Internship, Mechanical Design Engineer, Self-Driving (Summer 2025)

Consider before submitting an application:

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.

Location: Palo Alto, CA

Additionally, you will work collaboratively with cross-functional partners and external vendors and suppliers.

Your application for the Vehicle Hardware Engineering – Mechanical Design Engineering Internships will be considered across all opportunities for the teams listed below:

• The Autopilot and Electronics Product Design team works on mechanical design and integration of all electronics modules. The areas an intern could work on can be among Controllers, Car Computer, Camera, Sensors, Radar, Display, Audio, Antenna and Accessories. The camera team within the Autopilot Product Design Team is responsible for mechanical, electrical and optical integration of our ADAS cameras. Their activities span anywhere from mechanical design and validation of new camera modules to in-depth image quality analysis for the optimal neural network detection.
• The Low Voltage Wire Harness team designs all the wiring connecting every device together both mechanically and electrically in the vehicle. The Mechanical Engineers on this team use 3D CAD (Catia) to design and package wiring in the vehicle and then transfer their designs to 2D drawing for manufacturing. These Engineers understand a Tesla vehicle from end to end, as they frequently work with other engineering teams in order to optimize the design of the vehicle.
• The Autopilot Hardware team develops, tests, and manufactures industry leading products. A significant division of that team is Electronic Packaging, is a cross-functional team that evaluates new electronic packaging products in development. This team develops and validates the assembly processes with the use of detailed CAD designs. They are responsible for running simulations to validate design, brainstorm ideas, and performing tests in the lab to characterize package mechanical architecture.
• Currently pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mechanical Design, Mechatronics, or a related field
• Develop designs in CAD for both detailed parts and master model assemblies
• Perform tolerance analysis, Finite Element Analysis (FEA), and other simulations and analyses before releasing designs for production
• Create 2D drawings appropriate for high-volume production and inspection methods
• Conduct Design for Manufacturing (DFM) reviews with suppliers and support tooling bring up
• Run validation tests and perform data analysis
• Provide factory engineering support to help identify and resolve issues
• Hands-on prototyping, testing & troubleshooting