Master Thesis Worker, Repairability of high voltage automotive components in commercial vehicles

About the Thesis

Heavy-duty road transport is undergoing a significant transition toward CO2 neutrality. To support this transition, it is crucial that zero emission vehicles like battery electric (BEV) or Fuel cell vehicles (FCEV) can reach cost of ownership parity to Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles. One important part of cost of ownership is the cost of repairing and maintaining the vehicles, the maintenance cost.
Repairability of ingoing components like engines and gearboxes in ICE vehicles is common practice and an expected feature of a commercially competitive vehicle to reduce maintenance cost and the circularity footprint. This however is not always true for BEVs or FCEVs. In many cases a repair of a BEV or FCEV means exchanging the complete, often expensive, faulty component – a battery, onboard charger, electric machine etc. Together with other factors like the electrical safety requirements this means that repairing a BEV or FCEV in case of breakdown is often very expensive. 
The expectation in the market, however, is that the maintenance cost for a BEV is significantly lower than that of a corresponding ICE vehicle. This is currently true for preventive maintenance, but the significant cost of corrective maintenance means that the total maintenance cost of a BEV can be very high if reliability of the driveline cannot be secured. 
One way to keep the repair cost and circularity footprint down is to enable repair of the high voltage components, i.e. replacing the faulty ingoing part of the component instead of replacing the complete component. But repairing high voltage electronics is something completely different that repairing engines or other mechanical components and this will put new demands on all parts of the chain, from product development to the mechanic. However, there is a gap in knowledge about the market activities in this area as well as the specific requirements high voltage component repair will put on workshops, product development etc.

What you will do

The thesis aims to answer the following questions:

a)    What does the market for high voltage automotive component repair look like?
b)    What are the drivers behind and benefits of repair (economical/circularity/legal?
c)    What are the specific/unique requirements for efficient, safe, and quality assured repair of high voltage components vs traditional automotive components?
d)    How is safety and quality of repairs ensured?

To answer these questions, it will be necessary to conduct a market study to understand the current situation in the market. It will also be necessary to understand electrical risks, cleanliness requirements and solutions, fault tracing and end-of-repair testing etc – and how to design components and workshop processes to mitigate them. This research will need to be solidly based in theory, but also be possible to apply practically. Part of the work will also be to identify new questions and needs in the area and the scope can be adjusted if needed, as an example a study could also be carried out on component repair in more traditional electrified areas like trains and trams.

Your future team

Aftermarket Technology provides Volvo Group Business Areas with the best possible solutions supporting their aftermarket business.
Thanks to our technical, business and customer knowledge, we deliver solutions and services for the salesmen, the mechanics and parts personnel at dealers and other service points such as Spare Parts Assortment, Parts Information, Diagnostics and Repair Information, Service Planning and supporting systems solutions and tools.

Maintainability Engineering focuses on ensuring that our products are easy and cost-effective to maintain throughout their lifecycle. This involves integrating maintainability considerations early in the product development process, analyzing potential maintenance needs, and developing solutions that minimize downtime and repair cost.

This is you

We are looking for candidates in the final year of their engineering studies, likely from faculties of Mechanical Engineering or Electrical Engineering. An interest or experience in automotive engineering, especially from a repair perspective, is highly valued.  We would like you to start no later than January 2026.

Ready for the next move?

If you want to make a real impact in your career, the transportation business is where you want to be. We look forward to meeting you. If you have any questions please feel free to contact: 

Joachim Gunmalm, Joachim.gunmalm@volvo.com, 0739 02 93 33 or Johan Öjergren, Johan.ojergren@volvo.com, 0739 02 69 13

Last application date is 7th of September.