It makes no sense to me how few engineers there are in the automotive media space, but it’s something I’m actively working to change. Cars are inherently technical, so shouldn’t the people who teach you about them also be technically adept? I’m going to sound a bit mean here, but I’m just having some fun: Just look at this sentence I edited from Jason Torchinsky. He’s easily one of the best car journalists on this planet, and generally a fairly technically-smart man. But he is no engineer, as you can tell by the fact that he thought the motor in question was named “Switched Reluctance,” not that this was a type of motor. Every time I have to edit a mistake like this a part of my soul dies, and I find myself rushing to my nearest textbook to solve as many Laplace Transform-related problem sets as possible.
(Again, for the record, I love JT. He told me I could make fun of him). [Editor’s Note: I still think “reluctance” is a hilarious descriptor for a motor, real term or not. – JT] So of course, we need more technical folks in automotive media. You can see why when you read Huibert Mees’s stories. He’s a retired Ford/Tesla engineer (he technically still consults) who impressed me with a comment he wrote on one of my articles, describing in detail how solid axles’ geometry helps them articulate so well. Naturally, I reached out to see if he’d like to write for The Autopian, and now — like a solid axle — he’s doing a great job articulating — specifically, articulating thoughts on how suspension design differs on electric vehicles versus ICE ones; the factors that play into a car’s turning radius; how he screwed up the lower control arms on the Ford GT; why the Double Ball-Joint suspension allows for bigger brakes and better steering feel; how bolts work; why the spring and damper on a MacPherson strut are just barely out of alignment, and so much more. It’s true insight from a true expert. The world needs more of this. LOTS more. Normally, I’d be writing technical stories myself, calling up engineers, reading SAE papers, and putting it all together into some serious geekery, but I no longer have time to write as much because I’m now a sad, sad manager. (Many of you engineers know how this goes). The good news is that my brain keeps coming up with article ideas by the hundred; the bad news is that I don’t have enough engineers to write them. And it’s genuinely driving me crazy. There’s so much cool stuff we need to talk about! So, my TI-89-wielding friends, let’s work together and get paid to nerd out.
Veteran Engineers
The great thing about retirees is that they’ve got enough perspective and enough contacts to really describe how things work in a comprehensive way. An engineer with a year or two of experience isn’t necessarily going to be able to quickly tell stories about how things work, because they just haven’t learned from enough vehicle programs to build the knowledge base yet. But to veterans, questions about how certain aspects of the car world work tend to be trivial, and easily answered. And if not, usually just a phone call away. Plus, the industry-insider-y stories veteran engineers can tell are usually awesome. So if you’ve worked in the car industry a while, and would like to be paid to write about how cars work and hang out with car geeks like Torch and me, email me at david@autopian.com.
Less Experienced Engineers
We’re also always keeping an eye out for an engineer who can write in higher volumes than a retiree might be willing to. Someone who can join the full time staff, and write news and reviews through the lens of someone who’s actually been there. And someone who can write deep-dives like a boss.
So if you’re an intellectually curious engineer (even if not in the auto industry, really) who enjoys writing, and you have experience working in the automotive industry, please email me at david@autopian.com. I want readers here at The Autopian to get the highest-quality car geekery pumped into their veins. I will work with you to develop your writing skills, I’ll get you press cars, and we’ll just fill the website with equations and labeled underbody photos. Because that’s all anyone wants in a car blog, right?
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On a serious note – As much as I love the deep dives (and you know I do) I think the site is starting to get a little unbalanced in that favor. I think the staff here is more than top notch but there doesn’t seem to be much diversity in styles. You got your hardcore VW and taillight enthusiast (and researcher of obscure), you got your hardcore Jeep and engineering enthusiast (and deep divemaster), you got your hardcore suspension engineer…your hardcore design guy…your hardcore SMART/UHaul/bike gal…etc.
Again, you know how much I love pouring over the numbers, but sometimes I just need a story about some wacko who uses their transit to rallycross, or took their Ferrari to Tuktoyaktuk, or about X motorcycle being a great starter bike, or some story that can only be told thanks to the statute of limitations…as a cold drink to wash down the meat and potatoes.
This is just my opinion, so take it how you like, but instead of more staff writers, I would spend my money on finding stories and paying for those, maybe finding and bringing up new upcoming talent. It’s going to be WAY easier to source a diversity of content ad-hoc than it is to find the perfect writer who hits all the high notes.
On a semi-related note – have you guys thought about a site feedback mechanism? Either an Autopian advisory council you meet with or some kind of site section or feature? I know you have a lot to do bringing everything up to the place you want it to be, but it’s something to consider – It helps make sure you are staying on course with your audience and it invests us more into sticking around.
My 2 cents.
The other issue I have with filling the site with engineering deep dives is that they walk an impossible tightrope. Keep it too general or basic, and it’s either uninformative or condescending to your audience. Keep it technical, and the only people who either care or fully understand are actual engineers like me. You do not want your entire reader base to be engineers. And god forbid any of us make it into the comments section.
Looking specifically for automotive engineers is also casting the net too narrow. As a mechanical engineer outside the automotive industry, I’m emphatic about this last point: you DO NOT need to be an engineer in specifically the automotive industry to write damn good technical content about the automotive industry. Any engineer worth their salt should be able to:
a) have the technical spidey sense to sniff bullshit when they see it b) have the technical curiosity to ask good questions, and c) have the technical writing skill to explain these things to a lay audience.
If anything, some much-needed perspective could be brought by folks outside the automotive OEMs’ ecosystems. Get engineers who have worked on standards or legislation. Get economists who have done transportation modelling. Get scientists who have worked on auto-relevant materials. Get legislators who have grappled with transportation policy.
But right now, I’m focusing on finding some good engineering talent. Though your point stands! The car world is far from just about the tech.
I do agree that engineers don’t necessarily need to have worked in the auto industry to be good at writing explainers. Honestly, just a technically curious mind and some engineering experience is needed.
As for the audience limitations of deep-dives: In reality, the number of people who want to know how things work is humongous. That’s partly why I’m looking for an engineer.
But mostly, I want someone to look at cars – not just the technical side of cars, but also the culture – through an engineering lens.
We’re definitely looking to bring in other talent! But I do just want ONE person on staff other than me with OEM/supplier experience, just because I know the dividends it will pay.
Plus I realize that the narrow nature of my request likely feels a little exclusive. I didn’t mean that; really, we want to hire the best people regardless of background. This is just one specific hole I’m trying to fill first.
But I always enjoy the deep dives into the engineering and technical side of how cars work. Definitely want to see more!
It also sounds like a super fun retirement gig. An opportunity to geek out with an audience who appreciates the geekery? It’s why so many retired engineers enjoy volunteering at their local science and technology museums. I’m not there yet, but… call me in about 15 years?
Yes, and so should the people who sell them, service them, market them, and so on.
As for the pitch itself, I have spent time at both a Tier 1 supplier and at an aftermarket customizer of vehicles as a design and manufacturing engineer, but never at an OEM. I don’t think my knowledge translates directly enough, but I do look forward to reading more deep dives from whoever you do hire. Besides, my half-baked takes are usually better consumed for free in the comments.
Looking at you, Ford salesman from 5 years ago who “specialized in the Focus” who didn’t know you could buy them with a manual.
Then again, I’m just a gearhead nerd who reads compulsively, so maybe not representative of your target audience
I feel like the venn diagram of Autopian readers and gearhead nerds who read compulsively is a circle. 😛
I know the very basics from industry but love a detailed look at the automotive applications
I’d have a shit ton of stories to tell and I’ll be unemployed in November. Can you hire someone abroad? I’m French.
Ya could probably write 10,000 words from some of the pics Ive taken.
At our makerspace (The Curious Forge) we value passion. We invite people with a passion for something, even odd somethings, to come and talk to us about their passion. We had a collector of oscilloscopes come give a presentation. Talked about why and when they were invented, along with bringing a functioning one, and one partially disassembled so we could see the guts. Fascinating stuff!
Reluctance, resistance, impedance, (ok capacitance makes no sense), reactance, … are metaphors. Resistors resist! Inductors (coiled wire) “has” reluctance and impedes, etc.
Ohm, amp(ere), oerstead, Henry, farad(ay), all old dead white guys.
Then there’s really clever units like the mho, the reciprocal of the ohm, used mostly in ye olden dayes of electron tubes.
Fizzicks are fun. The unit of measure for the probability of a particle striking the nucleus of an atom is the barn. As in, can’t hit a barn door, as in fkn unlikely. Atoms are mostly empty space, etc. Yeah it was funny, you had to be there.
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