engineer · innovator · builder

lochan
chitnis

from testing to pre-commercial launch, turning hard engineering problems into real products is my forte.

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About

what drives me as an engineer?

I'm a Battery Engineer at Soteria Battery Innovation Group with an M.S. in Automotive Engineering from Clemson University. My work sits at the intersection of electrochemical safety and real-world product development — leading large-scale abuse testing programs and taking the Soteria Sense thermal runaway detection system from prototype to pre-commercial stage.

I've worked across NMC and LFP chemistries, 18650 through 4690 and pouch cell formats, building expertise in failure analysis, CAD modeling, structural validation, and vendor coordination. My Lean Six Sigma Black Belt shapes how I approach problems — data-driven, systematic, always focused on reducing variance and risk.

highlights

UL
UL 2850 Technical Member ↗
Electric Scooters & Motorcycles — internationally recognized safety certification
BB
Lean Six Sigma Black Belt ↗
Lean Sigma Corporation — certified November 2023. Data-driven process excellence.
IA
IATF 16949 Internal Auditor
Automotive quality management system — certified internal auditor for manufacturing standards
LSSBB Certificate

Featured Work

Projects that matter

Principal Engineer · Flagship

Soteria Sense

A lithium-ion battery vent detection system that identifies potential thermal runaway events before ignition. Designed in Fusion 360, full structural analysis, validation across NMC and LFP in 18650, 21700, 4690, and pouch formats. Coordinated software, manufacturing, and vendors — prototype to pre-commercial.

Fusion 360Thermal RunawayNMC · LFP
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Soteria Sense product
Clemson University · CUICAR

Series-Hybrid Powertrain Simulation

Designed and simulated a full series-hybrid powertrain for a commuter vehicle in MATLAB/Simulink. Modeled four operational modes — Full EV, Engine 1–3 — with real component selection (BMW i3 motor, Honda L15B7 engine). Achieved 73 MPG on the aggressive US06 drive cycle, surpassing all reference vehicles.

MATLABSimulinkPowertrainSeries Hybrid
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key results
73
MPG
8.6s
0–60 mph
511
mi range
58.5
EV miles
Abuse Testing Program

200+ Cell Safety Tests

Led over 200 abuse tests — overcharge, nail penetration, hard short, crush, drop, thermal stability, and temperature tests. Representing ~70% of Soteria's total program.

NI LabVIEW18650 CellsSafety Compliance
Failure Analysis

Cell Teardown & Post-Test Analysis

Teardowns across Samsung, Panasonic, Voltaplex, and Cham — separator integrity, anode and cathode degradation post nail penetration, overcharge, and hard short events.

Failure Analysis4 ManufacturersTechnical Reports

Experience

Where I've worked

Battery EngineerJan 2024 — Present

Soteria Battery Innovation Group · Greenville, SC

  • Led 200+ abuse tests representing ~70% of the organization's total testing program — overcharge, thermal stability, hard short, nail penetration, crush, drop, and temperature tests on 18650 cells.
  • Led Soteria Sense — took the thermal runaway vent detection system from prototype to pre-commercial stage, spanning CAD design, structural FEA, multi-chemistry validation, and vendor coordination.
  • Conducted cell teardowns across Samsung, Panasonic, Voltaplex, and Cham to analyze separator, anode, and cathode degradation post-abuse.
  • Tested automotive vent systems under thermal runaway conditions, monitoring pressure changes to optimize venting solutions for vehicle safety applications.
Process Engineer InternMay 2023 — Aug 2023

Schedl Automotive System LP · Greenville, SC

  • Reduced DOT embossing errors by 87% through process optimization and Keyence verification partnership.
  • Stack light system reduced supervisor response time by 30%, improved communication by 50%, integrated with Siemens PLC.
  • Refined tire size sensor calibration on Vanderlande inventory system; implemented emergency stop mechanisms plant-wide.
M.S. Automotive EngineeringAug 2022 — Aug 2024

Clemson University · Greenville, SC

  • GPA 3.3 / 4.0 — powertrain systems, vehicle dynamics, battery technology, advanced control systems.
  • Key projects: Series-Hybrid Powertrain Simulation (MATLAB/Simulink), Adaptive Cruise Control (multi-sensor fusion + PID), piston head design + CAE in ANSYS.

Toolkit

Tools & technologies

Battery & Test

Abuse TestingThermal RunawayFailure AnalysisNMC / LFPCell TeardownNI LabVIEWSiemens Testlab

CAD & Simulation

Fusion 360Siemens NXANSYSMATLABSimulinkSolidCAST

Quality & Standards

Six Sigma BBIATF 16949UL 2850MinitabRoot Cause Analysis

Software & Controls

PythonExcelSiemens PLCArduino IDEMultiSimProteus

Contact

Let's connect

Open to battery engineering, EV systems, and cell test roles. If you're working on something interesting in the energy storage space, I'd love to hear from you.

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