Current Findings

With all of our data collected, we can safely say that coasting is potentially the most efficient way of stopping your AEV without the caboose since after only running at 25% power for 10 feet, your AEV can coast essentially the full length of the track. Power braking should only be used when you need to stop at a precise location, like at the station. With the caboose, the AEV stops in such a short distance while coasting that there is essentially no need to power brake. We would’ve liked to test more variables, like different power brake speeds and a combination of coasting and power braking to get more sufficient data, but a combination of problems coming up and a lack of time didn’t allow for this. Based on the amount of data that we collected, as long as you start the day with a fully charged battery, you shouldn’t have any problems with performance, as the battery has more than enough power to run your AEV for a classroom period.