The final AEV design is fast and completed the final performance tests in under a minute. The speed of the AEV makes it a reliable method of transportation to get customers where they need to be on time. The final design of the AEV contributes to achieving high speeds because of the weight reduction compared to sample AEV. The sample AEV relied on brackets and multiple pieces which contributed to the weight. The final design is a single vertically hanging piece that the individual components connect to. The AEV weight reduction was an early goal of the AEV designs as displayed in the scoring matrices.
The design element that has been at the forefront of design choices is safety. The importance of safety is reflected in the final performance test by completing two tests with no accuracy errors. There were no safety violations at any point in the study. The AEV properly stopped at each gate and always came to a gentle stop. The advanced research and development proved that coasting to stop was more energy efficient than reversing the motors to stop. Reversing motors to stop was used in the final design because of its consistency and safety for people using the AEV. Initial versions of the AEV used coasting to stop based off of the results of the advanced research and development, but the final design reversed the motors to stop for the safety of the AEV.
Energy efficiency is another focus of the study. Energy efficiency will reduce costs to operate the AEV which will reduce the cost for people to use the AEV. Being energy efficient is also better for the environment because less pollution is sent into the atmosphere. The initial sample AEV lacked in energy efficiency and improvements were made in the final design. Tests from performance test one showed that the sample AEV used 70.6 joules to complete the performance test. The final design only used 61.8 joules to complete the performance test. Each design was operating using the same code and the final design saved 8.8 joules of energy on the first performance test alone. The weight reduction that has been an emphasis of the final design contributed to energy efficiency because there was less weight that had to be stopped and started compared to the sample AEV.
The AEV is affordable to use which makes it a top transportation choice for anyone in Columbus. The AEV has a large market of customers because it is specifically designed to travel directly from the residential areas of Columbus to the commercial and business areas. The large market reduces the cost for each individual person to use the AEV. If the AEV had a small market the prices would be expensive because the cost of operation would be split among fewer people. Designing the AEV for use in densely populated areas will make it affordable for any individual to use. The low costs of use also make it an option for anyone in Columbus. People from different ages, backgrounds, and income levels can all benefit from the AEV because it is affordable to use. The AEV is reliable because there is no traffic on the tracks and the AEV avoids the busy traffic in Columbus. The final AEV travels quickly which reduces time spent on the track which reduces costs [1]. The final AEV consumes less energy compared to the sample AEV which also reduces energy costs. The high speed and energy efficiency are caused by the weight reduction of the final design compared to the sample AEV.