Meet Sandhya, Xos’ Leading Female Systems Engineer

We wouldn’t be where we are today without the incredible people and teams who help us realize our vision of decarbonizing transportation. With that being said, each person and each team has their own story behind it, and today, we’re proud to highlight Sandhya Srinivas, one of our hardware in-the-loop Systems Engineers.

We recently sat down with Sandhya to talk about her journey to Xos, women in tech, who inspires her not only at work, but in life, and her recent acquaintance with Justin and Hailey Bieber at the Grammy Awards.

1. Tell us about your background, experience, and how you landed at Xos

I grew up in Bangalore, India, popularly known as the Silicon Valley of India, where I completed my undergraduate degree in Instrumentation Technology. During school, I landed an internship at Robert Bosch working on the transmission control unit. Shortly after my internship, I joined my first startup! Ultraviolette Automotive was an electric motorcycle startup where I worked on their battery management system. After my time at Ultraviolette Automotive, I was certain that I wanted to be a part of the EV revolution.

I then moved to the states where I continued my education at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and received my Masters of Electrical Engineering. During my time in Wisconsin, I worked at Trane, a company that focused on electric motor modeling, and also interned at Tesla for six months working on their battery management system. Shortly after I graduated, I started my journey at Xos!

2. Why Xos?

I came across Xos during a case study I was working on while in school. It was the first time I heard of electric commercial vehicles in the U.S. Xos intrigued me because I was interested in the electric commercial vehicle sector of the automotive industry, and I had previous experience working with startups, which I enjoyed. Overall, I liked the idea of working at Xos because of the potential to grow and contribute towards a more sustainable future.

3. What current projects are you working on?

I’m currently working on testing the prototype components that we plan on integrating into our trucks. The process involves researching the device, and developing a simulation of the device which involves designing control algorithms and verifying and validating the component at the system level. I am also working on verifying the vehicle control units logic by simulating the truck’s behavior in the lab, and making sure it’s integrated into the actual truck.

4. What excites you most about the progression of women in tech? What do you think needs improvement?

Women have been a part of technology and engineering for years, and it’s inspiring to meet other female engineers in the field and learn from them. Giving a larger voice to women in the automotive industry and letting them share their experiences and how they’ve improved their companies internally and externally is something all companies should be doing. There’s a large gender gap with women in engineering and the automotive and engineering industry, but I’ve also seen that gap significantly shrink in the past few years.

5. Who has been a role model for you here at Xos and in your life?

My entire team are my role models here at Xos. They are so passionate about the work that they do. They genuinely care about the design and functionality of our vehicles.

My mom has always been my role model in life. She is a strong, independent woman, who has always been there to give me the right personal and professional advice. Growing up, she motivated me and made me tough, which is helpful for the field I’m in now.

6. Where can we find you when you’re not at work? What does a typical Saturday look like for you?

On a normal weekend, I love to bike, hike, go to the beach, play video games, check out some cool art museums, and take care of my plants (I’m a total plant mom). Last weekend I went to the Grammys! I sat next to Justin and Hailey Bieber. I went as a seat filler, and Lil Nas X gave me a hug. I just want to say, this was not a normal weekend for me.

7. What excites you about the future of Xos?

I’m excited to expand to other applications and vehicle types and to continue working towards a sustainable future.

8. Is there anything else you want people to know about you?

I’m a huge BTS fan! BTS is a Korean Pop group. They’re hardworking, multi-talented individuals whose humility and dedication towards their career inspires me.