Chem-E-Car

Overview

Competitive project with custom stopping and starting chemical mechanisms to operate car movement. Led a team of six engineers to manufacture a custom lead acid battery to power the car. Used academic research, laboratory techniques, and tests to ensure battery functionality and stability. Competed at the 2026 AIChE Western Regional Conference, placing above teams from Caltech, UCR, California Baptist University, UCD, USC, UCLA, UCSB, and CalPoly Pomona.

What I worked on

• Led design and fabrication of the custom lead-acid battery that powers the car.
• Implemented electrode manufacturing and electrodeposition procedures to improve electrode uniformity and charge–discharge performance.
• Tested and analyzed capacity, efficiency and degradation, and evaluated electrode materials, electrolyte composition and separators.
• Completed safety documentation and presented the design and hazard analysis during poster judging.

How the car works

• Starting mechanism: the lead-acid battery, with lead dioxide electrodes electrodeposited onto titanium mesh.
• Stopping mechanism: a luminol and bleach reaction. An RGB sensor and Arduino detect its light and cut power to the motor when it fades.
• Stopping data from 34 trials fit a reaction order of about 1.25 (R² = 0.996).