2008 & 2010 National Champions! 2011 Northeast Regional Champions!
Cornell AIChE ChemE Car is a project team where students gain experience in engineering design and fabrication. Students build a shoebox-sized car which is powered by a chemical reaction and must stop on its own. The current car is powered by hydrogen fuel cells and stops using an "iodine clock" reaction.
The car must go between 50 and 100 feet carrying between 0 and 500 milliliters of water. The exact distance and time within that range (at the 2008 Nationals, it was 50 feet and 250 milliliters of water) are announced an hour before the competition, so careful calibration and flexibility are crucial aspects of the car.
The team competes each spring at the Northeast Regional Conference. For the 2011 Northeast Regionals, the team placed first, earning them a spot at the National Competition to compete against 30 teams from around the country.
Students apply their knowledge of reaction kinetics, mechanical systems and many other engineering skills to design and test the car. The team provides a fun application of engineering knowledge outside of the classroom.
Join Us!
Want to be a part of Cornell ChemE Car? Complete and e-mail the application to chemecar@cornell.edu
If you have any questions about the team, including media inquiries and applications feel free to contact us by the e-mail above and/or weekly meetings
Upcoming Events
- 2012 Regional Conference
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March 16–17, 2012
University of New Haven, West Haven, CT
Regional Conference 2011
Zoidberg II, our alkaline battery powered car, stopped only two inches away from the line, placing us first and qualifying us for the 2011 Nationals!
National Conference 2010
We traveled all the way to Salt Lake City, placing 1st for the second time in two years!, with Zoidberg, a zinc-carbon battery powered car
Regional Conference 2010
At Johns Hopkins University, our zinc-carbon battery car, The Mauve Avenger came third, qualifying us for the nationals!
International Conference 2009
The team journeyed across the border to Canada, winning 6th place in the world!
Regional Conference 2009
At UMass Amherst, the team said farewell to Bender, and introduced MacGyver with a 3rd place finish!
National Conference 2008
Cornell won! Bender 4.0 stopped exactly on the line, setting a national record!
Regional Conference 2008
The team traveled to MIT, where a third place finish sent it to Nationals in Philadelphia!
National Conference 2007
Cornell placed 11th! An all-time high for the program at the national level.
