“Xinyuan Cao is a PhD candidate in the Teaching and Research Area of Mechatronics in Mobile Drives at RWTH Aachen University. She holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology and a master’s degree in creative science and engineering from Waseda University, where her research focused on hybrid vehicle control and powertrain optimization. Since 2022, she has been conducting research in e-mobility and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technologies, with a focus on electric vehicle simulation and the energy management systems of electricity grids, contributing to both academic and industrial projects.
In 2023, she joined the XL-Connect project as the WP4 leader, where she is primarily responsible for developing advanced V2G functions and energy management systems (EMS) at the simulation level.”
What was your original motivation to become a researcher/project manager?
My original motivation to become a researcher stemmed from my strong curiosity about how emerging technologies can be transformed into real-world solutions. I was particularly inspired by the potential of e-mobility and smart grid technologies to address pressing energy and environmental challenges. This drove me to pursue a career where I could both advance technical research and coordinate collaborative projects, ensuring that ideas progress from concept to impactful applications.
What is your (main) research area today?
My main research area is e-mobility and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology. In particular, my work explores how electric vehicles, acting as part of a virtual power plant (VPP), can participate in electricity markets and be managed efficiently. This involves studying market-oriented charging and discharging strategies, optimizing aggregated EV fleet operations, and ensuring grid stability while maximizing economic benefits for both users and operators.
What is the main focus of your team in XL-Connect?
Our institute is mainly responsible for developing advanced charging concepts, integrating digital twins, and setting up a bi-directional charging demonstrator to help verify smart charging functionalities. To develop advanced EV aggregation and charging strategies, we focus on use cases involving public charging stations and company vehicle fleets, applying model predictive control (MPC) and artificial intelligence (AI) to identify optimal solutions.
From all your activities within the project, what are you the most proud of/keen to share with the public?
Through our cooperation with partners in XL-Connect, we have verified the benefits of smart charging in terms of both grid stability support and cost efficiency. Advanced EV aggregation algorithms are currently under development. With the installed bi-directional charging station, we can share real charging data to our cloud-based database, which will be used to establish a digital twin for developing and optimizing charging solutions.
How do you expect the XL-Connect results will impact your organisation?
XL-Connect enhance our research capabilities and broaden our experience in the field of charging and smart grids. As part of the project, we will also have the opportunity to establish a bi-directional charging demonstrator in Aachen—an important step towards our continued research on charging technology and energy management systems (EMS) for the wider e-mobility ecosystem. The project has also attracted many undergraduate and graduate students who wish to pursue careers in related fields and write their thesis.
