Since graduating from Warwick University with an MEng in Electronic Engineering and joining Ford I have held two graduate engineering positions within EESE.
My first position was as Power Supply Engineer for the Asia Pacific region. In this role I was responsible for the application of power supply components and systems onto vehicles developed in Europe, for sale in Asia.
This role required liaison between the core Power Supply team, program teams and engineers within the Asia region, especially in Australia, China and Thailand. I was responsible for program sign-off, including understanding and meeting the needs of our customers across this diverse and expanding region.
In my second role I transitioned to a component job, being responsible for 12V batteries and Battery Monitoring Sensors (BMS) for all European led applications. The battery role is challenging as technically it is a mixture of electrical engineering and chemistry, with new battery types being developed to meet higher durability requirements driven by tougher fuel economy targets.
The BMS is relatively new in automotive and is now used extensively within the vehicle system to control electrical loads, manage the battery during vehicle manufacture and delivery and to improve fuel economy by optimising the charging of the battery at times when least fuel will be used, the BMS also supports the engine Start-Stop function.
Application of the BMS and new enhanced flooded battery technologies have transformed the Power Supply system into an integral part of the modern vehicle system, enabling greater fuel economy and higher levels of customer features.