What to Expect

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Consider before submitting an application:  

This position is expected to start around January 2026 and continue through the Winter/Spring term (approximately April 2026) or into Summer 2026 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.

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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.  to experience life at Tesla by giving them ownership over projects that are critical to their team’s success.

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Your application for the Chassis Validation Engineer Internship will be considered across all opportunities for the teams listed below:

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Chassis Controls:

We are looking for a Chassis Controls validation engineer. You will be responsible for validating and testing safety critical chassis controls software (Traction Control, Stability Control, Steering, ABS, etc.). The role is part test execution but also part test design. You will spend most of your time at proving grounds in prototype vehicles and will be expected to not only execute maneuvers but also be able to compile and change software and understand hardware change impact on the control systems and vehicle attributes.

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Chassis Systems:

The Chassis Systems Software team is a combination of software engineers, mechatronics engineers, and vehicle dynamics engineers. We work on challenging problems that span safety-critical software, embedded systems, motor controls, electronics actuation, and vehicle dynamics. Shipping safety-critical code at high velocity to millions of vehicles requires exhaustive and efficient test infrastructure. A validation internship in the chassis systems team gives an opportunity to work alongside industry leading teams that are solving this in production at scale.

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What You’ll Do

• Assist in developing automated test infrastructure for SIL (Software-in-the-Loop), PIL (Processor-in-the-Loop), and HIL (Hardware-in-the-Loop) environments
• Write Python scripts to run and manage regression tests for chassis and safety-critical systems
• Collaborate with engineers to expand test coverage and improve the efficiency of automated test suites
• Support debugging of test failures by analyzing log data, sensor inputs, and system behavior
• Help execute hardware test plans and document performance or fault conditions
• Contribute to root-cause analysis efforts by comparing simulation and hardware results
• Help maintain and optimize HIL setups to enable high-fidelity system testing
• Gain experience validating embedded software in a real-time hardware environment
• Learn how safety and performance requirements are verified through both simulation and hardware execution

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What You’ll Bring

• Currently pursuing a degree in Mechatronics, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related field of study with a graduation date between May 2026 - December 2027
• Excellent proficiency in Python or C
• Experience with Software in the Loop (SIL) and Hardware in the Loop (HIL)
• Validation, testing, and debugging experience is preferred
• Experience with Rust or VHDL is a plus    
• Scripting skills in other common languages is a plus (Perl, Shell, Bash)    
• Knowledge and experience with automation and build tools is a plus (Jenkins, Docker, SCons, Buck)    
• Ability to read and review electronic circuit schematic is a plus 

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