Internship, Residential Energy Device Software Engineer, Energy Engineering (Winter/Spring 2026)

Consider before submitting an application:
This position is expected to start around January 2026 and continue through the Winter/Spring term (ending approximately May 2026) or continuing 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. entry level candidates 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.
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.
Tesla's mission is to accelerate the world's transition to renewable energy. This isn't just a slogan to us. We are building the largest battery storage systems in the world. We are constantly expanding the Supercharger network, the largest electric car charging network ever. We are growing the largest fleets of residential solar, battery storage,and car charging devices in many countries around the world. And we need your help.
The Tesla Energy Device Software team is looking for a Software Engineer to build control and configuration software for residential energy products such as Powerwall, Solar Inverter, or Wall Connector. These products resemble other, more familiar IoT products in many ways: They need to be installed, configured, and diagnosed. Once operational, they need to run autonomously, respond to commands, and provide customers with useful telemetry. All of this requires control and configuration tools that are reliable and resilient, which is where you come in. With your help, we can make installing more renewable energy technology easier, faster, and cheaper.
Our software stack is as diverse as our products. It includes embedded and Linux-based systems, web and native apps, cloud services and local IoT protocols. Pragmatism, willingness to dive into new codebases, eagerness to work with stakeholders, and engineering leadership are key strengths we expect you to bring to the table.
Location: Palo Alto, CA

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with product managers and engineers from other disciplines to develop designs and specifications
• Contribute to overall system architecture
• Develop modern applications for installation, configuration, and diagnosis
• Provide technical leadership and innovation to improve developer productivity, product reliability, and overall system resiliency
• Work with other engineering teams to develop APIs

Requirements

• Currently pursuing a degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related field
• Ability to multi-task, prioritize and work in an extremely fast-paced, collaborative environment
• Internet and IoT protocols (e.g. HTTP, REST, websockets, gRPC, oauth, Matter)
• Application and systems languages (e.g. C, C++, Rust, golang, Java, C#)
• Embedded or Linux-based IoT environments (e.g. FreeRTOS, Arduino, Raspberry Pi, Android) and protocols (CAN, RS-485/UART, Ethernet, WiFi, BLE)
• Experience writing unit tests, software-in-the-loop tests, and practicing test-driven development
• Experience with Web development (e.g. JavaScript, React), data analysis/data science tools (e.g. Pandas, Hadoop), or common cryptography mechanisms (e.g. TLS)

Compensation and Benefits
Benefits

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

• Aetna PPO and HSA plans > 2 medical 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
• Employee Assistance Program
• Sick time after 90 days of employment 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 + benefitsPay 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.