r/AutomotiveEngineering

The Koenigsegg Regera skips the transmission altogether. Electric motors bring the vehicle up to speed, before the directly-geared engine comes online.

It seems this concept would be more widespread in cheaper hybrid vehicles as well, but I've never heard of any of those foregoing the shiftable transmission like this.

Is zonal architecture going to be a standard norm moving forward? What role will chiplets play here in terms of bringing value?

Good morning everyone, im a mechanical engineer and i'd like to dive into the automotive engineering field. but i dont know the tracks available in the field or where to start, so if someone has a guidance on how to start or where to find guidlines it'd be appreciated

Hi, I am a third year mechanical engineering student who is really passionate about automotive fields and wants to dedicate the entire life towards this field.
I am part of FSAE team, suspension senior engineer blah blah cliche things.

As per title, I came across the book called "The Science of Vehicle Dynamics" by Massimo Guiggiani at my uni. I have been diving deep into the vehicle dynamics recently so I rented the book out and it sure is very interesting and gives new perspectives, but I am genuinely struggling to understand it fully. I am an above average student and I feel like if I really tried and took around 20 mintues per page, I could understand most things but I honestly don't know how deep I should go into this book.

So my question is, if my goal is a vehicle dynamics role at OEM or tier 1 supplier comapnies (or maybe even motorsports), how deeply should I go into this book? If you are a vehicle dynamicist, how much of these VD book contents do you actually use and is relevant at work? Do I just aim to get an intutive understanding of VD or understand every line word by word through this book?
From my own couple years of FSAE experience, simplfied equations and VD models were found to be adequate and worked completely fine (as simulations or calculations never can be so accurate and real life testing and calibration is a must). For higher accuracy results, aren't multibody sims like ADAMS or CarMaker be enough? I just would like to get a better perspective and opinions from a real automotive engineer as I am still a student with zero field experience.

Thank you so much for reading this far and thank you for your help in advance!

Hello everyone,

I am currently trying to choose a topic for my master’s thesis, and I would appreciate some ideas from people with experience in automotive engineering, EVs, or public transport.

At the moment, I am doing an internship at a small company that is developing an electric city bus. The company is mainly responsible for the electric powertrain, including the electric motor, gearbox/differential, battery system, and power electronics, while the complete bus platform is being developed together with an existing bus manufacturer.

During my internship, I developed a longitudinal simulation model of an electric bus in MATLAB. The model is used to estimate energy consumption based on vehicle parameters and driving profiles. I have implemented standard driving cycles as well as real-world bus routes, so the model can estimate the energy consumption of a specific bus line in a specific city.

However, I feel that a basic energy consumption calculation may be too simple for a full master’s thesis, so I am looking for a meaningful extension of this work. I would like to build on what I have already done, but add enough technical depth and research value.

I have been quite overloaded with work recently, so I am having a hard time stepping back and thinking creatively about possible thesis directions.

One of the thesis candidates I am currently considering is to develop an eco-driving strategy together with a regenerative brake blending strategy and implement both in my MATLAB simulation. For the eco-driving part, the idea would be to create different driving scenarios, for example aggressive and non-aggressive driving, based mainly on different acceleration and deceleration behaviour, and then compare their influence on energy consumption, regenerative braking, and mechanical braking. The brake blending part would focus on how much of the braking demand can be covered by regenerative braking and when mechanical brakes are needed. If possible, I would also try to validate at least part of the model or strategy using the real prototype/demo bus on a test track.

Another possible direction I am considering is mechanical brake wear reduction through regenerative braking, since this could also be connected to non-exhaust particle emissions from brake wear.

My main question is:

What would be a good master’s thesis topic that extends electric bus energy consumption analysis into something more advanced and research-worthy?

Any suggestions, ideas, or examples of similar thesis topics would be very helpful.

Thank you.

Hi guys, I’ve always loved cars, and since I’m about to graduate high school, I’ve been thinking about pursuing Automobile Engineering as my degree. The thing is, while I truly love cars, I’m not very strong academically and my marks aren’t great. Because of that, I’ve started doubting myself and wondering if I can really do it. Will I be able to handle the engineering math and physics? Even my parents doubt whether I can manage it.

It would really help if someone who has already done this, especially at Coventry University in the UK, could share their experience. Did you guys struggle academically? How difficult was it really? I’d really appreciate any advice.

​

I’m heavily exploring the idea of starting a small automotive manufacturing company and want to understand how to realistically build a mainstream‑style, gasoline‑powered midsize sedan at meaningful volume, not a low‑volume replica or overly small niche vehicle.

What I already understand:

I want to build a competitively priced front‑wheel‑drive architecture‑based high performance small midsize sedan with smooth efficient 4‑cylinder, smooth efficient V6, and possible V8 gasoline‑engine options.

My long‑term vision is 20,000–70,000 units per year, once the platform and process are proven.

The car is designed around high build quality, simplicity, fewer electronics, and repair‑focused reliability and durability—more mechanical‑leaning systems, easier diagnosis, and long‑term robustness at its core.

The vehicle would need to meet FMVSS and EPA / CARB compliance, including crash, lighting, restraints, emissions, and OBD‑2.

What I’m trying to figure out:

How does the process differ from low‑volume paths?

For a mainstream‑style sedan at 20k–70k units per year, do I have to think and act like a full‑volume OEM from day one, or can a small manufacturer start with a simpler, scaled‑up approach?

What are the most realistic first‑phase milestones?

Is it realistic to begin with:

A detailed 3D design and system‑architecture spec,

a prototype or “mule” on a donor chassis to prove the powertrain and packaging,

then scale up to a dedicated production platform later?

Or is it effectively required to have a full‑blown, clean‑sheet prototype and crash‑test program before anyone (investors, manufacturers, partners) will take you seriously?

How much physical proof‑of‑concept do you actually need?

Is it possible to get traction with a 3D model + comprehensive engineering plan + clear FMVSS‑style testing and EPA‑style certification roadmap, or is a running, drivable V6‑powered midsize sedan basically a minimum bar?

How do small manufacturers realistically handle NHTSA / EPA and homologation?

Do small startups typically:

Use contract engineering / testing firms,

Partner with existing OEMs or chassis suppliers,

or try to build everything in‑house?

Are there decent examples of small manufacturers that grew from near‑nothing to 20k–70k per year, and what did they do in the early stages?

I’m not just asking “how to build a car”; I’m asking for practical, step‑by‑step guidance from people who work in OEMs, contract engineering, or start‑from‑zero manufacturers:

What does a realistic “Phase 0–1” look like for a small team trying to build a mainstream‑style sedan at 20k–70k units per year?

What level of physical proof‑of‑concept vs virtual design is usually needed to get serious partners or investors involved?

Thank you in advance!

Just like the title says, I want to start my own car company. The problem that I've seen with these last few decades is the death of the economy car. Cars nowadays are not cheap nor reliably built. I want to change that. The type of car I want to build is one that hasn't seen the light of day since the 1920s, the good old fashioned steam car. I do not plan for the steam engine to be the only part to make the economy car a true economy car. I plan to integrate an electric heating coil and battery into the engine so that the coil activates while idling to save on your primary fuel.

In order to do this, I will start small by retrofitting a junked internal combustion engine car with an external combustion engine. I want to replace the entire engine with one that resembles the engine in the Doble Model F with an integrated electric coil that would kick in while the car isles. I will have to have the engine made and first I need to have an automotive engineer design plans for this engine because the only other plans I could find aren't very good and I know that I don't know enough to design it myself.

After the first conversion, and a few more to work out the kinks, I want to build my own car from the ground up.

This car company is not intended to replace all internal or electric cars, but rather to fill the niche left by the death of so many cheap car brands.

P.S. I know this idea seems far fetched but I feel it is sorely necessary. I'm aware that steam engines aren't the most efficient solutions for automobiles, and knowing what we did for electric cars with our century of automotive science, I'm sure we can do the same thing for the humble steam engine.

Hi everyone, I'm a first-semester Automotive Engineering student.
I'm wondering which skills or qualifications are the most important to learn for future internships or working student jobs.

Should I focus on CAD software like SolidWorks, or is it more important to be good at tools like Excel and other Office software?

I'd really appreciate any advice or recommendations. Thanks!

Hi everyone,
I recently graduated in Automotive Engineering and I’m currently trying to decide what master’s degree to pursue. I thought it would be a good idea to ask people who already work in the industry or who have gone through similar decisions, because real experiences are probably more valuable than university presentations or marketing.
My background is mostly mechanical engineering focused: internal combustion engines, thermodynamics, vehicle dynamics, machine design, materials, manufacturing processes, drivetrain systems, etc. So overall, I feel like I have a solid mechanical foundation.
The thing is, the automotive industry seems to be shifting more and more toward electrification, electronics, software, embedded systems, control engineering, ADAS, and EV-related technologies. That’s where my dilemma starts.
I’m not sure if I should:
continue further into the mechanical side, where I already have a strong base and probably a more natural path;
or
push myself toward the electrical/electronic side, even if it means leaving my comfort zone and catching up on a lot of new concepts.
I’d really like to hear from people already working in the field:
What master’s degree did you choose and was it worth it?
How difficult is it for someone with a mechanical background to transition toward the electrical/software side?
Do companies value traditional mechanical engineers as much as hybrid profiles nowadays?
Another thing I keep thinking about is that I genuinely enjoy the mechanical side of engineering, but at the same time it feels like many of the better opportunities and salaries are moving toward electrical/software-related roles. On the other hand, I also don’t want to choose a path only because “that’s where the market is going” and then realize I don’t actually enjoy the work.

I keep seeing people talking about torque split and 59/41 or 41/59 but i always thought DCCD (Subaru) and ACD (Mitsubishi) where controlling the lockup of the centre diff ie. straight line is locked steering input and changes in wheel speeds changes the lockup and allows slip to occur on the ACD the modes change how fast this occurs and i thought DCCD followed the same principle being 50/50 all the time and you being able to select an amount of lockup you want for the road conditions more traction less lockup less traction more lockup and more fat slides i know GR FOUR uses an over run rear to get more “torque bias” by technically spinning the rear faster than the front but i didn’t know Subaru did this is it in the planetary gears that the overrun happens inside the DCCD?