Battery Testing

With only one battery supplying power to the AEV, it was imperative that for the team to understand how fast the battery would drain from run to run.

During testing of the battery the power output was recorded using one code and two different propellers. Below is the a graph comparing both the small and large blades power output.

From our tests of the two propellers it can be seen that the bigger blades create more power than the small ones. By using the larger propellers the AEV will travel farther on a code that requires a lower motor speed and will not consume large amounts of battery power. Before testing commenced the initial battery voltage was measured at 8.40V. After each run the voltage was remeasured, the results are as followed:

After test 1: 8.34 V

After test 2: 8.33 V

After test 3: 8.32 V

With the greatest drop in voltage being after the first run it is safe to conclude that after the first run the voltage drop will continue to be small, allowing the vehicle to perform all day.

Using this data the team will calculate the power to weight ratio of the AEV and determine how many trips the vehicle will be able to perform.