Automotive Engineering Technicians

It's hard to imagine a time without automobiles, but just over 130 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.

In 1905, the Society of Automobile Engineers (now the SAE International) was established to provide support to automotive engineers and offer opportunities for discourse on this burgeoning field. Henry Ford, a young engineer, was the first vice president of this society.

Automobiles today are far more complex than the Model T and other early vehicles. Automotive engineers and engineering technicians continue to play key roles in the automotive industry.