In an industry racing toward electrification, few innovations have proven as disruptive, or as quietly revolutionary, as the integration of smart materials and AI-driven design processes. As electric vehicles (EVs) evolve from experimental prototypes to scalable consumer products, the challenge lies not just in powertrains or batteries, but in reimagining the very DNA of the car. And at the center of that transformation is the work of engineers like Shrikant Chopade, a Senior engineering manager at Aptera Motors, veteran automotive design leader and advocate for intelligent systems integration.
Redefining Lightweight Performance
Shrikant’s recent work at Aptera Motors, a company pioneering solar-powered electric vehicles, offers a blueprint for the next generation of EV innovation. He led a 23-person global team through the end-to-end development of a carbon and glass fiber composite vehicle that not only reduced part count dramatically, but outperformed industry benchmarks in mass efficiency and manufacturing cost.
Behind this innovation is a design methodology that treats every component as a contributor to system-level efficiency. Engineers at Aptera have leveraged carbon and glass fiber materials to reduce mass without compromising safety or performance. Challenges like crash resilience, thermal expansion, and mold precision were addressed with simulations, hybrid layups, and early-stage prototyping. The result is a body structure that is not only road-ready but redefines what’s possible with composite manufacturing in the EV space.
Behind this innovation is a design methodology that treats every component as a contributor to system-level efficiency. Engineers at Aptera have leveraged carbon and glass fiber materials to reduce mass without compromising safety or performance. Challenges like crash resilience, thermal expansion, and mold precision were addressed with simulations, hybrid layups, and early-stage prototyping. The result is a body structure that is not only road-ready but redefines what’s possible with composite manufacturing in the EV space.
“We approached design as a systems problem,” Chopade explains. “Every material, every joint, every cutline had to earn its place, not just structurally, but economically and environmentally.”
Engineering Impact Beyond the Lab
The impact of these innovations extends far beyond any single company. Composite design, once reserved for niche or high-end vehicles, is proving viable for mass-market production. Aptera’s platform demonstrates how lower part counts, simplified assembly, and integrated material strategies can yield benefits in weight reduction, range extension, and cost savings. For example, vehicles built with this approach can reach up to 1,000 miles of range per charge, with 40 miles per day powered directly by the sun, drastically reducing reliance on the grid.
What makes Shrikant’s work stand out is the way it merges deep mechanical engineering with practical systems thinking. Whether designing co-cure joints, implementing real-time quality control with laser scanning, or collaborating with suppliers on adhesive bonding techniques, he has consistently championed manufacturable innovation.
This impact is felt far beyond the shop floor. Aptera’s streamlined composite design contributes to vehicles that can offer over 1,000 miles of range on a single charge, with up to 40 miles per day powered directly by the sun. As a result, the vehicles reduce reliance on grid electricity, lower carbon emissions, and open the door for mobility in rural and off-grid regions. The project’s recognition includes praise from media outlets like The Washington Post, The Verge, CBS News, and Jay Leno’s Garage, while Aptera Motors earned the Electric Vehicle Association’s “EV Business of the Year” award in 2023.
Where AI Meets Automotive Craftsmanship
Beyond the material revolution, AI is rapidly becoming the silent enabler of smarter, faster automotive development. Today’s design cycles are being compressed with the help of machine learning algorithms that simulate stress responses, predict failure points, and optimize configurations long before any physical prototype is built.
Shrikant’s vision isn’t limited to materials and mechanisms. A member of the editorial board at SARC, he is increasingly focused on how AI can accelerate design iteration, predict manufacturing failures, and personalize vehicle performance. He sees a future where generative design tools, real-time digital twins, and AI-based quality control will redefine speed-to-market for complex vehicles.
“AI doesn’t replace intuition, it augments it,” he says. “What used to take weeks of trial-and-error can now be modeled, tested, and refined in hours. It frees engineers to focus on edge cases, user experience, and sustainability.”
By bringing intelligent automation into the design phase, the industry is poised to unlock new possibilities in modular design, personalization, and even vehicle learning systems that adapt to usage patterns over time.
The Road Ahead
With decades of experience working across Honda R&D NA, Toyota Tech Center, Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Motors and now Aptera, Shrikant Chopade, a judge for the Globee Awards in Artificial Intelligence, has earned his reputation as a systems thinker and innovation leader. But his most valuable contribution may be the mindset he brings to the rapidly changing automotive landscape: bold ideas, delivered with engineering discipline, and always grounded in manufacturability.
As EVs transition from a niche to the new norm, leaders like Chopade are ensuring the path forward is not just electric, but intelligent, adaptive, and ready for the future.
