Work environment

Are you looking for an exciting work environment that provides you with a detailed insight into all areas of a leading automotive company? Do you have a passion for developing innovative solutions in the field of electromobility to enhance the mobility experience of our customers even further? Then apply now! We are looking for a highly motivated PhD candidate to join Group Innovation. Within Volkswagen AG, we form the basis for a global innovation ecosystem for sustainable and customer-oriented innovations. In the Connected Energy Systems department, we tackle highly relevant topics related to energy systems and energy technologies, for example, to offer our electric vehicle customers the best possible solutions in the field of vehicle-to-grid in the future. By aggregating many vehicles into a virtual power plant,  we can offer valuable services within the energy system, benefiting customers with battery vehicles through optimized charging and feeding back of energy. As part of your PhD thesis, you will develop an energy management concept in a highly committed project team to control electric vehicles in a virtual power plant, considering the mobility needs of customers and technical constraints. You will apply methods from the field of artificial intelligence, such as reinforcement learning, and develop them further to address the complexity of this task. The position offers a unique opportunity to work with cutting-edge methods in the highly relevant field of electromobility and to contribute to the ongoing development of the company.

Possible Tasks within this Role

• Creating a model of a virtual power plant, including relevant energy services and the relationships between the necessary actors
• Developing an AI-based charging and energy management system, taking into account price forecasts, vehicle constraints and customer requirements
• Testing and evaluating the concept with simulation methods, including an assessment of economic viability
• Collaborating and engaging in intensive exchange with colleagues from other areas of Group Innovation, such as mobility and future research

Qualification requirements

• Good to very good university degree with eligibility for a doctorate in energy technology, electrical engineering, computer science, industrial engineering, or a related field
• Programming skills
• Basic knowledge in the field of energy systems and energy markets
• Methodological knowledge in the field of artificial intelligence (AI)
• High level of initiative and result orientation to independently drive projects forward and achieve goals 

Keywords

virtual powerplant, bi-directional charging, energy management, foresight, new business models, electromobility