By Em Jankauski
Seven Battery Workforce Challenge alums from year two of the competition have been hired at Stellantis — making this the single biggest competition-to-workforce class in the program’s history.
Meet Mahmoud Al Akchar, Stellantis’ new high voltage charging controls engineer. Al Akchar is a ’24 alum of the co-headline sponsor’s Battery Workforce Challenge collegiate competition where he served as the engineering manager for the McMaster University & Mohawk College team, overseeing technical planning.
Let’s catch up with the alum in a fun Q&A.
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Q: How did being involved in the BattChallenge prepare you for your current role at Stellantis?
A: “The BattChallenge was basically real-world industry work with tight deadlines. I learned how to manage large cross-functional teams, communicate clearly between engineering and organizational levels and take a design from concept all the way to functional prototypes. We worked on an actual Stellantis vehicle (’24 RAM ProMaster EV), so everything we did had to meet professional engineering standards, and that included technical documentation, design reviews, validation testing and presenting results in a way that mirrored real industry processes.”
Q: What inspired you to go and work for Stellantis?
A: “Working with the Stellantis mentors during the BattChallenge gave me a real appreciation for the engineering depth and vision here.
“The workshops they led were a big part of that, giving us the chance to use the same tools and software they use at the company and apply their methods to our own designs. We got direct feedback on how to improve our work and saw how things are done in a professional engineering environment.
“I also built strong connections with engineers who shared valuable advice about my career and technical growth. So, when the opportunity came up, I knew I wanted in.”
Q: What’s the coolest part about working for Stellantis?
A: “I get to design the foundational elements of the charging system — the behind the scenes of how electronics interact with each other. It’s like solving a puzzle, learning more each time I move forward. Being able to create something and then test it in the lab is incredibly rewarding.
“On top of that, I get to work on vehicles and technology that won’t be released for a couple of years. It’s pretty amazing to look at something people will use in the future and know I had a hand in creating it.”
Q: How does the work you’re doing at Stellantis impact our everyday lives?
A: “I’ve been with Stellantis for four months. By my second week, I knew I wanted to focus on V2X (vehicle-to-everything) — anything the vehicle sends power to, like vehicle-to-home or vehicle-to-grid. Basically, it’s charging your house from your vehicle when the power is out. It’s a feature that’s still rare in the market, and working on it first-hand gives me huge technical insight. It’s one more step toward making electric vehicles better for everyday life.”
Q: What advice do you have for current BattChallengers?
A: “Take it seriously — honestly, even more than your schoolwork. What you learn here isn’t something you can get in a classroom. You’re getting experience straight from professionals working in the field, and you’re essentially living a day in the life of an engineer at a major company.”
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This is a seven-part series featuring the latest BattChallenge competition to Stellantis talent pipeline hires. All hires include:
- Mahmoud Al Akchar (McMaster University), high voltage charging control engineer
- Isabel Builes (Cal State LA), program manager
- Brian Castillo (Cal State LA), battery validation engineer
- David DeLisle (The Ohio State University), cell product engineer
- Jasper Halford (Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology), power electronics design release engineer
- Julian Summers (University of Michigan-Dearborn), propulsion system emissions test engineer
- Chase Williams (University of California, Merced), validation engineer
“We hope most of all that when students come out of this competition, the Battery Workforce Challenge, is that they’re career ready. And what I mean by that is they enter into the workforce in a unique position: they’ve understood our tools, they’ve understood our vehicles, they’ve understood the technology,” said Micky Bly, Stellantis’ senior vice president of propulsion systems. “(The BattChallenge is a) training bed for them to be prepared to be day-one ready for engineering.”
