These Two Don't Need Valentine's Day To Create Sparks On The Job At Ford

By Mike Thomas, FCN

You might say that Shunsuke and Carol Okubo create a lot of electricity at work. But their bosses don't seem to mind. In fact, they encourage it. And not just on Valentine's Day.

Both husband and wife are hybrid engineers. As members of Ford Motor Company's Research and Advanced Engineering team, they are working to help the company reach its goal of leading the industry in hybrid technology.

"Sometimes we feel that HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle technology) is all we talk about, although it's not as bad now that we have our daughter Megan," Shunsuke said. "Many people comment that they would go crazy working with their spouse; our arrangement is probably not for everybody."

Carol works as an HEV controls engineer, developing software for in-vehicle computers, while Shunsuke tackles calibration issues. Both are widely regarded as leaders in the automotive industry, making history in 2005 as the first husband and wife team to win the Henry Ford Technology award.

"Casual conversations at home often become impromptu problem-solving sessions. Those conversations often conclude with 'things to try tomorrow at work'. We make good progress solving problems this way and that's certainly an advantage," Carol said.

The Okubos met while pursuing master's degrees at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Shunsuke has worked at Ford for six years, and Carol joined the company three years later. To understand how their work interfaces, one needs to know a little about hybrid technology.

"There are many computer controllers in the HEV powertrain. The engine has one, the hybrid transmission has several, the battery has one, the brakes another, and so on," explained Shunsuke.

There is one "parent" computer control system called the Vehicle System Controller (VSC), he added, that coordinates the various systems giving the vehicle the desired fuel economy, emissions, performance, battery durability and drivability.

This is where the Okubos apply their knowledge. Carol creates the software programs while Shunsuke tests, fine tunes and adapts the VSC for specific vehicle lines.

"I'm constantly testing the software she designs," Shunsuke said. "I sometimes suggest improvements. She sometimes challenges the calibrations I develop."

The husband and wife team was thrilled to be recognized for their work on the 2005 Escape Hybrid: Carol for her efforts in finalizing the design of the hybrid powertrain control system and Shunsuke for extensive in-vehicle testing of the hybrid control system, which resolved many drivability and power control issues.

"It's personally satisfying to be recognized with this prestigious award for the hard work we did to bring the Escape Hybrid to market. But we also see it as Ford Motor Company's endorsement of the entire HEV controls team's innovative and very important work," said Carol.

The Okubos point out that Ford management has been supportive of their arrangement. They believe that Ford recognizes that they work well together and that their work is stronger as a result. If so, it’s a collaboration that will hopefully go on for many Valentine's Days to come, as they apply their expertise to future Escape Hybrids, Mariner Hybrids, a Fusion Hybrid and others coming down the pike.