Internship, Materials Engineer, Cell Engineering (Spring/Winter 2025)

What to Expect

Consider before submitting an application:

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

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:  Fremont, CA; Austin, TX; Hutto, TX, Robstown, TX; Reno, NV

What You’ll Do

Qualified applicants may be reviewed by one or more of the following teams:

Cathode Engineering:

• Tesla is looking to hire an experienced technician with hands-on experience in lab and pilot plant facilities. This candidate will be a core member of an interdisciplinary materials development team that is focused on developing innovative materials to accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy. Seeking candidate who have chemical, physical and mechanical risk awareness; process and analytical data evaluation skills; and/or experiences in materials synthesis or analytical techniques relevant for material development welcome: PSA, BET, SEM, XRD, ICP, FTIR, UV-VIS

Cathode Material Manufacturing Internship: 

• The team works on novel cathode precursors manufacturing process development and closely collaborate with internal teams on precursors and cathode materials testing and evaluation. The candidate will work on precursor synthesis, raw material qualification and analytical method development in this team.

Cathode Pilot Engineering Internship:

• The engineering intern role within this team will participate in the development, measurement, and production of new cathode active materials and engineering/troubleshooting of the processes/measurements by which these powders are produced. This requires working in a hands-on capacity with equipment and cathode materials. Seeking candidates who have a strong understanding of physics/chemistry/mechanics fundamentals and ability to leverage this knowledge to solve challenging powder processing challenges; and who are mechanically capable and willing to engage with equipment to conduct experimental operations.

Cathode Material Development and Characterization Intern:

• Tesla’s Cathode team is developing and scaling the production of novel cathode materials to enable battery electric vehicles.  This includes the development and scale-up of novel, high-energy, low-cost cathode materials and the development of first-of-a-kind processes that shorten the path from mine to battery cell. As a cathode material intern, you will develop and scale up materials at lab scale and assist with their development and scale up at pilot scale, and eventually be the first on-the-ground, technical point of contact for the understanding of how to scale and sustain cathode production quality at our first manufacturing plant in Austin. In this role you will also work closely with Tesla's teams around cathode manufacturing, material characterization, cell testing etc. to coordinate cross-functional activities that improve process control and product quality. Seeking candidate with experiences in Cathode and Lithium-Ion batteries testing.

Cell Modeling Engineering Internship

• As part of the Cell Modeling team, this person will develop and maintain numerical models to predict lithium-ion cell performance. Seeking candidates with experience solving ODEs and PDEs numerically using Matlab, Python, or similar; and who can document and communicate model workflow, implementations, and results of simulation studies.

Cell Materials Engineering Internship

• Tesla is pushing the boundaries of battery technology. This internship will work on core active material technologies for Tesla’s vehicle and storage products. You will collaborate closely with other cell and battery engineering organizations within Tesla. The internship will primarily involve lab work with some data analysis. Seeking candidates who have experience with lithium ion cell assembly, testing and post mortem analysis; with synthetic techniques used in developing materials for lithium ion cells; and have a working knowledge of Matlab or Python.

Pilot Plant Internship

• Tesla is looking for a highly motivated Engineering Student who will be able to accelerate the transition to renewable energy. The path from the mine to active battery materials to recycling is one of the greatest engineering challenges of our time. This is a hybrid role - 40% design interface and 60% operation/execution. The individual will thrive in lab and pilot environments where new technologies are being developed and scaled. This individual will ensure that laboratory data is translated into actionable process information. The individual will support development efforts focused on engineering and operating pilot plants. Seeking candidates with experience with scoping studies, mass/energy balances, CAPEX/OPEX estimates, equipment sizing and process conceptualization.

Advanced Materials Research Internship

• Our team is looking for a highly motivated intern to contribute to battery performance testing and fundamental electrochemical analysis. This person will help develop cell test plans to characterize initial cell performance, lifetime behavior, reliability and identify critical failures and degradation modes. In addition, this person will help plan test resources, track test progress and analyze/report testing results. We work closely with the cell modeling team and firm understanding of electrochemical processes is a plus. Seeking candidates who have experience with lithium-ion battery research/design/manufacturing/testing and a knowledge in battery cycler Arbin and BioLogic schedule creation and validation. Experience with python is a plus.

Battery Electrode Process Engineer Internship

• This role is for an engineering intern to aid in developing fundamental understandings of lithium battery electrodes. Seeking candidate who are proficient in materials characterization tools and analysis, ideally in polymeric composite materials; and/or hands on experience in battery electrode fabrication.

 Lab Materials Engineer Internship

• This internship will focus on: materials development, process conceptualization and scale-up. These efforts are designed to improve the speed, efficiency, and environmental performance of battery material manufacture. The success of these initiatives is critical to unlocking a diversified, low-cost, sustainable energy ecosystem. You will join a team focused on recycling and primary metals refining. Seeking candidates with quantifiable lab or pilot experience with tangible results.

What You’ll Bring

• Currently pursuing a degree in Materials Science, Materials Engineering, Chemical Engineering or a related field
• Mechanically capable and willing to engage with equipment to conduct experimental operations
• Prior experiences in Cathode and Lithium-Ion batteries testing
• Evidence of exceptional ability, including a strong understanding of materials engineering fundamentals and demonstrated ability to leverage this understanding to solve challenging technical problems
• Strong understanding in electrochemistry and materials development
• Experience with synthetic techniques used in developing materials for lithium ion cells
• Working knowledge of Matlab or Python (Juptyer is a plus)
• Experience with lithium-ion battery research/design/manufacturing/testing
• Proficiency in materials characterization tools and analysis ideally in polymeric composite materials