What began as a simple request to fund a student trip has evolved into a premier electric vehicle competition that’s fueling the future of STEM education in South Texas.
Toyota Texas partnered with the San Antonio community and the South Texas Business Partnership Foundation for the Alamo City Electrathon (ACE Race), an event where hundreds of high school students race custom-built electric vehicles and demonstrate the power of innovation.
The competition hones skills in engineering and energy efficiency while applying real-world STEM principles, problem solving and teamwork. The 2025 event shattered attendance records and made a bold leap from a parking lot to the prestigious San Antonio Police Department Training Track, where future officers hone their skills before hitting the field.
This venue welcomed over 40 teams from across San Antonio, Texas, Kansas and Mexico, with more than 250 students and coaches fueling the excitement.
Ready to Ace the Race — Students take their marks inside their electric vehicle ahead of the Alamo City Electrathon in San Antonio. (photo courtesy of SoTX Business Partnership Foundation)
It all started eight years ago when Toyota Texas was approached with a philanthropic inquiry to support a San Antonio electric car team going to a competition in Florida. In the spirit of problem solving and kaizen, Toyota engaged community leaders to create a local competition so that San Antonio-area students could have that same experience without the expense or burdens of having to travel.
Since then, Toyota Texas has offered their support with financial contributions, mentorship and volunteerism leading up to and on the event day.
Toyota Texas also helped bring additional supporters to the event including Toyota Racing Development (TRD), which signed on as a sponsor this year. The TRD team donated funds for the purchase of vehicle transponders, a significant upgrade to ensuring accuracy, accountability and functional analysis for each team.
This elevated the professionalism and caliber of the event. And for a change in pace, the competitors’ families were able to watch the same data being captured through an app in real time.
Making History — Rob Franklin (right), former Toyota Texas vice president of Administration and Production Control, stands with Liesa Bednar, group manager of Assembly, during the 2025 ACE Race. This was the first time the race was held at the San Antonio Police Department Training Track.
“Together with TRD, Toyota Texas was able to participate in the 2025 ACE Race, inspiring the South Texas workforce of tomorrow through this hands-on, relevant experience,” said Rob Franklin, Toyota Texas vice president of Administration and Production Control, who has since retired. “We are watching these students build their own futures in real time through this event, and as a founding industry partner, we are proud to see how much it has grown over the years.”
Toyota’s participation in the event also went across borders: Colleagues from Toyota Guanajuato experienced a first by traveling to San Antonio to watch the competition and learn best practices. They were able to sponsor two university teams from Mexico who competed for the first time, finishing in the top three.
This year’s winning team from East Central Independent School District had a female driver who capitalized on her STEM interest as soon as she was a first-year high school student. She graduated in May as the valedictorian of her senior class and is focused on becoming a mechanical engineer.
Toyota Texas takes pride in knowing that her participation in ACE Race played a small but meaningful role in her journey, helping her accelerate toward an even brighter future.