End-to-End High/Low voltage Design | Quality | Scaled Manufacturing
Executive Summary
E-Drive system component owner with demonstrated experience in high/low voltage design, quality, launch, and process improvement. Spearheaded cradle-to-grave design, sourcing specifications, test requirements, and product evaluation reports. Willing to go above and beyond to achieve maximum customer satisfaction and quality products. Capable of working independently or as part of a supportive team while being committed to quality and global excellence.
Core Competencies
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EngineeringTools: NX Teamcenter, WebCN, ICDs, CATIA, PSIM, GT-Suite, ThinkCell, Power BI, Jira, and MS Office package.
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Industry proficient in Schematics, Vehicle Architecture, GD&T, DFMEA, DVP&R, DFM, EBOM, 8D, Ingress protection, APQP, PPAP
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Industry standards: ISO/SAE 21434 (SAE Level I & II cert), ISO 26262, ISO 14644, FMVSS 305a
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Key Responsibilities: Supplier Sourcing, Engineering Design, Change management, Release, Quality checks, EBOM generation, Material selection, Cost reduction, Benchmarking, Prototyping, Test case development, Testing, and Requirement management.
Professional History
August 2024 - Present
Sr. E-Drive Systems Engineer- TRATON R&D US, MI
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Drove e-Drive modular system safety and regulatory requirements for North America localization and application
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Executed concept to functional vehicle prototype delivery with coil-driver inverter-motor system in 6 months to prove efficiency and performance improvement (~7-10%), collaborating with an external supplier
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Contributed technical expertise to prevent manufacturing hold due to leakage, HVIL, wheel-hop, and EoL stoppages
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Coordinated system bench efforts for HW and SW testing-Regression tests, fault injection, and power moding
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Supported research on rare-earth-free motor development (Magnet selection, thermal effect studies, and optimization)
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Translated HW/SW requirements to functional model- safe state actuation during coasting and prevent power hop during ABS actuation on high-low mu condition.
July 2023 - July 2024
Design Systems Engineer- Electric Drive System (EDS)- Stellantis US, MI
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Product cradle to grave experience from sourcing a supplier (SSTS, requirements selection, regulatory compliance), material selection, concept design, prototype testing, design verification and validation, issue resolution, part number release with traceability, Interface control design (I/O interface, network architecture), and vehicle packaging studies.
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Directed FMEA creation, risk mitigation actions, and EDS system-level issue resolution (within 70 days) for highseverity failure modes and developed validation plans (DV and PV) to prove resolution in place
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Proficient in trade-off analysis, requirement negotiations, value optimization, and early risk identification
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Program management experience, inclusive of milestone reviews, technical reviews, product development meetings, and management reviews
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Worked with Tier 1 & 2 suppliers on both Silicon and Silicon-Carbide semiconductor selection and issue resolution for inverter module application based on switching frequency requirement, thermal capacity, and lowering power losses during operation
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Handled thermal runaway and manufacturing issues through 8D analysis- Soldering vs sintering base plate to avoid hotspots and type of wirebond selection (aluminum vs copper ribbon).
August 2020 - July 2023
Design Release Engineer- Power Inverter Module (High Voltage Systems)- Stellantis US, MI
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Technical expertise in solving issues from environmental validation cycles, bench tests, and vehicle-level tests
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Collaborated on AQG-324 qualification and burn-in tests to validate semiconductors from development through the PPAP documentation phase.
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Lead alternate sourcing to avoid milestone delays by compensating volumes through both Danfoss and Starpower during the silicon semiconductor shortage period.
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Tackled multiple isolation faults due to short circuits, thermal runaway, and overcurrent occurrences.
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Aligned regulatory and homologation requirements to meet NAFTA/EMEA markets for traceability and certification
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Coordinated Functional Safety, FOTA, and Cybersecurity applications for customer-supplier alignment and audits
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Worked with tier 1 & 2 for semiconductor development (Si/SiC) and manufacturing, aligning with the inverter power step
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Negotiated ~$4-piece price savings over 200k volume for a safety change during the beta development phase
Jan 2018 to Jul 2019
Design Release Engineer-ELectric motor components- WEG Industries, India, KA
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Provided global design solutions on large induction motors for the energy sector, ranging from 1000 kW to 10,000kW
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Alleviated $60000 (estimate) by standardizing terminal box material property, mounts, and position using DFM
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Efficiently managed workflow leading to a 20% reduction in backlog by prioritizing weekly open issues.
Projects
Development of concept prototype for Ford Sync 3 | UI/UX design | User Research | Usability Testing | Evaluation and Review |
Jan 2020 to Apr 2020
Based on data from motor journals Ford Sync 3 needed a better design to replace its unintuitive and simple interface.
Conducted Contextual Inquiry, eye tracking, interview, and checklists for User research and user requirements analysis.
Generated User personas based on the problem the users were facing related to the system operation.
Used HMW (How might we?) approach to brainstorm ideas for improvements while incorporating all the missing features.
Directed task analysis and project plan based on an agile development strategy to meet schedules and get continuous feedback while empowering the team. Used an incremental approach to develop prototypes for testing.
Using ideas from the HMW model, paper prototypes and sketches were made before designing the High Fidelity Prototype.
Test cases were designed based on use scenarios which included straight forward, AdHoc, Negative, and Stress test cases.
Designed Wireframes, Mock-ups, User Flow, and Functional prototype interface to replace the existing system and collected user experience data through reviews and user testing while iterating design based on feedback.
A vehicle development program for Model Year (MY) 2025 Jeep Gladiator
Sep 2019 to Dec 2019
Spearheaded Benchmarking, preliminary design specification, and comparison using the PUGH Analysis.
Employed QFD, gathered customer requirements, defined system functional requirements, cascaded the requirements, and conducted interface analysis for the Front suspension and Battery systems and subsystems using border diagram.
Charted V-model to represent the product life cycle and define crucial stages and requirements of the program from the conceptual design phase to program disposal (Cradle to Grave). Estimated costs and prepared a budget plan forecast for the PHEV and ICE variant of the Jeep Gladiator for the program launch.
Designed package dimensions as per SAE standards, POC for the pilot program, and prototype for system validation and testing. Prepared test cases and test procedures for validating system and subsystem requirements and performance.
Planned reviews, tests, and reiterated changes into the technology plan before moving to the manufacturing phase.
Reviewed market trends and emissions standards set by NHTSA and EPA to predict the sales of PHEV variants for MY2025.
Education
Master of Science in Automotive Systems Engineering
University of Michigan-Dearborn; Dearborn, Michigan
GPA: 3.83
Sep 2019 to Apr 2021
Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering
Visvesvaraya Technological University; Bangalore, India
GPA: 3.95
Aug 2014 to Jul 2018
Certification(s)
Certified HIL Specialist (Testing and Control); Typhoon, Inc
Jul 2020 to No expiry
Credential ID: mpVdG8q9CI
Jira; Atlassian and Coursera
Jun 2020 to No expiry
Credential ID XKF7F8EFDWEM
Building an E-commerce Dashboard with Figma; Coursera
Jun 2020 to No Expiry
Credential ID: HWTL5SC362QJ
Introduction to User Experience Design; Georgia Institute of Technology, Coursera
Apr 2020 to No Expiry
Credential ID: ZFFU9XT29SRX
Basic Elements of Design; University of Colorado Boulder, Coursera
Apr 2020 to No Expiry
Credential ID: DZST4UZKSZRG
Leadership
Mar 2016 to Present
Leo Club, Member; Bangalore, Karnataka
Directed and initiated Blood donation camps.
Promoted traffic awareness.
Donated blankets and clothes to orphanage and old age homes.
Taught basic Math and English to rural unprivileged children.
Recommendations
(Source: LinkedIn)
I have known Akarsh for the past one year and have had him as a teammate in automotive integrated system class during master program at University of Michigan -Dearborn campus. He has been a model teammate throughout the class and has worked very hard to overcome the barrier from study and improve his technical knowledge. Akarsh is always well prepared and ready for a challenge. He is very goal oriented and completes tasks in a timely manner.
It is without hesitation that I highly recommend Akarsh for research and development position into the automotive engineering industry.
Weixing Zhou,
FCA vehicle ECU flash reprogramming engineer
I have worked with Akarsh on multiple projects for my coursework, He is always willing to learn whether it be from his teammates or from his superiors. He also shows leadership skills by being willing to take the lead in group projects when there is a need for it.
Adheip Yogananda,
Engineering Assistant at FEV North America, Inc.
Akarsh has been a great teammate in the projects that we have worked together and he’s been an absolute pleasure to work with. He is very knowledgeable and has proficiency in all the key skills needed for a automotive engineer. Definitely recommended.
Surya Khanapure,
Design Release Engineer at Ford Motor Company
Akarsh has stupendous capabilities in bringing a group together and accomplishments of tasks. We have shared a couple of courses related to Product development and HMI, and I must say, he sure does know how to inculcate leadership and teamwork, and bring the team to the finish line. He is a good speaker and is great at presenting his ideas, last but not the least, innovative in his own way!
Adithya Hariharan,
Automotive Systems Engineer, University of Michigan Graduate
Akarsh was a diligent colleague who was committed and honest with his work. He takes up duty by handling any task delegated and is dedicated to completing his tasks on time. He is interested in new technology and invests his time in learning concepts while trying to implement them. He is supportive and willing to help. On the whole, he is a good person to work with and has a positive attitude in the work environment. As his mentor, based on his skill set and my experience working with him, I would love to recommend him to any relevant position. I hope he goes on to achieve success in his endeavors! All the best!
Rami reddy sureddy,
Assistant manager at WEG
He is technically very sound and eager to learn new technologies.His dedication, devotion and discipline towards the work is very appreciable. Very good person to work with and keeps a very healthy working environment.
Prashant Jha,
Electrical Design Engineer at WEG industries Pvt Ltd
Good team work and continuous support always 👍