The future of automotive technology is not a move away from performance engineering. It is an expansion of it. We came out of racing and turbocharging, but the same mindset now applies to electrification and hybrid drive systems. That means matching the right architecture to the job, whether it is a series hybrid for heavier vehicles or a parallel hybrid for lighter ones, then using electronics and controls to make the mechanical system do more. Exportable power, silent operation, and the ability to decouple the internal combustion engine all solve real use-case problems. The bigger point is simple: modern vehicle engineering is no longer just hard parts. It is hard parts, electrical systems, software, and controls working as one system.
The SAE Southern California Section honored Gale Banks with the Peter Bryant Challenge Award, placing him alongside past honorees including Dan Gurney, Phil Remington, and Ed Iskenderian.
During the presentation, SAE representatives also recognized the longstanding involvement and support of Gale and Carol Banks within the organization.
The presentation highlighted Gale's broader contributions to the engineering community.
SAE representatives recalled that he spoke at an SAE meeting as early as 1988 and credited him with helping establish a partnership between SAE and SEMA. He was also recognized for hiring Formula SAE and Baja graduates and supporting Cal Poly Pomona, his alma mater.
The event gave Gale an opportunity to speak directly to SAE students about automotive engineering and the work being done at Banks Power.
He joked that he thinks like a 20-year-old because he works with so many young engineers. Reflecting on his longevity, Gale noted that this is his 65th year in business and said he feels like he is only beginning to peak.
His advice for maintaining that momentum was simple: stay fit, eat right, and stay employed.
Gale connected the company's engineering philosophy to its racing history.
With Marine Stadium in Long Beach behind him, he recalled Banks competing with fuel hydroplanes and twin-turbocharged, 1,800-horsepower, alcohol-burning jet boats in circle racing.
That history established racing as an important part of Banks' development, while also illustrating the variety of performance applications the company has pursued.
Gale then highlighted Banks' early work with turbocharging, including a turbocharged 1987 Pontiac Firebird that competed at the Bonneville Salt Flats.
He described it as a true door-slammer that retained its Firebird identity. In 1987, the car recorded a best mile of 283 mph, a performance figure Gale notes remains impressive decades later.
The discussion then shifts from Banks' history to its current engineering programs.
Gale describes Banks Power as heavily involved in research and development across racing, military programs, and electrification. One major area of current work involves helping advance Department of Defense vehicles through hybrid powertrain development.
Banks is developing different hybrid architectures for different military applications.
Gale describes series hybrids for heavier vehicles and parallel hybrids for lighter platforms, with capabilities including exportable electrical power and silent operation.
He also discusses P2 hybrid systems, which allow the internal-combustion engine to be disconnected so the vehicle can operate using the motor-generator unit alone. Gale says technology developed through these military programs will eventually make its way into street vehicles.
Gale emphasizes that modern automotive engineering extends far beyond mechanical components.
He says roughly half of the engineering talent at Banks is focused on electrical disciplines because modern systems require electronics, software, and controls to make the mechanical hardware function as intended.
He connects that multidisciplinary engineering approach with Banks' patent activity. His message to employees is that when engineers genuinely work at the bleeding edge, they are often creating solutions that have never existed before and may therefore be patentable.
Gale closes by connecting innovation directly to Banks' longevity.
The company has remained active by continually pursuing new engineering challenges rather than simply repeating established solutions. From racing and turbocharging to military systems, electronics, and hybridization, the underlying strategy remains the same: work at the frontier of what is technically possible and turn that development into useful technology.
