Associate Vehicle Dynamics Modeling Engineer

The Vehicle Dynamics Modelling team is responsible for predicting the unparalleled lateral and longitudinal behavior of all Tesla vehicles, and aligning them with the attributes of the brand. In a fast-paced and constantly changing environment we own and maintain a family of full vehicle and subsystem models and use them relentlessly and creatively as part of a larger engineering process, both upstream to set requirements and downstream to take late-breaking opportunities in product development. We are looking for skilled and impassioned group members who will provide innovative and efficient solutions while meeting demanding timelines and superior performance requirements. 
As part of the Vehicle Dynamics Modelling Team, the role is responsible for the creation, development, and deployment of infrastructure that allows non-expert users to explore the design space associated with vehicles in motion. This will be a full cradle-to-grave activity, starting with perceived behaviors in the vehicle, working through measurable surrogates for human perception, selecting modelling methods and implementing models and methods to allow large scale structured experiments to be performed seamlessly. The primary customer of the role is the Chassis Dynamics team, with further close interaction with the Control Systems and Autopilot teams to facilitate high fidelity virtual development of an exciting new generation of vehicle control systems. Close support from the Vehicle Engineering Test Group will be a frequent requirement to gather data to validate the modelling environment. Tesla expects candidates to meet performance goals and communicate results within demanding timelines. This is a hands-on role requiring a high level of self-direction, proven ability and flexibility.

Responsibilities
 

• Create, develop and maintain modelling infrastructure including, but not limited to: Ride, Driver Control, Software-in-the-Loop & Hardware-in-the-Loop, and System and Component Loading
• Create, develop and maintain performance metrics for all aspects of vehicle motion, suitable for use with real vehicle testing and predictive models
• Create, develop and maintain vehicle- and rig-test procedures for modelling-specific requirements, including supporting at off-site vehicle tests
• Deploy modelling infrastructure (including documentation) to allow large-scale structured experiments as well as smaller, flexible studies in response to emergent queries
• Clearly communicate findings in a timely manner

Requirements
 

• Strong organizational and interpersonal skills
• Experience in multibody or other mechanical system modelling
• Experience in vehicle instrumentation and data analysis
• Creative problem solver interested in new ideas and approaches
• A desire for continued learning
• Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering, or equivalant experience
• Experience developing performance goals for different specifications of vehicle, markets, controls and autonomous vehicles a plus
• Experience of other modelling methods - eg Finite Element or Computational Fluid Dynamics - a plus
• Experience in vehicle subjective evaluation on public road and proving grounds a plus
• Experience of real-time control system conceptualization, implementation and development a plus