Ryan McGee: Ford Technical Expert Working on the Technology of Tomorrow's Electrified Vehicles
Ryan McGee, technical expert, Vehicle Controls Architecture and Algorithm Design, Ford Research and Innovation
- Who: Ryan McGee, technical expert, Vehicle Controls Architecture and Algorithm Design, Ford Research and Innovation
- Role: Member of team working to define control systems for tomorrow’s hybrid electric vehicles
- Did you know? McGee has 14 patents, of which 11 are in production vehicles, and another 35 patent applications pending
Ryan McGee is used to seeing things through and has 14 patents to prove it.
As an engineer at Ford Motor Company working on the technology of tomorrow, the ability to see things through is a good thing.
“We are researching and developing technology that our customers might not even know they want yet,” said McGee. “But if we don’t see our work through to the end, our vehicles won’t evolve to the next level.”
McGee’s title is technical expert, Vehicle Controls Architecture and Algorithm Design, Ford Research and Innovation. His team is working to define control systems for tomorrow’s hybrid electrified vehicles.
He spends his days surrounded by technical experts, engineers and university student researchers involved in a range of projects.
For example, one research project involves identifying technologies that could one day make vehicles smart enough to independently change their behavior and work with the driver as a team to deliver optimal driveability and fuel efficiency.
If McGee’s team is successful, projects like the one described eventually move out of research and into product development.
“Our customer really is the product development team,” said McGee. “They tell us what technology they want and when they want it and we tell them how that technology will work.”
His ability to see things through to the end dates from his experience with his college team that built a hybrid electric vehicle from scratch.
“I was never a big car guy, but that got me hooked,” McGee said.
McGee earned a bachelor of science degree in 1997 and a master’s degree in 1998, both in electrical engineering and both from Cornell University. In 2004, he earned an MBA from the University of Michigan.
McGee joined Ford in 1998 through the Ford College Graduate Program. Since then, he has held a variety of positions and been involved in a range of projects related to vehicle controls, including the 1999 Ford Ranger Electric Vehicle and the 2000 Ford Focus.
McGee said so far he is most proud of his work as a key member of the team that delivered the world’s first hybrid electric SUV, the Ford Escape Hybrid. The vehicle was named Truck of the Year at the 2005 North American International Auto Show.
In 2007 he was hired for his current job.
“I get a lot of value out of contributing to our sustainability strategy,” said McGee. “That’s what really gets me out of bed in the morning.”
Personal Insights and Fun Facts
- McGee has been married to Parke Wiegman for 12 years. They have two children, Eli, age 7; and Oliver, age 3
- He has run two marathons and took part in a 300-kilometer bicycle race
- McGee participates in a sport called orienteering, in which participants race against the clock and each other armed with only a map and compass
###
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 166,000 employees and about 70 plants worldwide, the company's automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit www.ford.com.