Class of 1994
College of Engineering
Hometown: Alliance, Nebraska
Current location: South Lyon, Michigan
When passing cars on the road, Jeff Lundy points and says he’s worked on that one. And that one. That one too. Lundy has dedicated his 30-year career to General Motors (GM), where he is now the senior manager at the Global Energy Center with a team focused on improving vehicle efficiency and reducing emissions.
“It’s been really awesome just to see all the different vehicles over time and how they’ve evolved technology-wise,” Lundy said. “The cars have gotten to the point where they’re basically computers on wheels now. The technology in there is remarkable.”
Lundy knew mechanical engineering was for him because he was always getting into things as a child — putting them together, taking them apart. Growing up in small-town Alliance, Nebraska, developed his work ethic, attending the university added the passion. He’s maintained a connection with his alma mater ever since with a scholarship in his name and recently joining his department’s advisory board.
“Passion and persistence is grit,” Lundy said. “That’s really part of what I got from Nebraska and I’m very proud of that. I let people know that I’m from Nebraska up here in General Motors and Michigan. It’s no surprise to them that I’m a Cornhusker at heart; they know I’ve got my red flag flying on Fridays in the building.”
His track record with GM actually started before he even graduated. Lundy signed up for every posted scholarship on the bulletin board except for one: the GM scholarship that paid junior and senior year tuition and included an internship in Milford, Michigan.
“I ignored it, said ‘No chance,’ turned and went down the hall, and then I stopped. I’m like, ‘No, I’ve got to try. I’ve got to try everything I possibly can,’ and ended up getting the position which made all the difference,” Lundy said.
When Lundy graduated he started full-time at Milford Proving Ground, the playground for vehicle testing with hundreds of miles of tracks and race courses. While there, he worked with durability testing, product validation and drivability works — test driving the cars to tune acceleration. Then he made the decision to move his family to Shanghai, China, to lead GM’s fuel economy compliance strategy. His daughters spent three and a half years growing up there — now both older, his youngest is interested in a career of public policy with a minor in Chinese language and wants to return.
“That was life-changing,” Lundy said. “Being immersed in that different culture and environment, living in a huge metropolis of 26 million people. It’s definitely not Alliance, Nebraska. I learned a lot, way more about myself, probably more about myself than anything,”
For instance, he learned he likes riding motorcycles. Lundy first got his license there, and when he was ready to come back to the States he brought his motorcycle plus sidecar along.
“What can be more crazy than walking through the streets of Shanghai? It’s riding a motorcycle through the streets of Shanghai,” Lundy said.
After his adventures overseas he became the lead development engineer in Michigan, launching Cadillac’s flagship sedan, CT6. He was the quarterback for the vehicle, as Lundy says: in the middle of all the decisions about handling, breaking, noise and vibration performance, chassis tuning and calibration work. That brought him to his current position, which has him solving a new problem every day. Lundy’s team keeps up with competing objectives when managing the government regulatory environment. Sometimes that means developing prototype hardware that can predict two to three years in advance aspects of acceleration, quietness and fuel economy.
“Oftentimes there’s a pull and push there,” Lundy said. “If you want to get more aggressive and have a more sporty-feeling acceleration, it usually comes at the cost of efficiency and fuel economy. There’s always a natural pressure there to provide a balance that’s appropriate for the customer.”
“I learn every day. I don’t feel like I’m doing the same thing at all. We’ve got something unique coming all the time. Problems are the same in the sense that there’s always a lot of them. But that’s why we’re here. That’s why we’re working to try to resolve those.”
Software electronics are improving — the CT6 Lundy worked on housed more than 80 computers in it. More virtualization testing is happening every day without physical hardware, running scenarios through simulations instead. Adapting is the way of an engineer. And while there’s much fear of failure in the industry, Lundy says reacting to mistakes is a necessary part of the process. Changes will happen when you’re in the business of fast-paced and cutting edge.
“Engineering in general — it’s true that you always have to continue to learn,” Lundy said. “In my particular case, I learn every day. I don’t feel like I’m doing the same thing at all. We’ve got something unique coming all the time. Problems are the same in the sense that there’s always a lot of them. But that’s why we’re here. That’s why we’re working to try to resolve those.”