60 Second Spotlight on Ram Gokal
Ahead of the Instrumentation, Analysis and Testing Exhibition at Silverstone on 26 March we caught up with Ram Gokal from Innervated Vehicle Engineering to hear his thoughts on Net Zero Engineering.
Please briefly explain your current role and involvement with net zero engineering.
For the past 4 years I have led the development of a modular fuel cell powertrain for commercial vehicles that is equal in performance to a Diesel and maintains the load capacity of the base vehicle.
How would you say your industry has evolved over the past 5 years?
It has gotten much smarter in some respects and less so in others. I think the way predictive tools have developed and brought down development cycles is a huge step forward. But the ability to to go back to first principals and define a right size solution has hindered innovation.
What is the main challenge facing your industry at the moment?
The ability to think about a plurality of solutions.
What developments are going on in your industry that could have an impact on the ability to achieve net zero ambitions?
We are (very slowly) changing from outright performance to efficiency, which is a fundamental along the road to net zero.
What do you see as the key priorities for engineers working towards achieving net zero?
Efficiency, speed and anticipating customer and market demands, not responding to them.
In light of technological advancements and industry changes, how do you foresee the future of net zero engineering evolving?
I think we will see a shift to multidisciplinary engineers encompassing mechanical, electrical and software engineering who will speed up the development of vehicles and systems whilst also driving more efficient solutions.