If you live in Toronto and are looking for a career change, Tesla has just published a new job posting looking for Autopilot test drivers.
The official title for the role is ADAS Test Operator, with ADAS standing for Advanced Driver-Assistance System. This typically refers to Level 2 systems like Tesla’s Autosteer and Traffic Aware Cruise Control. The job posting however mentions “testing for autonomous vehicles.”
According to the job description, the successful candidate(s) “will help drive Tesla’s Autopilot by testing daily Autopilot firmware updates.” The list of responsibilities include:
- Survey the local region and design routes with perspective scenarios for Autopilot testing
- Execute real-world testing against designed test specifications, as well as providing ad-hoc support for specifically requested scenarios.
- Analyze test data, triage software issues and abnormal vehicle behaviors using Tesla in-house designed proprietary software tools.
The job posting, published on March 8 2021, is significant because it is only the second time the automaker has advertised such a role. It is also the first time this role has been advertised outside the United States. Last year in June similar job postings were published for Austin, Texas and the Bay Area in California.
Tesla has been the subject of scrutiny for not reporting autonomous test mileage data with the California DMV. Since 2016, Tesla has reported less than 600 miles of autonomous driving, most of which was performed to record promotional videos.
Tesla’s explanation for the low numbers is that their autonomous driving technology is tested in “shadow mode” on owner’s vehicles. This makes their test mileage not part of the company’s official testing, thereby allowing them not to report it.
