Inaugural FEV, Inc.-Sponsored SAE Franz F. Pischinger Powertrain Innovation Award Goes to Ford’s Gerhard Schmidt

Schmidt, a former student of Prof. Pischinger, cited for excellence in powertrain engineering innovation
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DETROIT, April 22, 2009 – FEV, Inc. (FEV), a leading developer of advanced powertrain and vehicle technologies, announced today that the inaugural SAE Franz F. Pischinger Powertrain Innovation Award was presented to Dr. Gerhard Schmidt, chief technical officer and vice president of research and advanced engineering for Ford Motor Company. The award, established in 2008 and sponsored by FEV, was presented by its namesake, Prof. Franz F. Pischinger, at the annual SAE awards ceremony held in conjunction with the 2009 World Congress at Cobo Center in Detroit. Schmidt is a former Ph.D. student of Prof. Pischinger, who, at the time, served as director of the Institute for Applied Thermodynamics at the Technical University of Aachen.

“I was truly pleased to learn that the committee decided to present this award to my former student,” said Prof. Pischinger. “The many successes in his professional life, and significant contributions to the development of the powertrain, make him truly deserving.”

Schmidt leads Ford’s worldwide research organization based in Dearborn, Michigan, and Aachen, Germany. As head of the advanced engineering group, he also oversees the planning, development and implementation of Ford’s top global technology objectives.

Prior to his arrival at Ford, Dr. Schmidt served as Senior Vice President Vehicle Integration at BMW AG and spent 10 years as Senior Vice President Powertrain Development for the German automaker.

Dr. Schmidt received his degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1971 from the University of Aachen in Germany, and his Ph.D. in Investigations on Stratified Charge – Internal Combustion Engines in 1979 from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Aachen. In 2007 he was awarded an Advisory Professorship at the Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

About the Award

The Franz F. Pischinger Powertrain Innovation Award was established in 2008 by FEV to recognize exceptional innovation and competence in powertrain design and development through the annual recognition of an engineer who has demonstrated outstanding innovation in the field. The nominee must be a degreed engineer, employed or retired, who holds or has applied for a patent(s).

About Prof. Pischinger

Prof. Franz Pischinger has devoted his entire career to furthering powertrain technology and the education of young engineers as they prepared for careers in engineering. He held leading positions in the powertrain industry for most of his 50-year career and, until 2003, was the President and CEO of FEV Motorentechnik GmbH, where he currently retains the title of Chairman of the Board (currently, Prof. Stefan Pischinger heads FEV Motorentechnik GmbH, and Gary Rogers is president and CEO of FEV, Inc., the company’s North American division).

The senior Prof. Pischinger has been responsible for educating thousands of students into the field of powertrain engineering, while overseeing the activities of the Institute for Applied Thermodynamics at the Aachen Technical University from 1970 to 1997. Many of his former students, like Dr. Schmidt, now hold leading roles in the automotive and transportation industry worldwide.

About FEV

The FEV Group is an internationally recognized powertrain and vehicle engineering company that supplies the global transportation industry. FEV offers a complete range of engineering services, providing support across the globe to customers in the design, analysis, prototyping, powertrain and transmission development, as well as vehicle integration, calibration and homologation for advanced internal combustion gasoline-, diesel-, and alternative-fueled powertrains. FEV also designs, develops and prototypes advanced vehicle / powertrain electronic control systems and hybrid-electric engine concepts that address future emission and fuel economy standards. The FEV Test Systems division is a global supplier of advanced test cell, instrumentation and test equipment. The FEV Group employs a staff of over 1,800 highly skilled specialists at advanced technical centers on three continents. FEV, Inc. employs approximately 300 personnel at FEV’s North American Technical Center in Auburn Hills, MI.

http://www.fev.com/

Source: FEV, Inc.

CONTACT: Leah Heidt, heidt@fev-et.com of FEV, Inc., +1-248-373-6000; or
Marc Harlow, marc@harlowpr.com of Rohatynski-Harlow Public Relations,
+1-810-599-2558 (cell)