As part of the Chassis Sustainability team at Tesla, our primary focus was managing the entire lifecycle of vehicles. Our objective is to swiftly identify recurring issues in customer-owned vehicles, pinpoint the root cause, and expedite solutions to production or suppliers to prevent further issues. During my internship, I spearheaded a root cause analysis project and a project aimed at streamlining vehicle service for tire changes.

Multi-spindle Nut Runner:

I engineered a tool capable of swiftly removing and reattaching the five lug nuts from a tire in under fifteen seconds. This tool employs five independent impact wrench mechanisms, each equipped with automatic shut-off functionality upon achieving optimal torque for their associated lug nut. I designed custom magnetic spring sockets for this tool. The magnetic part of the design securely holds all lug nuts within the tool during tire removal. The spring compliance ensures secure seating on all the lug nuts regardless of their initial orientations. All of my designs and models were converted into clear 2d drawings for the machine shop technicians who fabricated the metal frame. The tool was designed for rapid prototyping, utilizing 3D printing, CNC milling, MIG welding, water jetting, and soldering techniques.

Root Cause Analysis and Design Change for Link:

Tasked with addressing high part replacement rates due to failures, I conducted a comprehensive root cause analysis and proposed a design change for a specific part. After traveling to the region with the highest prevalence of issues, I collaborated with service center teams to understand their diagnosis processes and replacement criteria. Utilizing various testing methods such as DSC, FTIR, TGA, Karl Fisher, and Crackle tests on field-returned samples, coupled with CT scans and microscopic inspections, I identified the root failure cause. I presented my analysis and design change proposal to my team for further verification and implementation post-internship.