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What is the Chem-E-Car Project?
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What is the Chem-E-Car Project?
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Chem-E-Car is a competitive design challenge where AIChE at UCR students gain hands-on experience in chemical, mechanical, electrical engineering and programming skills. Our team is currently constructing one shoebox-sized car powered by chemical energy to precisely travel a set distance and stop. We compete at the AIChE Western Regional Conference—hosted by CSU Long Beach in 2025, following prior UCSD and UCLA events—with the opportunity to advance to the national level by placing in the top three.
UC Riverside placed 2nd and 3rd in the technical competition and placed 2nd in the poster competition at the Regional Conference in 2025. In a historic milestone since restarting Chem-E-Car in 2022, UCR qualified for nationals for the first time in Boston, MA.
Interested students are encouraged to attend our Chem-E-Car meetings and connect with Project Manager Sampreetha Tumkur to get involved or if you have any other ideas you'd like to pitch.
Chem-E-Car Western Regional Conference 2023
Chem-E-Car Western Regional Conference 2024
Chem-E-Car Western Regional Conference 2025
Important Updates
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Important Updates
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November 18, 2024 - Green Campus Action Plan (GCAP) has provided funds for the Chem-E-Car project. Utilization of these funds for the team are toward constructing the car components; this includes the battery which will be researched and manufactured to increase energy efficiency in the future.
GCAP Mission Statement:
The Green Campus Action Plan aims to provide undergraduate students with the financial resources to pursue sustainability-based projects on the University of California, Riverside campus. By taking ownership of our impact on the planet and our community, we - as students - can begin to tackle climate and sustainability issues at a college level and apply those lessons throughout our future careers.
Meet the Team Leads
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Meet the Team Leads
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Janine Lopez
Damien Solares
Diego Alvarez
Shad Shiozawa
Emilio Rivas
- Car 1 -
Name: TBD
- Car 1 -
Name: TBD
Highlights
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Power Team (Team leads: Janine Lopez)
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What do we do?
Our goal is to develop a battery that can provide reliable power for the car. To do this, we aim to create a new battery by utilizing off-the-shelf chemicals and materials. We will perform multiple test trials to find and optimize the best battery configuration.
What do we do?
Our goal is to develop a battery that can provide reliable power for the car. To do this, we aim to create a new battery by utilizing off-the-shelf chemicals and materials. We will perform multiple test trials to find and optimize the best battery configuration.
Stopping Team (Team lead: Diego Alvarez and Damien Solares)
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What do we do?
Our team is focused on finding a new and reliable way to stop the Chem-E-Car after a set amount of time or distance. Through the year, we’ll be looking into different chemical and physical stopping methods by researching past car designs and reading through existing papers. We'll test out different reactions and setups to see which ones are the most consistent and efficient to control. We’ll also be working closely with the Power team and other leads to make sure everything works together smoothly. By the end of the summer, we hope to have a fully tested stopping system ready for competition.
What do we do?
Our team is focused on finding a new and reliable way to stop the Chem-E-Car after a set amount of time or distance. Through the year, we’ll be looking into different chemical and physical stopping methods by researching past car designs and reading through existing papers. We'll test out different reactions and setups to see which ones are the most consistent and efficient to control. We’ll also be working closely with the Power team and other leads to make sure everything works together smoothly. By the end of the summer, we hope to have a fully tested stopping system ready for competition.
Mechanical Team (Team lead: Shad Shiozawa)
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What do we do?
As the Mechanical team of UCR’s Chem-E-Car project we model, 3D print, and test any mechanical component/part that our other teams need in order for the car to run: while also bringing every team’s hard work together into one by creating a reliable chassis.
What do we do?
As the Mechanical team of UCR’s Chem-E-Car project we model, 3D print, and test any mechanical component/part that our other teams need in order for the car to run: while also bringing every team’s hard work together into one by creating a reliable chassis.
Electrical Team (Team leads: Emillio Rivas)
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What do we do?
The Electrical Team designs and builds the electronic systems that control the Chem-E-Car. This includes programming microcontrollers (Arduino), designing DC-DC power converters, simulating circuits using tools like TI WEBENCH and PSpice, and creating custom PCBs with software such as Altium or other type of CAD software.
What do we do?
The Electrical Team designs and builds the electronic systems that control the Chem-E-Car. This includes programming microcontrollers (Arduino), designing DC-DC power converters, simulating circuits using tools like TI WEBENCH and PSpice, and creating custom PCBs with software such as Altium or other type of CAD software.
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