Loughborough University Motorsport's electric Formula racing car with Powdertech’s advance dielectric coatings.

Loughborough University Motorsport (LUMotorsport), one of the UK’s premier Formula student team, partnered with Powdertech Surface Science to achieve durable, high-performance dielectric coatings that could meet the rigorous demands of motorsport, provide electrical insulation, and protect against short circuits, electrical arcing, and overall environmental degradation. 

Potential dielectric coating challenges  

Honeycomb structure of the electric Formula racing car’s battery cell pack

Loughborough University Motorsport (LUMotorsport)’s electric racing car's battery pack design presented critical challenges- 

Complex part geometry: The part geometry of the EV battery pack with its honeycomb-type structure presented technical challenges. The dielectric coatings on these parts needed a film build thin enough to allow battery cells to fit, but thick enough to provide the required dielectric coverage. The holes could easily fill with too much powder, preventing successful build of the battery enclosure. The shape of the battery also made testing coating thickness difficult. 

Insulation requirements with environmental protection: Another critical challenge was to ensure adequate electrical insulation as per spec to prevent short circuits and thermal arcing. Protection of metal components, which were prone to wear and corrosion under a high-stress environment, can affect the reliability and durability of the battery cell pack, as it would be subjected to intense conditions of motorsport. Like all components with dielectric requirements, the coating needed to be 100% defect-free, as any weak point in the coating will lead to a failure at the testing stage. 

Collaboration with Powdertech Surface Science for technically advanced dielectric coating 

Powdertech's dielectric coating process met the battery assembly's fit tolerance, ensuring the right coating thickness in the cell cavities, so that the cells sit flat on the battery pack’s surface. The parts were jigged at an angle to get the required coating thickness, ensuring holes would not fill with powder. 

The parts were orientated in a particular way to avoid uneven surface coating, and Eddy current gauges were used to measure the coating thickness, and the team ensured to hit the minimum threshold for the dielectric insulation properties.  

The desired balance between protection and fit tolerance was achieved, a critical factor in the dielectric coating process for EV battery assemblies. 

For measuring electrical insulation, the Powdertech team conducted a defect sweep using Holiday testing, followed by a high-voltage test using Hi-Pot equipment to measure the kilovolt dielectric breakdown strength at their on-site dielectric test cell. 

Check out the video to experience the precision and technical expertise that went to enhance LUMotorsport's 2025 electric race car.

Achieved desired performance and reliability. 

The process successfully achieved the required fit tolerance, coating thickness, and dielectric breakdown strength of 1000Kv. The holes retained shape so that battery cells could fit into the holes. The battery packs were tested with a thickness meter on flat face and a vernier on the curved edges of holes. 

LUMotorsport’s team was sure that their parts met the required dielectric spec, as the parts successfully passed the Hi-Pot testing. The parts were assembled without the holes getting filled with powder, this resulted in overall successful part delivery. 

Our TiZr passivation process created a stable protective layer that allowed protection against corrosion and extremely high temperatures from the intense motorsport conditions. 

LUMotorsport achieved an advanced dielectric coating solution that met their technical demands without compromising the battery's fit and performance. 

Through a collaborative effort, Powdertech Surface Science provided LUMotorsport with a tailored dielectric coating solution that addressed the specific technical challenges of their electric Formula racing car's battery pack.  

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Connect with the Powdertech team to discuss your next dielectric coating project.