Automotive Engineering Technicians

It's hard to imagine a time without automobiles, but approximately 140 years ago they did not exist. By the late 1800s, inventors had started experimenting with self-propelled vehicles, and steam was used early on to power a vehicle's engine. The first internal gasoline-fueled combustion engine was developed by two German engineers. In 1885, Karl Benz completed the first model, and one year later Wilhelm Maybach, a young engineer, had finished creating a similar model. Other inventors around the world were soon building models and by the early 1900s had similar successes.

The Society of Automobile Engineers (now the SAE International) was established in 1905 to provide support to automotive engineers and offer opportunities for discussion on this burgeoning field. Henry Ford, a young engineer, was the first vice president of this society. United Auto Workers was founded in 1935 to advocate for better pay and improved working conditions for automotive industry workers, including technicians.

Automobiles today are far more complex than the Model T and other early vehicles. Automotive engineering technicians continue to play key roles in the automotive industry—especially as a result of the emergence of new technology and types of vehicles (including electric vehicles).