Eric Danz grew up loving cars, now works on them at Tesla

By John Clampitt
Communication ’26 

Eric Danz says he always loved figuring out how everyday objects worked while growing up. 

“This usually led to me taking them apart and never being able to put them back together,” he said. “I’m sure it was one of the many things my parents loved about me!”  

His father took notice of this and quickly redirected this curiosity to cars, eventually making it a center point of their relationship. 

“Every weekend, we would evaluate which part needed fixed on our family car and then rush to the local junk yard to find the centerpiece of our next 48 hours,” he recalled. 

Today, Eric’s work on automobiles involves an innovative project at Tesla: the company’s “next generation” vehicle. 

“My team’s specific contribution is to ensure that vehicle components are simple, automation friendly, and easy to manufacture while designing the production and manufacturing systems that will ultimately produce the vehicle at scale,” he said. “Although I can’t give specifics, what I can say is that we are taking what the industry believes is ‘standard’ and stripping it down to its fundamentals, questioning all requirements, and rebuilding the ‘standard’ using logic and reason. This allows us to foster innovation at our core and facilitate the ‘rethinking’ of how the vehicle should be designed and manufactured.” 

His arrival at Tesla was a combination of him wanting to make a greater impact, his wife wanting to start their family close to her family, and timing. 

“With her family living in the Central Texas area and Tesla breaking ground on their new Austin Giga Factory, the stars aligned and we made the jump,” he said. “In the three years since we moved to Texas, we have been able to make both of those dreams a reality. We have one son (Jack) and are expecting another baby boy in May 2024 while I get to make a bigger impact on the race to a sustainable future.” 

Danz and his family currently have two cars of their own. “My wife drives a Subaru Forester while I drive a Tesla Model Y,” he said. “I really have pride in the work I do and the cars I have helped produce.” 

Growing two loves at Trine 

Spending time working on cars with his father is really what drew him to mechanical engineering. 

“That grew my love for mechanical systems and funneled me to the automotive industry, [so] mechanical engineering was a no-brainer for me,” he said. “I was always a hands-on, visual learner growing up, so it was imperative that I find a university that fostered that type of learning environment.” 

“Most of my fondest memories were either in the Student Design Center working on our senior design project or in the foundry getting to pour our own sand casts,” he said. “Looking back now, these moments, alone, helped give me the experience and confidence needed to step out into the professional world.” 

His learning at Trine extended outside the classroom. 

“Outside of my academics, a big portion of my time at Trine University was dedicated to the re-founding of ACACIA fraternity. As one of the original ten members, I needed to juggle an intense workload from both school and fraternity to ensure I was successful in both ventures,” he said. “This experience taught me teamwork, communication, persistence, dedication, work ethic and more. The lessons learned, although not technical in nature, are numerous and invaluable.”  

Trine University also impressed Eric with its small class sizes, individual attention from the staff and faculty, and its community-oriented campus.  

“It truly felt like a home away from home,” he said. “Not only did my time at Trine University give me everything I needed to be successful in my career, but it also yielded some of my closest friends (students and professors) and it’s where I met my wife (Isabel).” 

Eric met Isabel DiFranco in the fall of 2011 when she came up to Trine to visit her sister. 

“She was randomly walking around on the third floor of Widmann Hall while a group of us were hanging out in the common area on the second floor,” he said. “I remember looking up and thinking, ‘She must be lost.’ It turned out that her sister had made other plans and left Isabel to explore Trine on her own. With some convincing, Isabel ended up hanging with us for the rest of that weekend.” 

“As all good things must come to an end: She returned to Maryland, and I was left wondering if I'd see her again. Thankfully, her sister would take care of that by persuading Isabel to transfer to Trine that following year. It didn't take long for us to become best friends,” Eric said. 

Isabel eventually graduated from Trine in 2014 with a degree in exercise science. 

“12 years later, we have been married for almost six years with one son (Jack) and another son on the way,” he said. “Oh, let's not forget about our two boxer puppies, Maggie and Mack, who have been with us since the beginning. Quite the journey it has been.” 

Serving future generations 

Eric first worked in the automotive industry at Subaru of Indiana Automotive for six years. 

“In the early days, Subaru manufactured the Toyota Camry, and I was fortunate enough to be able to learn from both great companies at once,” he said. “I credit the foundation of my career to these learnings and still apply the knowledge gained, to this day.” 

“With all the advancements in the automotive industry and the electrification movement, I am glad to have taken this path,” he said. “There is never a dull moment, especially at Tesla, where we are reshaping the way the automobile is designed and manufactured.”  

In the short term, he wants to utilize his skills to help push the automotive industry toward a more sustainable future for his children and many generations after. His long-term goal is a little different.  

“It has always been my dream to return to Trine University as a professor once my automotive manufacturing career comes to an end,” he said. “I have found, in my current role, that I enjoy mentoring the new engineers and have since realized that becoming a professor would allow me to make the most meaningful impact on the next generation of engineers.”