Friday, August 6, 2010

Automotive Engineers a Bit Worried About EVs

At Plug-in 2010, I got more of a sense of what the Society of Automotive Engineers and Underwriters Laboratories are thinking about, and concerned about, with electric vehicles. Many of the battery systems and drive trains are new or still being developed and there are practical manufacturing logistics and safety issues that have to be tested and standardized. Battery switching is one of the concerns mentioned by a UL panel speaker. Automotive engineers and UL are extremely important for the future of global automobiles. High ranking OEM executives are of course high on the list, too, but automotive engineers design and create the technology required for all of this to happen. You could also consider other decision makers such as Henrik Fisker, who represents the creative/marketing side of the game. Dealers are a very important part of the supply chain, too. But if you don't get past engineers and the intellectual structure they put in place, nothing will get done.

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