Up until recently – and arguably still to this day, the automotive industry has been one dominated by men. Cars were a ‘guy thing’, engineers were men, CEO’s, race car drivers etc. Today, as society evolves at a faster pace than ever, there are of course many women in mobility, whether in the driver’s seat or under the hood – still not quite enough for our taste, though.

In many fields traditionally occupied by men, we have come to learn throughout the years that there were in fact women in key roles – scientists, computers, mathematicians etc. and the history of automotive innovation is no different. Women made a difference then, and continue to do so now. In this piece, we’ll be telling you about six women that have shaped and are shaping right now the mobility industry.

Stephanie Kwolek (1923 – 2014)

illustration for ellectric with Stephanie Kwolek

This young Polish-American woman knew that if she was going to make it, she would have to make her own way. Stephanie was a chemist so she took a position at DuPont’s textile fibre laboratory in Buffalo, New York in the early 60s so that she would be able to afford tuition for her medical degree. Her work there consisted of researching a fibre that would be used to reinforce radial tires. In order to do so, she would have to convert polymer into liquid form – and this is when it happened. When she noticed that the polymer she was working on wasn’t turning into liquid, she convinced her coworker to put it through a machine that removes liquid solvents, and there it was. She had discovered a material that was lightweight and fire resistant, but also five times as strong as steel – ideal to make high performance tires. Though the material is used for many other products, like bulletproof vests or belts, its use in tires was an enormous asset to the development of the automotive industry.

Clärenore Stinnes (1901 – 1990)

illustration for ellectric with Clärenore Stinnes

Clärenore was from a respectable German family – her father was a politician – and yet, despite the norms of her time, she decided that she would become a race car driver. At 24, she had already taken part in her first motor race, and by 26 she had won 17 races and was one of the most successful race car drivers in Europe. Her philosophy was that women are ‘at least as good’ as men, as she said in interviews with often incredulous male journalists. That same year, Clärenore set out for a journey across the world by car, along with a Swedish cinematographer who would document her journey. The journey was even sponsored by the German automotive industry with 100.000 Reichsmark. They drove through Damascus, Tehran, Moscow, but also the frozen Lake Baikal and Gobi desert, and eventually ended up in Washington D.C, where they were welcomed by President Hoover. They came back to Berlin about three years later, after 47.000km by car, and got married. Though similar circumnavigations had been done by Americans, Clärenore was the first ever European woman to complete one, paving the way for all the female drivers and travellers of the future.

Margaret Wilcox, (1838 – unknown)

illustration for ellectric with Margaret Wilcox

We have all melted into the seat of a heated car during an icy winter day, and felt the relief that comes with the comfort of warmth. It’s also clear to us all that long drives would be extremely strenuous if not for heating. We owe this wonderful invention to Margaret, who was born in Chicago and started a career in mechanical engineering – rare for the times, even more so being a woman. Her main objective through her work was to create machines that would make life a little easier. In her late 20s, she discovered that the fortunate few who were able to ride and drive railway cars were getting cold sores and frozen fingers in the cold – riding railway cars wasn’t exactly the most comfortable, and the times required function over comfort from its technology. This is when Margaret saw an opportunity: because engines generate heat, she realised that she could connect the engine to the rail cars via an airway and therefore help the heat travel. Her idea was genius, and though she had had to patent her previous inventions under her husband’s name, by 1893 she was able to receive a patent for her car heater system. To this day, Margaret’s idea is still the foundation of our modern car heaters – even though there were nothing like the cars we know today during her time. The first heaters were installed in 1917, but it was Ford’s use of Margaret’s hot engine air design that sealed the deal in 1929.

Alyssa Carson (born March 10, 2001)

Youngest Astronaut Alyssa Carson — Picture: Alyssa Carson

It’s not unusual for American kids to dream of being astronauts, but perhaps a little more unusual for them to actually follow that dream – and much like it is portrayed in the movies, those who do both are little boys, who become one of the many men in the industry. It is a changing world though, and Alyssa took every opportunity she saw to get closer to her dream: to walk on Mars. She attended space camps – so many that she is the only person to have attended every single space camp in the world, and took part in the Advanced Project Polar Suborbital Science in the Upper Mesosphere (PoSSUM) Space Academy. She is now 21 and an undergraduate student, but her goal hasn’t changed: she will be the first woman to go to Mars, in a space mission planned for 2033. Despite her young age, Alyssa is a force of nature and great source of inspiration for many girls determined to make their way: she has self-published a book about her passion, written for The Independent and given TEDx talks to motivate girls to pursue careers in STEM, her field of study.

’5+1’ with Alyssa Carson

In 2020, we at ellectric had the pleasure to talk to Alyssa for our interview series ‘5+1’: “The space industry is definitely being male dominated. The good thing we are seeing now is, during the selection process we usually have more half and half – more females getting selected into the astronaut corps. But for me the important part is that there are tons of thousands of people working to put this one astronaut into space. In my opinion it’s going to be important to see more women across all those many careers whether engine tester, engineers…” A STEM researcher and astronaut at only 21, nothing can stop Alyssa – and she is a great example for the change women are making in the world today.

Simona de Silvestro (born September 1, 1988)

As a teen growing up in Switzerland, Simona already felt passionate about car racing – even at that young age, she was already taking part in karting races all across Europe. Soon enough, Europe wasn’t enough to satiate her hunger for racing – so she headed to the U.S., where she ended up in the IndyCar Series for many years. Simona never lacked in self-confidence and discipline, which led her to win the ‘Rookie of the Year’ title at Indy 500 in 2010, which promoted her to legendary status. Though she was still seen by many in the industry as the sweet ‘Swiss Miss’, she earned herself the new name of ‘Iron Maiden’ after a serious accident giving her burns on both hands, she still raced and qualified at Indianapolis. In 2014, she was added to Sauber’s Formula 1 squad, then drove for Andretti in Formula E, and eventually became a Porsche driver in 2019. Though she wasn’t the first female race car driver, she certainly is among the few who have had so much success and so many victories from such a young age – and all of it coming from a country where car racing was banned for 52 years.

Simona is loved by fans, and certainly a role model to all girls, sending the message that girls can do anything – even drive race cars at unimaginable speeds, all around the world. Despite the domination of men and their successes in this industry, Simona was able to prove herself and inspire respect from fans, fellow drivers and institutions alike. Now a household name, Simona isn’t done on her path to greatness, and we can’t wait to see where she goes next.

Elizabeth Baron

If you’ve ever wondered how concept cars are conceived – or even simply how designers and engineers are able to ‘experience’ a vehicle before it is actually physically built, Elizabeth is your answer. She first walked through Ford Motor Company’s doors in 1988, where she spent a mighty 30 years as the main driver in the development of the Ford immersive Vehicle. She basically invented their Ford immersive Vehicle Environment (FiVE), which was pretty revolutionary in the industry – and quite unexpected from someone struggling from stereo blindness and cannot see in 3D. Elizabeth then founded her own company Immersionary Enterprises in 2018 before continuing her career at Unity Technologies. Back in 2020, she was listed as one of the engineers who mattered that year, both for her engineering accomplishments and products and her bold career moves.

Thanks to Elizabeth’s work, designers and engineers working on a new concept for any and all vehicles are able to not only see the interiors and exteriors, but also virtually experience driving the car, its various features and commands. This kind of work is leading the way into innovative and necessary developments within the mobility industry, which not only save a lot of time and labour, but also provide a uniquely useful service to brands.

Though many of these women lack the visibility and credit they deserve, they have all changed mobility (and the world) in their own ways. Whether it’s through car heating, tires, world travel, car racing, virtual technologies or going to space, these women have proven that mobility is not only ‘a man’s world’ as James Brown sang it, but an industry in which women can flourish and make contributions just as valuable as those of men.

Our intention with ellectric

We at ellectric believe in the power of diversity and challenging the status quo – and that includes giving more visibility to the incredible women in this industry. This is the driving force behind pieces like these, and also why we have an interview series dedicated to these women, called ‘5+1’. Check it out now under ‘elle’.

Pictures 1-4: ellectric

Women who drive change