Battery-based storage to power first fully electric touring car championship

In 2024, the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship (STCC), based in Sweden with rounds in Norway, will become the first national racing series in the world to compete with electric touring cars.

Key to enabling this transformation are Swedish industrial company Atlas Copco’s ZBC battery-based energy storage systems, which will be used to recharge the electric cars.

STCC’s move to use fully electric cars will enable the racing to become more sustainable as well as allow the competition to take part in cities.

“There is a huge energy transition going on globally and a shift towards using electric power rather than fossil fuels, and the motorsport industry is no different,” said Micke Bern, CEO at STCC, in a release.

“However, racing electric touring cars is very different to driving electric consumer cars. A major challenge we faced in electrifying STCC was that there was no concept. We needed new cars and new ways to power them, and to find trusted partners that could help us to achieve our dreams.”

Going electric

A vital part of racing electric cars is being able to supply them with energy and recharge the batteries quickly and efficiently while meeting emission regulations.

“We wanted the transition to be as sustainable as possible, and to use battery-based units rather than diesel generators,” added Micke.

“The chosen energy system needed to be able to manage energy coming from different sources, like renewables, and deliver it as required to ensure the touring cars had enough power for the races.”

According to the partners, touring car racing uses a high level of energy, so the power banks needed to be able to handle a lot of electric energy coming into the system for storage as well as energy going out to the charger for the cars.

“Capacity was vital for us,” said Micke. “The cars have 45kWh and 800V batteries, and each session uses about 360kWh. There are typically two sessions per day and four sessions in a regular race weekend.

“For city events, with head-to-head racing, the format is slightly different, and less energy is used. However, in metropolitan areas, it is particularly crucial to avoid greenhouse gas emissions during the events.”

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The storage systems also needed to be able to be easily moved between each of the races and be ready to start on arrival.

“We worked closely with STCC to fully understand their requirements, and recommended the ZBC 250-575 model, which has a rated power of 250kVA, storage capacity of 575kWh, and they are easy to use and install. We designed a mobile energy station, putting two units on a trailer and matching the specifics of the racing cars’ recharging process,” said Fredrik Alund, business line manager at Atlas Copco.

The ZBC energy storage systems incorporate high-density lithium-ion batteries; and according to Copco, they can provide over 12 hours of power from a single charge and can be fully charged in just three hours, depending on the application.

Additionally, the inclusion of advanced battery technology means they are more compact and lightweight compared with traditional alternatives and can be easily transported between races.

When working in island mode, the energy storage systems offer emission-free operations, which the partners state will be critical for city centre applications.

Torbjörn Håkansson, owner and CEO of SMT Sweden, Atlas Copco’s distributor in the region, said: “We have been testing the system to its limits, and it works very well.

“An added benefit is that STCC has also been able to use the ZBC systems to recharge the loaders that are used at race events.”

During 2023, there have been various demonstration shows where STCC has presented the new electric cars and proven the technology.

Two mobile energy stations, with two ZBC 250-575 energy storage systems each, have been used to recharge the electric racing cars used in these demonstrations.

The latest demonstration took place during STCC’s closing event this year in Mantorp, and showcased the new CUPRA Born and the Tesla Model 3, the first new electric STCC car, to over 11,000 attendees.