Electric vehicles built by 1,300 university students... Chonnam National University SEM takes two titles at e-mobility competition

[Financial News] About 1,300 university students from 39 universities nationwide competed using electric mobility vehicles they designed and built themselves. Based on an overall evaluation of acceleration, driving performance and endurance racing, the SEM team from Chonnam National University won the grand prize. The team also took home the top award in the Technical Ideas category, securing two titles.
The Korean Society of Automotive Engineers said on the 7th that it had concluded the 2026 Collegiate Smart e-Mobility Competition, held from the 2nd to the 4th at the Jeonnam Branch of the Korea Automotive Technology Institute in Yeonggwang County, Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City.
The competition, co-hosted by the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers, the Korea Automotive Technology Institute, Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City and Yeonggwang County, drew about 1,300 university students in 45 teams from 39 universities nationwide.
The students entered electric mobility vehicles they had designed and built themselves, and competed on the performance and overall quality of their vehicles in events including acceleration, gymkhana, driving performance and endurance racing.
In the overall standings, the SEM team from Chonnam National University won the grand prize, earning consistently high scores across the events. The team received the Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Award and prize money.
In a separate category testing energy efficiency, Incheon National University’s INU Racing team recorded the best result and received the Minister of Climate, Energy and Environment Award.
The gold medal in the overall evaluation went to Korea National University of Transportation’s KNUT_EV team. Silver medals went to Seoul National University of Science and Technology’s MDS team and Korea University of Technology and Education’s VOLTS team, while bronze medals went to Kangwon National University’s RPM team and Honam University’s Makjima team.
The Chonnam National University SEM team also excelled in the technical category. It won the top award in the Technical Ideas category, which evaluated technical ability and design creativity, making it a double winner alongside the overall grand prize.
Inha University’s I.C.C-EV team received the Award for Excellence in Technical Ideas and Design for presenting a design intended to improve vehicle performance.
The Korean Society of Automotive Engineers sees the competition as more than a contest: it is a hands-on learning opportunity where future mobility professionals can gain direct experience with everything from vehicle design and construction to performance testing.
Jeong Seon-gyeong, president of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers, said, “The Collegiate Smart e-Mobility Competition is an opportunity to nurture talent who will lead the future mobility industry and to see firsthand electric mobility vehicles that embody university students’ passion and potential.”
Jeong added, “As competition in the global mobility industry intensifies, I hope that people with experience building electric mobility vehicles will lead the global market.”
Founded in 1978, the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers currently has about 52,666 individual members, as well as about 800 corporate, research institute and library members, including five automakers. It also works to cultivate future automotive talent through events such as the University Student Self-Built Car Competition and the Smart e-Mobility Competition.
[email protected] Kim Dong-ho Reporter