Internship, Solar Hardware Engineer, PV Cell, Energy Engineering (Winter/Spring 2027)

Role details

What to Expect

Consider before submitting an application:

This position is expected to start January 2027 and continue through the entire Winter/Spring term (i.e through April/May 2027) or into Summer 2027 if available. We ask for a minimum of 12 weeks, full-time (40 hours/week) and on-site, for most internships.

International Students: If your work authorization is through CPT, please consult your school before applying. You must be able to work 40 hours per week. 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.

Within solar hardware engineering, the electrical and optical team designs the core PV cells and modules transforming energy in Tesla’s solar products. As we advance next-generation cell architectures and metallization processes, rapid reliability testing is critical to ensure long-term field performance at high manufacturing throughput.

The intern within the Electrical Design team will develop and validate accelerated cell-level screening methodologies to drastically shorten feedback loops from months to days. By simulating real-world environmental stress and material interactions—specifically encapsulant hydrolysis, acid-driven grid-line corrosion, and contact degradation— you will leverage device physics and high-precision characterization to isolate local series resistance increases, de-risk new cell designs, and directly inform material selection for full-scale PV module manufacturing.

Location: Palo Alto, CA

What You'll Do

• Support the development and calibration of accelerated chemical stress tests (e.g., bare-cell liquid immersion under controlled temperatures and concentrations) to simulate long-term field degradation
• Perform pre- and post-stress electrical and optical characterization using tools such as Dark IV, Suns-Voc, EL/PL imaging, and cross-sectional analysis
• Assist in analyzing characterization data to track spatial degradation patterns, series resistance increases, and grid-line corrosion
• Benchmark experimental test results against industry literature to aid in building a "paste & encapsulant compatibility index"
• Document experimental procedures, summarize lab findings, and share results with cross-functional engineering teams to help inform material selection decisions

What You'll Bring

• Currently pursuing a degree in Applied Physics, Electrical Engineering, Semiconductor Engineering, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, or a related field
• Hands-on laboratory experience with PV characterization techniques (Dark IV, Suns-Voc, Electroluminescence/Photoluminescence imaging, cross-sectional imaging)
• Experience with experimental design (DOE), chemical safety protocols, and accelerated stress/reliability testing
• Strong background in solar cell physics and degradation mechanisms
• Data analysis skills (preferably Python or MATLAB) for data analysis, electrical parameter extraction and image processing
• Excellent communication skills to document screening standards and present findings to engineering teams

Benefits

As a full-time Tesla Intern, you will be eligible for:

• Medical plans > plan options with $0 payroll deduction
• Family-building, fertility, adoption and surrogacy benefits
• Dental (including orthodontic coverage) and vision plans. Both have an option with a $0 payroll contribution
• Company Paid (Health Savings Account) HSA Contribution when enrolled in the High Deductible Medical Plan with HSA
• Healthcare and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• 401(k), Employee Stock Purchase Plans, and other financial benefits
• Company Paid Basic Life, AD&D, and short-term disability insurance (90 day waiting period)
• Employee Assistance Program
• Sick and Vacation time (Flex time for salary positions), and Paid Holidays
• Back-up childcare and parenting support resources
• Voluntary benefits to include: critical illness, hospital indemnity, accident insurance, theft & legal services, and pet insurance
• Commuter benefits
• Employee discounts and perks program

Expected Compensation

$20.00 - $50.00 + benefits

Pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation package for this position may also include other elements dependent on the position offered. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment.

Tesla is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer committed to diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, gender identity or any other factor protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.

Tesla is also committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. Please let your recruiter know if you need an accommodation at any point during the interview process.