Modelling, operation, and planning of vehicle-integrated photovoltaic systems: a review

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Bayram, I Safak and Qais, Mohammed and Galloway, Stuart and Morais, Hugo (2026) Modelling, operation, and planning of vehicle-integrated photovoltaic systems: a review. In: 52nd Annual Conference of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society (IECON 2026), 2026-10-18 - 2026-10-21. (In Press)

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Abstract

Vehicle-integrated photovoltaic (VIPV) integrate the exterior surfaces of electric vehicles into distributed photovoltaic energy sources. The technology does not replace the existing charging infrastructure, but it reduces the reliance on grid-supplied energy and charging frequency. This paper reviews modelling, operation, and planning methods for VIPV systems. The review is organized around four coupled layers: vehicle energy modelling and economics; dynamic partial shading, maximum power point tracking, and PV cell interconnection topology; solar resource assessment techniques for parking and driving; and system planning for routes, parking spaces, fleets, and battery use. The literature shows that VIPV value depends strongly on vehicle class, duty cycle, surface area, climate, shading, and charging behaviour. Passenger vehicles can obtain meaningful reductions in charging frequency and grid energy, while heavy-duty vehicles often gain higher absolute energy savings but lower fractional propulsion support. The main research gaps are the lack of standardized VIPV metrics, limited validation under real driving and parking conditions, weak coupling between resource maps and vehicle energy flow models, and insufficient treatment of battery ageing under irregular solar and vehicle-to-grid power profiles. The paper concludes with a research agenda for validated, vehicle class-specific VIPV planning tools.

ORCID iDs

Bayram, I Safak ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8130-5583, Qais, Mohammed, Galloway, Stuart ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1978-993X and Morais, Hugo;
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