About the role#
As a 2027 Summer Intern on the Energy and Propulsion Controls team, you will support researchers and engineers working on advanced vehicle energy management, propulsion control, and thermal management technologies. A primary focus of this role is the EVE Research Program, where thermal management is a core technical deliverable. You will help translate ongoing research into vehicle-level control concepts, models, simulations, and implementation activities that support efficient, safe, and high-performing electrified propulsion systems.
What you'll do#
- Support research assignments related to energy management, propulsion controls, thermal management, and vehicle-level control coordination.
- Develop, evaluate, and document control strategies for battery, power electronics, electric machines, drive units, charging systems, and related thermal systems.
- Support the vehicle implementation of thermal-management research, including control logic for coolant pumps, valves, compressors, heaters, fans, and shutters.
- Build or modify models to study battery, propulsion, and thermal-system behavior under representative vehicle operating conditions.
- Run simulations and analyze system behavior across drive cycles, ambient conditions, charging conditions, operating modes, and component limits.
- Evaluate tradeoffs among energy consumption, range, component temperature, charging performance, propulsion capability, drive quality, efficiency, and occupant comfort.
- Develop interfaces between propulsion controls, energy-management functions, battery systems, thermal systems, HVAC-related systems, and vehicle-level controllers.
- Analyze sensor and actuator data to identify trends, control issues, performance limitations, and opportunities for improvement.
- Compare simulation results with laboratory, bench, hardware-in-the-loop, or vehicle-test data.
- Assist with control-strategy verification and validation through test-case development, test execution, data review, and issue investigation.
- Document requirements, control logic, system assumptions, interfaces, calibration parameters, test procedures, and technical results.
- Create plots, dashboards, presentations, and technical summaries to communicate findings to engineering and research stakeholders.
- Collaborate with researchers and engineers to define technical questions, establish analysis plans, review results, and recommend next steps.
- Present progress and technical findings in team reviews.
What you'll need#
- Pursuit of an advanced degree (MS or PhD) in electrical, mechanical, controls, computer, chemical, systems, or aerospace engineering, or a related discipline.
- Ability to work full-time, 40 hours per week, during the summer months.
- Willingness to work in a laboratory, engineering test, or vehicle-development environment.
- Coursework, research, or project experience in control systems, thermal systems, energy management, vehicle dynamics, battery systems, power electronics, electric propulsion, or mechatronics.
- Experience with MATLAB/Simulink, Python, Modelica, GT-SUITE, or comparable modeling and simulation tools.
- Familiarity with feedback control, system identification, optimization, state estimation, calibration, or control-oriented modeling.
- Experience analyzing time-series data from simulations, laboratory testing, hardware-in-the-loop testing, or vehicle testing.
- Experience with sensors, actuators, data acquisition, embedded controls, or software development.
- Understanding of battery state of charge, battery power limits, thermal limits, energy consumption, regenerative braking, or propulsion-system operating modes.
- Familiarity with CAN, LIN, signal databases, vehicle data logging, or other automotive communication and measurement technologies.
- Ability to organize technical work, document assumptions, investigate unexpected results, and communicate conclusions clearly.
- Strong analytical, written, and verbal communication skills.
Location & details#
- Location: Warren, Michigan.
- Work Modality: Hybrid (expected to report to Warren, MI at least three times per week).
- Term: Summer 2027.
- Start Dates: May 24th or June 14th, 2027.
- Sponsorship: GM does not provide immigration-related sponsorship for this role.
About General Motors
General Motors is a public company based in Detroit, Michigan. It operates in the motor vehicle manufacturing industry. The company employs over 106,000 people. Its work spans the design and production of cars, trucks, and transportation technology, including software, electrification, and AI.
How to get in at General Motors
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