University of Michigan starts engineering grad program for energy systems

It now seems a lifetime ago since I was studying mechanical engineering and it's amazing how things have changed. Back then, there were no hybrids on the road, and the GM Impact was still just a concept with no firm production plans. A substantial number of the engineers now developing the cars and trucks of the coming years are graduates of the University of Michigan. With the move to electrification of powertrains and the multiple sources of electrons those motors will need, the next generation of engineers need a whole new knowledge set. U-M engineering professor Ann Marie Sastry is now imparting her knowledge on some of those aspiring engineers as part of a new graduate program in energy systems. The students are studying subjects like lithium ion batteries and the electrical grid that will feed them. Other universities are implementing similar programs. However, the number of faculty with sufficient knowledge in the subject area is limited and many of them are already working on research in energy systems. Hopefully the right balance of those doing the work and those training others to do it can be found.

[Source: Detroit Free Press]