What to Expect

Consider before applying: This position is expected to start in January and continue through April/May. Internships are in-person for 40 hours a week for a minimum of 12 weeks. Please consider before submitting an application.

International Students: If your work authorization is through CPT, please consult your school before applying. You must be able to work 40 hours per week. Many students will be limited to part-time depending on their academic standing.

The Internship Recruiting Team is driven by the passion to recognize emerging talent. Our year-round program places the best students in positions that they will grow both technically and personally through their experience working closely with their Manager, Mentor, and team. We are dedicated to providing an experience that allows for the intern to experience life at Tesla by giving them ownership over projects that are critical to their team’s success.

About the Team

Drive Systems encompasses all aspects of safe and precise torque production. This includes integration of autopilot features such as adaptive cruise control and automatic emergency braking, smooth and safe application of power to the wheels, hill hold and one pedal driving, thermal management, and the overall mapping of drive power request to motor power. The drive systems integration engineer intern will be responsible for ensuring firmware support for new vehicle features and new hardware are designed, implemented, and tested to achieve Tesla’s standards for safety and customer experience.

What You’ll Do
Support the design new cross-functional features that require coordination between various ECUs and devices
Work cross-functionally across mechanical, electrical, system architecture, firmware development and firmware validation teams to understand new component-level hardware changes which are being developed and how to support them in firmware – both in manufacturing and for customer use – so that they can be seamlessly introduced to our vehicle platforms
Develop and execute firmware integration test plans on new hardware components and firmware features to rapidly retire risk from new designs and provide feedback to the development teams to accelerate our aggressive development cycles
Utilize critical analysis of potential failure modes and effects to influence these requirements
Support the development of overall validation strategy for these features and work with validation teams to ensure automated test coverage is implemented for future firmware releases
Dig into data and source code to identify and debug issues at the system level and propose robust solutions
Work with manufacturing and service teams to ensure the function(s) are released on time and functioning properly. This can include development of processes, diagnostic tools and methods, and root-cause diagnosis for product issues
Develop prototype test setups to integrate new subsystems with simulated and actual vehicle components
What You’ll Bring
Degree in Mechatronics, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field of study with a graduation date between April 2025-December 2026
Exceptional ability to keep multiple projects moving forwards in parallel
Hands-on technical experience debugging complex systems involving networked microprocessors and software-controlled electrical or electromechanical devices
Proven ability to use programming to solve challenging problems and increase own/team’s efficiency through automation
Experience with C or C++ required. Candidate must have strong comprehension but need not be fluent
Experience with Python desired
Ability to fluently interpret system data to gain a full understanding of logged events
Thorough understanding of mechanical fundamentals and ability to apply them to automotive concepts
Understanding of low voltage and high voltage circuits and how to debug them
Experience with CAN and Vector CAN tools is a plus
Experience with Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and Hazard Analysis and Risk Assessment (HARA) is a plus

PALO ALTO, California

Intern/Apprentice