Batteries, batteries, batteries. Advanced battery technology is one of the hottest topics in the auto industry these days. Because of all that activity, this is a great time to be a battery engineer in Detroit.

The industry is hungry for chemical engineers, electrical engineers and manufacturing engineers who can help address challenges such as finding new ways to make batteries lighter, stronger and more powerful. It also helps if you have some good ideas on how batteries can be mass-produced quicker, safer and more cost-effectively.

Anne Marie Sastry, a professor of mechanical, biomedical and material science and engineering at the University of Michigan, is in charge of the country’s leading battery technology curriculum. Her Energy Systems Engineering Program is one of the fastest-growing fields of study on campus. Sastry claims that engineers with battery know-how will be in strong demand for a long time to come.

“We’re attracting a lot of former automotive engineers,” Sastry points out. “Up until now, the center of gravity in the battery universe has been the portable electronics market. But, in the automotive business, cost pressures are much higher than in consumer electronics. Also, there are much more rigorous applications, which create numerous challenges for engineers to solve.

“Traditional industries, such as aerospace and electronics, have well-understood processes and standards,” says Sastry, who also serves as codirector (with GM’s Bob Kruse) of the Advanced Battery Coalition for Drivetrains, a new R&D facility in Ann Arbor that was recently created by General Motors Co. and the University of Michigan. “But, vehicle electrification requires a convergence of different industries and disciplines. We’re confronting a learning curve of different interfaces.”

This Thursday, the Engineering Society of Detroit kicks off a free training program that’s focusing on battery technology. The three-month long Advanced Propulsion for Hybrid Vehicles with Concentration in Battery Engineering course is open to engineers who currently work in the auto industry or individuals who have been displaced due to recent economic conditions.

The graduate-level class will focus on engineering skills that apply to next-generation hybrid and electric vehicles, with an emphasis on battery design. It will be taught by faculty from Michigan Technological University’s College of Engineering. The Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth is sponsoring the course to boost the state’s expertise in battery technology.