Part of the challenge to securing the right talent for mobility’s future is determining what technology will shape it. While battery electric may receive the most headlines, there is, in fact, a plurality of propulsion technologies currently available, including hydrogen fuel cells and new iterations of the internal combustion engine (ICE). The jury is still out on what percentage of the overall market each might secure over the coming decades.
As such, Volvo Group refuses to discount any powertrain’s value, particularly the possibilities of cleaner ICE systems. However, ensuring a pipeline of new talent for the technology could be difficult. The TechForce Foundation’s 2023 Technician Supply & Demand Report estimated that the US industry has a deficit of 152,000 diesel technicians, which, if the positions were not filled, would see demand outpace supply by 2028. But if the automotive industry and academic institutions are reorganising for a zero-emission future, how can graduates be encouraged to research ICE?
Lars Stenqvist, Chief Technology Officer at Volvo Group, tells Automotive World that his company is answering that question by engaging directly with universities. In January 2024, it announced two available places for a new Volvo Internal Combustion Engine (VICE) PhD research scholarship at Chalmers University of Technology and Lund University—both in Sweden.
