Chem-E Car is a design team that provides undergraduates with an opportunity to learn chemical, mechanical, electrical, and programming skill sets. Our organization builds small, handheld cars powered and stopped by chemical reactions to compete in regional and national competitions hosted by AIChE. At the competition, a judge announces a distance and specifies a weight that the car must carry. The team whose car can get closest to the announced distance after two rounds wins the competition.
A successful Chem-E-Car requires a team that is chemically competent, capable of building mechanical/electrical systems, and eager to collaborate to build a fully functional car. To conquer these tasks, Chem-E-Car is broken down into Power, Stopping, and Electromechanical teams in addition to EDP & Poster preparation committees.
- The Power Team is tasked with creating a chemical reaction that can deliver the energy needed to move the motor on the car itself. In short, this team makes the car move! In the past, the team has used multiple types of homemade batteries. This would include Lead-Acid Batteries, Copper-Zinc Batteries, Aluminum-Air Batteries, and more!
- The Stopping Team is tasked with creating time-sensitive reactions responsible for stopping the car. Desirable reactions change color or temperature at variable times. This year we used a chameleon clock, a reaction that changes color over time. The different qualities about the chemicals used in the reaction can vary the time it takes for the color change to occur.
- The Electromechanical Team builds the car itself. The car must travel a max distance of 30 meters and veering off course costs the team a 3-meter penalty. Keeping the car straight over such a long distance requires quality axels built by our mechanical team. They are also responsible for building containers to safely house the power, stopping, and electrical systems on the car.
The three teams came together to place 6th in the ChemE Car Competition & 4th in the ChemE Car Poster Competition at the National AIChE Student Conference in 2022! The team also placed 1st at the Southeast Regional AIChE Student Conference in 2022 and 3rd at the same conference in 2023.
As ChemE Car continues to take on more projects, the organization will grow. If you want to learn more or get involved, you can always reach out to cheme.car.ufaiche@gmail.com or contact the Executive Captain or Administrative Director directly:
Gavin Johnston, Executive Captain
johnstongavin@ufl.edu
Caroline Cicotte, Administrative Director
cicottec@ufl.edu
