Tesla Sr Battery Propagation Resistance Test Engineer Abuse & Engineering 

United States, California, Palo Alto 

208494987

We are looking for an Engineer to test battery propagation resistance across all programs, including vehicle and energy storage. In this role, you will be responsible for the test end-to-end, from conception, through planning and execution, to results summary and associated decision-making. You will also be responsible for designing test methods to undersnd failure modes from a first principles perspective and define next-generation pack architectures. As a result, Tesla will be able to evaluate a broad set of options for cell and pack designs while launching and optimizing products at a rapid pace.

• Collaborate with internal teams to develop cell and pack designs that meet abuse specifications
• Determine and communicate test plans, resource needs and timelines for each new phase of a program, as a function of expected risks and schedule
• Share results and design mitigations with cross-functional stakeholders and executives
• Develop tests based on pack environment (geometric, thermal, electrical) to study failure mode frequency, severity, and mechanisms
• Study failure modes and suggest methods to deepen our understanding
• Work with technicians and test systems engineers to understand preparation and test process, identify bottlenecks and opportunities for improvement (data integrity, higher throughput, and better fidelity)
• Manage and improve statistical framework
• Maintain and improve results database and visualization
• Design tests and instrument samples in order to improve the model’s accuracy and utility, in collaboration with the modeling engineering team

• Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or equivalent experience
• 2+ years’ experience in physically applied-engineering (lab, machine shop, hobby project…)
• Experience in solving critical problems for projects using first principles, as well as heat transfer and electrical engineering fundamentals
• Must be hands-on (fabrication/modification, instrumentation, troubleshooting, sample inspection, etc.)
• Experience with instrumentation / data acquisition
• Enjoys working in cross-functional groups and leading technicians
• Able to plan many concurrent activities in a fast-paced, rapidly changing environment
• Statistical background a plus
• CAD experience a plus
• Programming experience in Matlab or Python strongly preferred. SQL a plus