Ngalula Sandrine: Congolese engineer Who Invented The Hybrid Car

Ngalula Sandrine Mubenga is a Congolese engineer and professor who invented the hybrid electric car.

Life Summary

Sandrine was born in Kinshasa and is the daughter of a United Nations diplomat. The decision to be an Electrical Engineer was informed by her experience at a medical facility. Sandrine was hospitalized and in need of surgery with appendicitis at the age of 17. Unfortunately, the city had run out of power.

In pursuit of her passion, she studied Electronic Engineering at the University of Toledo graduated and in 2005. For her post-graduate education, she earned a master’s and doctoral degree in developing hybrid vehicles and bilevel equalizer at the same university.

- Afropolitain Magazine — Ngalula Sandrine Mubenga

Engineering Innovation

This young Congolese woman has continued to show the world that a woman is as capable in terms of succeeding and that knowledge is true power. She created a hybrid electric car by incorporating a hydrogen fuel cell. This car runs using hydrogen as fuel and direct current. It’s zero pollution feature on the environment causes it to produce its only waste as pure water.

To supply hydrogen, she went ahead to design a hydrogen generating station. This station is powered by a solar system that produces electricity. It consists of a machine that dissociates water molecules into atoms of hydrogen and oxygen using an electrical source. The car is capable of driving to the station to fill up hydrogen. She was awarded the prize for the best research Master of Electrical Engineering Department ( Most Outstanding Thesis).

Awards and Establishments

She has accumulated over 14 years of professional electrical engineering experience. Sandrine has worked for large companies like General Electric and Firts Energy.

The engineer has some awards to her name, the Nkoy Merit Award by the association of Congolese from Washington DC. Sandrine was awarded the Congolese Merit Award by the association, “Friends of Congo” in Boston, United States. She was also named Young Engineer of the Year by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). Sandrine has been a guest at numerous international conferences to showcase her experience in the field.

In 2011, she went ahead to start her own company, SMN Power Group. The main activities include developing renewable energy solutions for people in Africa. Its aim is to design and install solar systems and renewable energy.

Alongside their work in engineering, SMIN provides financial support to African students who study science and work on initiatives to tackle change. To complement these scholarships, Mubenga launched the STEM DRC initiative which looks to encourage African young people to become inspired by science and engineering.