible for a wide variety of engine calibration components, but he primarily focuses on engine start calibration.

Andrew joined the team in the final year of the EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge competition for his senior design project. “I discovered HEVT through Virginia Tech course request, and being a gear head, I naturally seemed interested in the project,” Andrew said.

Although there were some challenges and stressful moments throughout the year, the experience and skills he learned were well worth it. “My favorite moment on the team was when we won first place in EcoCAR in Washington D.C.,” Andrew said. “Who doesn’t like being on the winning team?”

“I think it’s great that HEVT is getting more and more students involved,” Andrew said. “If anyone wants to have a job in the auto industry, HEVT gives the necessary tools to excel.” He thinks very highly of the program, not only in the engineering aspect, but of the communication team as well. “I do like the fact that outreach and vehicle updates have improved over the last two years.”

Andrew just bought a house in the Michigan metro area and is making it very engineer friendly. “I’m currently outfitting my pole barn vehicle lift, and have several projects already waiting in the wings,” Andrew said. We wish him the very best in his automotive engineering career.

Andrew (3rd from the left) with other HEVT members.

HEVT's Most Recent Grad heads to GM

Corey working with the battery pack from EcoCAR 1

Corey Robinson, HEVT’s most recent graduate, is now working at General Motors as a global lead design release engineer in the chassis electronics and controls group. Corey participated in both the EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge and the EcoCAR 2: Plugging In to the Future competitions. While with HEVT, he was a volunteer on the electrical subteam, and was one of the few electrical engineers on the team.

“I first got involved in Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions (AVTCs) after Lynn Gantt, one of the HEVT leaders from EcoCAR 1, told me about the program during our internships at GM,” Corey said. “He suggested that I get involved, so when I got back to school I began volunteering with the team.”

After he volunteered with the program, he decided to make it his senior design project for Virginia Tech. Corey was a team member when HEVT won first place in EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge. “It was really cool to see all the hard work and long hours pay off after we won,” Corey said. “I liked seeing all of the teams from around the country participating and working with one another.”

Corey (far right) with other EcoCAR 1 Year 3 members

Corey added, “A big part of the competition is learning from the mistakes the team made, those were some of the worst moments. When something destructive happened, the initial thought of ‘what do we do now’ was never good. It always ended with the team rallying together and fixing the problem.”

Corey acted as a mentor for the EcoCAR 2, Year 2 team during fall 2012. “His experience with building a car and participating in these kinds of competitions was very beneficial to the team,” said team leader Chris Manning. “We definitely miss him here, but know he’s doing great at GM.”

Corey (second from the left) at EcoCAR2 Year 1 competition

The AVTC program was very beneficial in preparing him for the real world and his current job. “By being exposed to many different environments and tasks while working with HEVT, I gained perspective for non-electrical thinking and problems,” Corey said. In addition to his time at HEVT Corey interned and did co-ops with General Motors for several summers before being hired.

Corey is living in Michigan now, and is adjusting to life after HEVT. In his spare time he wishes to start working on a power racing series with some other HEVT alumni at GM. 

Alexander Keller at Freescale

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While members of HEVT traveled to Austin for Winter Workshop, one team member was going back to his old stompping grounds. Alexander Keller , a senior electrical engineer on the team, had a co-op at Freescale, a platinum level sponsor of the EcoCar2 competition, during the fall 2012 semester.

"I really enjoyed working at Freescale and living in Austin," said Alexander."I worked on the Linux Windowing system called Wayland and learned a lot."

Alexander (left) at Enchanted Rock

Some of the work Alexander did at Freescale included helping code the event handling for Wayland. An example  of event handling is when you click your mouse on the computer, there is an "event" that is triggered and Wayland has to be able to respond to the event. Alexander helped write the code that tells Wayland what to do with the event so the application will work correctly.

"I never knew what Wayland was, so it was really cool to learn about the software and work with it. I also learned that Freescale creates chips that go into Kindle e-readers, aviation info-tainment and Garmin GPS products."

Alexander not only learned a lot about Freescale but about Austin and Texas ways of life. He even purchased a genuine cowboy hat, which he learned is just called a hat in Texas. Alexander lived in downtown Austin where he became a huge tex-mex and BBQ fan.

"The food in Austin is awesome. My favorite restaurants were Chuy's, Torchee's Tacos and Rudy's Barbeque. Also the food trucks right across from Freescale's building were good too," Alexander commented.

In addition to his "hat" purchase Alexander went Skeet shooting. "I like Skeet shooting, but I'm not very good at it," Alexander said.

In Year 1 Alexander was also known as HEVT's Freescale guy. His work on our Freescale board, that will be integrated into the dashboard of our vehicle, is in great working condition. In addition, his presentation for the Year 1 Freescale sponsor award won first place.

We are definitely happy to have Alexander back on the team this semester! Comment below to welcome him back!