Tesla Now Hiring Autopilot Test Drivers in Mumbai, Delhi as Launch Nears

In another sign that Tesla’s official launch in India is not too far away, the company has put up job notices for “Vehicle Operator, Autopilot” positions in Mumbai and Delhi. Camouflaged Model Y cars have been spotted around the country being tested on public roads over the past few weeks. As homologation progresses, the new job listings are a clear sign that the company also intends to meet the challenge of offering self-driving features in India. An exact timeline for Tesla cars to go on sale here is still unclear, and it is not yet known whether Autopilot self-driving capabilities will be enabled at launch. 

Tesla will need considerable real-world data to tune its algorithms to local conditions. Tesla famously dropped radar and Lidar sensors for object detection and tracking, relying solely on cameras to simulate human vision. Cars will need to detect road markings and signs, obstacles, diversions, animals, pedestrians, and various vehicles moving erratically.

These job postings are listed under “AI and Robotics”, suggesting that the company is focusing on data gathering and algorithm tuning, rather than actually testing autonomous driving features. No salary range has been posted, but the listings indicate that payment will be hourly, and timings will need to be flexible. Drivers will need to work in shifts and be ready to travel, which means Tesla wants to capture data at night and in multiple locations. It isn’t clear how many positions the company wants to fill. 

Mumbai and Delhi as base locations align with reports that Tesla’s first showrooms in India will open in these two cities, and that these are its priority markets. 

Test drivers will need to take Tesla’s engineering sample vehicles out onto roads for 5-8 hours per day, and ensure that video and even audio recordings are being captured. The work will involve quality control for the collected data and writing detailed reports about “observations and issues”.   

Candidates interested in applying need a valid driver’s licence plus “excellent driving skills”, and familiarity with ADAS and autonomous driving systems. 

Autopilot is Tesla’s name for a collection of ADAS features including Traffic-Aware Cruise Control and Autosteer (which only works when lanes are clearly marked). It is included with every newly sold Model S, Model 3, Model X and Model Y. The company also offers a suite of features called Full Self Driving (Supervised) in several markets, enabling a higher degree of autonomous driving. These features, which cost extra, include Navigation on highways, Autosteer on city streets, Summon, Autopark, and Traffic Light and Stop Sign Control. It is not clear whether they will be available in India, and the job listings seem to suggest that these features are not being tested here yet.

Full Self Driving offerings have been the subject of controversy, with CEO Elon Musk promising as far back as 2016 that drivers would soon be able to take naps while their cars shuttled them around, and vehicles would be able to drive themselves cross-country, even with no human inside. However, the feature was renamed to FSD (Supervised) to emphasise that a driver still needs to pay attention and keep their hands on the steering wheel. The terms “Autopilot” and “Full Self Driving” have come under legal scrutiny for implying complete autonomy, potentially misleading drivers into believing that they can let a Tesla car do all the driving for them. The approach of relying only on cameras has also been criticised.