The Chem-E-Car Competition, hosted by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), requires students to design and construct a small-scale vehicle that operates by chemical means. The competition challenges students to create, innovate and explore new technologies that can serve as alternative sources of energy. During the competition, vehicles must travel a specific distance of 15 – 30 meters while carrying a load of 0 – 500 milliliters of water. Teams are told an hour before giving start to the competition the exact distance that the vehicle must travel and the specified cargo that it must carry. The vehicle that stops closest to the line is the winner of the competition. Teams compete at regional level, and the top places from each regional conference move on to compete at national level.
The 2014 AIChE Southern Regional Conference was held at the Condado Plaza Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico on March 21 – 23. The Chem-E-Car Competition, held on the second day of the conference, included the participation of the UPRM team, the Coki Racing Team, who competed amongst 18 other universities from the United States. Their Chem-E-Car, the Coki GT-E, stopped at 0.83 meters from the line, awarding the team third place in the performance competition and a spot at the 2014 AIChE National Competition. The Coki Racing Team also won the Spirit of the Competition Award for their enthusiasm and charisma during the competition.