Division of Engineering Technology Hybrid Electric Vehicle Courses for Ford Engineers

 by Derrick Bean
COE Public Affairs Writer

Hundreds of Ford Engineers eager for training in hybrid vehicle technology should get another opportunity soon to take courses at the College of Engineering, which was inundated last month by candidates determined to sign up for the first set of courses.

“The courses were very well-received by the Ford engineers,” says Chih-Ping Yeh, chair of the Division of Engineering Technology. “Based on the student feedback, Ford is now discussing with us to schedule the next run of training (in May) for those on the waiting list.”

The first set of short courses was offered March 15 through 26 taught by Wayne State University professors in the Division of Engineering Technology. The classes immediately filled up with 500 registrants within two days, while 600 more students were put on a waiting list.

The signs are clear to move forward on training auto engineers for cleaner propulsion technology, says Yeh. “Ford wants them to have this knowledge. In four hours, we can give them the basic knowledge about hybrid vehicles so they can know about safety, and so they can go talk to other people about hybrid and electric vehicles.”

C.P. Yeh (left), chair of Engineering Technology, and
Assistant Professor Caisheng Wang

The courses varied and addressed different audiences, says Yeh. “The short courses are offered at different levels, targeting different groups of audiences, including non-engineers, general engineers, and EV/HEV and battery engineers of Ford and their suppliers.”

The courses are an outgrowth of ones launched several years ago and taught at Macomb Community College, preceding the launch next fall by the College of Engineering of new degree programs in electric drive vehicle technology.

Encouraged by the overwhelming positive response, Yeh is confident the auto industry is heading down the right road. “The automotive industry is transforming from traditional automotive technologies to advanced technologies such as EV, HEV and PHEV,” he says. “The knowledge in these emerging technologies is important not only for engineers, but also for non-engineer automotive employees, such as those who will be responsible for purchasing.”

Although the initial courses are only for Ford engineers, Yeh wants to use them as a training model for other auto and other companies in the auto industry involved in the design and manufacturing of hybrid and electric drive vehicles. “The overall goal is to help our auto industry. This program will benefit this entire automotive industry. We start with Ford. The next time we get the same type of grant, we’ll do it for GM, Chrysler and anyone else.”

Ford offered the short training courses in Hybrid and Electric Vehicle (HEV) technology taught at the Ford Fairlane Training and Development Center free to its employees. Yeh feels the collaboration is a great opportunity for all parties involved.

“The training is supported by the Community Jobs Training (CBJT) Grant operated by the Southeast Michigan Community College Consortium (SMC3),” says Yeh. “I was contacted by M-TEC of Macomb Community College about the possibility of using part of the CBJT grant to provide HEV and battery-related trainings. The Division of Engineering Technology worked with Ford’s Learning and Development team to modify our existing courses on Hybrid and Electric Vehicle (EV/HEV), Advanced Battery Systems, Electric Machines, and Power Electronics for EV/HEV applications into a set of short courses.”

Yeh says the courses came together very quickly because the program’s grant was about to expire. The course agenda was then quickly developed based on Ford’s internal survey of students’ needs.

The courses were taught by Associate Professor Gene Liao and Assistant Professor Caisheng Wang (Engineering Technology), Research Professor Dennis Corrigan (Alternative Energy Technology), and Le-Yi Wang, professor of electrical and computer engineering.

Engineering Technology is learning from the success of Ford’s short courses as well as the state-initiated Michigan Academy for Green Mobility (MAGM), Yeh says.

The efforts with Ford also pave the way for future collaborations in research, Yeh adds. 

"I feel the College of Engineering can become a center of expertise for hybrid and electric vehicles to do the training for the automotive industry," says Yeh. "WSU has in-house expertise and existing courses on these emerging technologies to cover the industry’s training need, and to help with the transition of the automotive industry.”