Internship, Drive Systems Integration Engineer, Vehicle Firmware (Summer 2025)

Consider before submitting an application:

This position is expected to start around May 2025 and continue through the Summer term (approximately August 2025) or into Fall 2025 if available and there is an opportunity to do so. We ask for a minimum of 12 weeks, full-time and on-site, for most internships. Our internship program is for students who are actively enrolled in an academic program. Recent graduates seeking employment after graduation and not returning to school should apply for full-time positions, not internships.

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.

Drive Systems Integration Engineers support the development and validation of new inverter and motor hardware as well as firmware features for new and existing cars. Their efforts improve the efficiency, reliability, cost, and customer experience of Tesla’s vehicles. Firmware integration is a highly cross-functional role that requires an intern to quickly form working relationships with teams across the company, including firmware development, manufacturing test, and vehicle program management, while also demanding technical proficiency in embedded development and testing.

• 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

• Degree in Mechatronics, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field of study with a graduation date between August 2025 - August 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