2027 Summer Intern - Research & Development - Energy and Propulsion Controls

Location: Warren, Michigan, United States of America

Job Description

The Role

As a 2027 Summer Intern on the Energy and Propulsion Controls team, you will support researchers and engineers working on advanced vehicle energy-management, propulsion-control, and thermal-management technologies.

A primary focus of this role will be the EVE Research Program, where thermal management is a core technical deliverable. You will help translate ongoing research into vehicle-level control concepts, models, simulations, and implementation activities that support efficient, safe, and high-performing electrified propulsion systems.

You will gain experience connecting control strategies with batteries, power electronics, electric machines, propulsion systems, thermal loops, sensors, actuators, and vehicle-level energy requirements. GM’s thermal-control work includes coordinating battery, power-electronics, drive-unit, charging, HVAC-related, and front-end airflow requirements while balancing efficiency, performance, comfort, and component

protection.

The Team

The Research and Development organization explores technologies that can improve vehicle efficiency, propulsion performance, charging, thermal behavior, durability, and customer experience. The EVE Research Program includes work across advanced controls, thermal management, propulsion-energy conversion, fast charging, and vehicle health management.

You will work in a multidisciplinary environment with controls researchers, thermal engineers, propulsion specialists, modeling and simulation experts, and vehicle-development teams. The team applies systems engineering, controls theory, experimentation, simulation, and data analysis to evaluate new concepts and transition promising research into vehicle applications.

What You’ll Do

Support ongoing research assignments related to energy management, propulsion controls, thermal management, and vehicle-level control coordination.

Help develop, evaluate, and document control strategies for battery, power electronics, electric machines, drive units, charging systems, and related thermal systems.

Support the vehicle implementation of thermal-management research, including control logic for coolant pumps, valves, compressors, heaters, fans, shutters, and other thermal actuators.

Develop or modify models used to study battery, propulsion, and thermal-system behavior under representative vehicle operating conditions.

Run simulations and analyze system behavior across drive cycles, ambient conditions, charging conditions, operating modes, and component limits.

Evaluate tradeoffs among energy consumption, range, component temperature, charging performance, propulsion capability, drive quality, efficiency, and occupant comfort.

Support the development of interfaces between propulsion controls, energy-management functions, battery systems, thermal systems, HVAC-related systems, and vehicle-level controllers.

Analyze sensor and actuator data to identify trends, control issues, performance limitations, and opportunities for improvement.

Compare simulation results with laboratory, bench, hardware-in-the-loop, or vehicle-test data when available.

Assist with control-strategy verification and validation through test-case development, test execution, data review, and issue investigation.

Support the documentation of requirements, control logic, system assumptions, interfaces, calibration parameters, test procedures, and technical results.

Create plots, dashboards, presentations, technical summaries, and other materials that communicate findings to engineering and research stakeholders.

Collaborate with researchers and engineers to define technical questions, establish analysis plans, review results, and recommend next steps.

Present progress and technical findings in team reviews and incorporate feedback into follow-on work.

Required Qualifications

Pursuit of an advanced degree (MS or PhD) in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, controls engineering, computer engineering, chemical engineering, systems engineering, aerospace engineering, or a related engineering discipline.

Able to work fulltime, 40 hours per week during the summer months.

Must be willing to work in a laboratory, engineering test, or vehicle-development environment, as applicable to the assignment.

Preferred Qualifications

Coursework, research, or project experience in control systems, thermal systems, energy management, vehicle dynamics, battery systems, power electronics, electric propulsion, or mechatronics.

Experience with MATLAB/Simulink, Python, Modelica, GT-SUITE, or comparable modeling and simulation tools.

Familiarity with feedback control, system identification, optimization, state estimation, calibration, or control-oriented modeling.

Experience analyzing time-series data from simulations, laboratory testing, hardware-in-the-loop testing, or vehicle testing.

Experience with sensors, actuators, data acquisition, embedded controls, or software development.

Understanding of battery state of charge, battery power limits, thermal limits, energy consumption, regenerative braking, or propulsion-system operating modes.

Familiarity with CAN, LIN, signal databases, vehicle data logging, or other automotive communication and measurement technologies.

Ability to organize technical work, document assumptions, investigate unexpected results, and communicate conclusions clearly.

Strong analytical, written, and verbal communication skills, along with curiosity and a willingness to learn.

GM does not provide immigration-related sponsorship for this role. Do not apply for this role if you will need GM immigration sponsorship now or in the future. This includes direct company sponsorship, entry of GM as the immigration employer of record on a government form, and any work authorization requiring a written submission or other immigration support from the company (e.g., H1-B, OPT, STEM OPT, CPT, TN, J-1, etc.).

Work