Chem-E-Car

What's Chem-E-Car?

UC Davis AICHE Team at Western Regionals 2024 — The Chem-E-Car team placing 4th at the 2024 AIChE Western Regionals Student Conference

Chem-E-Car is a team-project-based club where we design and build a shoebox-sized car powered by our chosen chemical reaction(s). We take our car to compete in the annual AIChE Western Regionals Student Conference, where the car must move a specified distance and stop. All majors are welcome (not just Chemistry/(Bio)ChemE)! It's a great opportunity to learn and build chemical, mechanical, electrical, programming, design, and team-oriented skill sets.

Members receive 1 unit every quarter for participating in Chem-E-Car. Students that are committed to consistently participating throughout the quarter should enroll in ECH 198 (CRN: 28139), which counts towards technical engineering units and degree requirements in our majors! If you are hesitant, you can still participate and test out the waters by enrolling in ECH 98 (CRN: 28106).

Structure and Organization

Our team is separated into three sub-teams:

Chassis: Responsible for the physical infrastructure and organization of the car
Power: Responsible for developing the electrochemical cells that power the car
Stopping: Responsible for developing the chemical stopping mechanism

Each sub-team typically meets on a weekly basis (though meeting times usually vary during exam weeks).

How Can I Join?

We usually look for new members at the start of each quarter due to training requirements. Please join the discord below or email one of the team leads to let them know about your interest!