UMaine Students to Compete in National Chem-E-Car Competition

The University of Maine’s Chem-E-Car will race at the 15th annual American Institute of Chemical Engineers’ (AIChE) Chem-E-Car Competition in San Francisco, Calif., on Nov. 3. The race, sponsored by Chevron, will welcome 31 teams to compete at Hilton San Francisco Union Square.

The annual Chem-E-Car competition is an example of the important real-world applications of chemical engineering. Students use innovative fuels and materials to create and power a shoebox-size car.

During the competition, each team’s Chem-E-Car will be expected to carry an unspecified load an unspecified distance. The students will learn the required load size and distance at the event and will have to quickly improvise to achieve their goal. The car that gets the closest to the distance goal wins the competition and a $2,000 prize.

The UMaine team members that will travel to the event are Charles Cheevers, Chris Cawley, Alex Lee, Devin Weaver and Kody Allcroft. The team’s adviser is John Hwalek, an associate professor of chemical and biological engineering at UMaine. An RC motor that will run on a homemade zinc-carbon battery will power the team’s car, named LOLA.

For more information, visit the Chem-E-Car conference website.