During this lab, the team created an AEV design that used a bottle as a base. The design was then compared to the reference unit to see if it was more energy, time, or cost efficient. The team had hope that the low cost, lightweight, and readily-available design would prove to be a possible candidate for the final problem. The screening and scoring helped the team decide if it was.
The team started by creating an excel sheet for examining designs. Originally, the team had planned to create and test multiple AEV designs, but the bottle design took a while due to a dearth of tools that could pierce plastic. The team eventually cut out the bottom of the bottle and attached all the AEV components to the inside. Finally, the design was run on the test track and then compared to the reference.
Design screening
| Success Criteria | Reference | Bottle |
| Speed | 0 | – |
| Balance In Turns | 0 | 0 |
| Minimal Blockage | 0 | + |
| Center Of Gravity | 0 | 0 |
| Maintainability | 0 | + |
| Durability | 0 | + |
| Cost | 0 | + |
| Environmental | 0 | + |
| Sum +’s | 0 | 5 |
| Sum 0’s | 8 | 2 |
| Sum -’s | 0 | 1 |
| Net Score | 0 | 4 |
| Continue? | Yes | Yes |
Design scoring
| Success Criteria | Reference | Bottle |
| Speed (20%) | 3 | 2 |
| Balance In Turns (15%) | 3 | 3 |
| Minimal Blockage (5%) | 3 | 4 |
| Center Of Gravity 5%) | 3 | 3 |
| Maintainability (10%) | 3 | 4 |
| Durability (15%) | 3 | 5 |
| Cost (20%) | 3 | 5 |
| Environmental (10%) | 3 | 4 |
| Net Score | 3 | 3.75 |
| Continue? | No | Yes |