Thesis work - Islanded Vehicle-to-Home Operation

About this opportunity - Background

The transition to an electrified transportation system enables electric vehicles (EV) to act as distributed energy resources. One promising concept is Vehicle-to-Home (V2H), where EVs provide backup power, support renewable energy integration, and increase household energy resilience. For islanded operation (stand-alone mode), the vehicles’ onboard chargers must take on grid-forming capabilities to provide stable voltage and frequency to the home. While technically promising, such setups bring challenges in terms of safety, control, and cost. This thesis will combine simulation studies and exploratory proof-of-concept experiments in Volvo Cars’ Energy Lab (subject to feasibility).

Scope of the thesis work

The thesis work will investigate and validate islanded V2H operation using a grid-forming onboard charger (OBC) in the vehicle. The work will include:
•    Literature review of V2H/grid-forming technologies, residential integration, and relevant standards.
•    Identification of use cases for residential islanded V2H (e.g. backup power, PV self-consumption, peak shaving).
•    Analysis of additional requirements for islanded V2H compared to grid-following V2H, focusing on:
o    Residential setup needs (protection, transfer switches, grounding, load handling).
o    Customer experience aspects (transition to islanded mode, outage support duration).
o    Safety and reliability (fault handling, black start, resilience).
•    Exploratory simulations of islanded V2H scenarios; proof-of-concept experiments in Volvo Cars’ Energy Lab if feasible.
•    Evaluation of implications for an EV OEM, including:
o    Standards and certification requirements.
o    Market and regulatory feasibility (selected countries).
o    Impact on vehicle/OBC design, cost, and potential business models.
•    Recommendations on the technical and strategic potential of offering islanded V2H.

What you'll bring

We are looking for 1–2 motivated Master’s students with a background in Electrical Engineering, Energy Systems, or a related field. The ideal profile includes:
•    Knowledge of power electronics, control systems, and renewable energy integration.
•    Familiarity with modeling and simulation tools (e.g., MATLAB/Simulink or similar).
•    Interest in experimental validation and lab-based testing.
•    Ability to work independently, as well as in close collaboration with Volvo Cars engineers.
•    Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.
The work will primarily be conducted at Volvo Cars in Gothenburg.

Duration

•    The work will start in January 2026 (to be discussed).
•    The duration for this thesis work is 20 weeks.
•    30 ECTS (30 academic credits) in agreement with your Thesis Advisor in University.
•    This thesis is to be conducted by 1 or 2 students working in pair.