As a proud sponsor, TRACO Power supports Appalachian State University’s Team Sunergy in the prestigious Formula Sun Grand Prix and American Solar Challenge solar car races. Our TEP 200-7212UIR DC-DC converter plays a key role in optimizing the vehicle's energy management and safety—critical factors for efficiency and success in competition.

The following experience report offers very interesting insights into the team, the races and the technical challenges:

Team Sunergy, Appalachian State University's solar vehicle team, competes in the Formula Sun Grand Prix (FSGP) and the American Solar Challenge (ASC), the two most prestigious solar car competitions in North America. The team is organized into four specialized sub-teams, with the electrical team responsible for designing, testing, and optimizing the car's hardware and software systems. This includes creating custom circuit boards to maximize performance and reliability during the races.

One of the key challenges in solar car racing is efficient power management. Our car is equipped with a high voltage (HV) battery that stores energy to compensate for fluctuations in solar power input, allowing for longer and faster runs. However, a low-voltage (24V) battery is also needed to start the car and as a backup power source in the event of a failure. Most of the car's electrical components run on 12V, so efficient voltage conversion is critical.

This is where TRACO Power's TEP 200-7212UIR isolated DC-DC converter has proved invaluable. The high input voltage range of this converter allows us to step down both the high voltage battery and the low voltage battery to 12V, giving us greater flexibility. Importantly, the HV battery must remain isolated from the chassis ground, and the TEP 200-7212UIR provides this isolation, making it an ideal fit for the safety requirements of our system.

The efficiency of the TEP 200-7212UIR is exceptional, which is critical in solar racing where every watt of power counts. This high efficiency directly contributes to extending the range of the car and improving performance during the race.

We are proud to have TRACO Power as a partner, providing high quality products that meet the demanding requirements of solar car racing.