Bachelor and Master Theses

Project background

The electrification of public transport is creating new opportunities for integrating electric bus fleets into flexible and sustainable energy systems. While electric buses primarily serve passenger transportation, their batteries, charging infrastructure, and operational schedules also offer opportunities for energy flexibility, improved charging efficiency, and interaction with electricity grids and energy markets.

One promising approach is the development of Mobility-Integrated Energy Systems, where electric bus fleets, charging depots, stationary Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), and digital energy management solutions are integrated to support flexible and potentially bidirectional charging. Smart charging can optimize electricity consumption based on vehicle schedules, electricity prices, and grid constraints, while Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technologies could enable electric buses to provide energy back to depots or electricity grids when operationally feasible. Furthermore, stationary BESS, including repurposed second-life batteries, can support peak shaving, charging load management, renewable energy integration, and grid flexibility. Mobile or decentralized BESS solutions may also provide temporary charging support in locations with limited grid capacity.

However, implementing such systems requires coordination among multiple actors, including bus operators, battery and vehicle manufacturers, battery assessment and repurposing providers, charging infrastructure providers, digital platform providers, grid operators, and energy service providers. These actors have different responsibilities, operational priorities, investment requirements, and opportunities for value creation and capture.

Despite the potential benefits, there is limited understanding of how mobility-integrated energy ecosystems should be configured, which business models are suitable for different bus fleet operations, and what risks influence their implementation. Questions concerning battery and charging infrastructure ownership, energy service agreements, charging flexibility, battery degradation, fleet availability, electricity market participation, and revenue-sharing arrangements are particularly important. Therefore, mapping the ecosystem, exploring alternative business model configurations, and assessing associated risks are essential for understanding how electric bus operators can integrate mobility and energy services while maintaining reliable public transport operations.

Purpose of the thesis

The purpose of this thesis is to map and analyse the ecosystem of mobility-integrated energy systems and explore suitable business model configurations and associated risks for flexible and bidirectional charging of electric bus fleets.

The study will examine three public transport companies to identify key actors, their roles and responsibilities, material, electricity, information, and financial flows, and potential value creation and capture mechanisms. Particular attention will be given to the integration of smart charging, V2G, stationary second-life BESS, and mobile energy storage solutions into existing bus fleet and depot operations.

Research Questions

RQ1. How can the ecosystem and business model configurations for mobility-integrated energy systems be structured to support flexible and bidirectional charging of electric bus fleets?

RQ2. What are the key risks and enabling conditions influencing the implementation of these business model configurations across different public transport operators?

Research setting and research group 

The thesis will be conducted within the research project, SmartCharg (Smart and Circular Battery Charging Solutions), together with three buss companies (Svealandstrafiken, Transdev, and Luleålokaltrafiken) and with other actors in the project. This thesis will be part of the research group DigiCircle (Digital and Circular Industrial Services). You can read more about the project and the group on MDU webpage.

Education in one of these areas (Industrial engineering and management, product development, innovation management, business management, product and process development, energy engineering and management) and familiar with circular economy, business models, Industry 4.0 or digital transformation.

Svealandstrafiken, Transdev, and Luleålokaltrafiken