What to Expect

Consider before submitting an application:  

This position is expected to start around January or February 2025 and continue through the entire Spring term (i.e. through May 2025) or into Spring/Summer 2025 if available. We ask for a minimum of 12 weeks, full-time and on-site, for most internships. Please consider before submitting an application. 

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

Internship Program at Tesla 

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

Multiple Locations Possible: Palo Alto, CA; Fremont, CA 

What You’ll Do

Your application will be considered across all opportunities for the teams listed below: 

 Battery Electronics 

Tesla’s Battery Electronics (BE) team is hiring an Electrical Design Engineer to design state-of-the-art High-Voltage-Controller (HVC) PCBs for Tesla’s lineup of automotive and energy products. These PCBs perform safety management, battery management & charge control functions that are critical to the operation of the overall high voltage system. As a member of the BE team, you will collaborate with cross-functional teams to design HVCs from concept to mass production. You will contribute new technology ideas, design proof of concepts, and be responsible for end-to-end ownership of best-in-class HVC designs across our vehicle and energy product lineup. 

 Interiors Engineering   

Tesla is looking to hire a rock-star engineer to push the boundaries of lighting, switches and haptics technology. Working alongside the most creative and resourceful designers and engineers in the world on a lean and agile team, you will design, simulate, implement, and debug systems and circuits used in Tesla vehicles and related HWs. You will experiment with and develop novel solutions to the myriad of complex electrical problems in interior systems. You will work closely with cross functional hardware and software engineers on exploration and definition of advanced systems. You will own the electrical design from prototype to production. You should have extensive experience in complex PCBA development integrating processors, sensors and lighting. 

Drive Inverter 

The Drive Inverter team designs the power electronics that move Tesla’s cars – quickly, efficiently, and reliably. Delivering hundreds of kilowatts of power from the battery to the motor, the drive inverter integrates high voltage power electronics, low voltage circuits, controls, functional safety, thermal management, and mechanical packaging. Electronic Design Engineers on the Drive Inverter team deliver component designs to ensure the system-level performance of the industry’s highest production volume traction inverters. 

What You’ll Bring

Currently pursuing a degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field 

Familiarity in test equipment such as impedance analyzer, oscilloscope, network analyzer, probing techniques, power supplies and multimeters 

Familiarity in a major programming language such as C++, Python, Matlab, LTSpice, Altium 

Used at least one PCB design software as part of academic project or coursework 

Proven interest in electrical design engineering through extracurricular activities, academic projects, passion projects, or equivalent experiences (proven automotive or sustainability interest is a plus) 

Strong understanding of analog, digital circuit design and high voltage power electronics design 

Experience with low voltage or high voltage and/or high frequency power domain is a plus 

Experience with modeling and simulation, test automation, scripting and data analysis 

Experience with working in a lab setting and having used modern measurement techniques is a plus 

Experience with debugging embedded systems or writing firmware is a plus 

Fundamental knowledge of batteries, and/or solar especially in conjunction with electronics is a plus 

Hands on experience with soldering, quick prototyping, PCBA rework, troubleshooting and failure analysis 

Excellent grasp of engineering fundamentals 

Genuine curiosity and willingness to understand how our products are designed, built and how they operate 

Eagerness to collaborate cross-functionally with other engineering teams while able to work independently; detail-oriented and execution focused

Palo Alto, California

Intern/Apprentice