Master Thesis: Predictive maintenance for alternators

Transport is at the core of modern society. Imagine using your expertise to shape sustainable transport and infrastructure solutions for the future. If you seek to make a difference on a global scale, working with next-gen technologies and the sharpest collaborative teams, then we could be a perfect match.

Thesis Background Volvo Penta has a vested interest in utilizing and understanding data for predictive maintenance to enhance our customers’ experience and quality.

Alternators are critical components in marine and industrial Internal combustion Engine. Unexpected alternator failures can lead to thermal events, safety risks, costly downtime, reduced availability, and increased maintenance costs.

Modern LIN alternators generate diagnostics data, creating opportunities to monitor health conditions and predict failures before they occur. By accurately predicting alternator degradation and remaining useful life, maintenance activities can be planned proactively instead of reactively. This improves system reliability, safety, reduces operational costs, and enhances customer satisfaction.

We at Electrical Components & Attributes are now committed to taking the next step in our advanced analytics journey.

What you will do? The objective of this thesis is to develop an algorithm and predictive model capable of determining the health status and remaining useful life (RUL) of an alternator. The Thesis will be divided into 3 stages, as below;

Stage1: Measure & collect data from a test rig or create a MATLAB model that consider the following parameters;

• Output current and voltage
• Alternator temperature
• Duty cycle and operating hours
• Rotor speed
• Load history
• Environmental conditions

Stage 2: Based on the parameters determined create an algorithm to determine the health status of the alternator at a particular time.

Stage 3: The algorithm/solution must be able to determine the remaining useful life (RUL) of the alternator and should continuously improve its prediction accuracy by comparing test data or MATLAB model. Different approaches, including data-driven analytics, AI/ML methods, and physics-based models, can be used.

What’s in it for you? Duration: approx. 5-6 months, starting January 2027.

Thesis level: Master (30 ECTS points)

Number of students: 2(1with Motor(s) background & 1 with a computer background)

Language: English

Master student in any of the following fields or related disciplines:

• Electrical Machines / Power Engineering :Sustainable electric power engineering & electromobility, Electric Power Engg; Maintenance engineering, Systems, control and mechatronics, Mobility engineering.
• Computer Science / AI :Information Technology – Data Science, AI and Machine Learning; Data Science – Machine Learning and Statistics.

Merits that are Beneficial

• Knowledge of rotating electrical machines and condition monitoring.
• Experience with signal processing or predictive maintenance applications.
• Experience with MATLAB, Python, or Machine Learning.
• CAN/LIN topology
• Interest in AI/ML and embedded systems.

Ready for the next move? Are you excited to bring your skills and disruptive ideas to the table? We can’t wait to hear from you. Apply today!

The last application date is the 30th October 2026. Contact details Neil Towers, Manager Electrical Components & Attributes, [email protected]

Meshach Daniel Pasupathy, Thesis Supervisor, [email protected]

We value your data privacy and therefore do not accept applications via mail.

Who We Are And What We Believe In We are committed to shaping the future landscape of efficient, safe, and sustainable transport solutions. Fulfilling our mission creates countless career opportunities for talents across the group’s leading brands and entities.

Applying to this job offers you the opportunity to join Volvo Group . Every day, you will be working with some of the sharpest and most creative brains in our field to be able to leave our society in better shape for the next generation. We are passionate about what we do, and we thrive on teamwork. We are almost 100,000 people united around the world by a culture of care, inclusiveness, and empowerment.

Volvo Penta , a world-leading supplier of engines and complete drive systems for marine and industrial applications, you will be part of a global and diverse team of highly skilled professionals who works with passion, trust each other and embraces change to stay ahead. We make our customers win.