Why Our Design

Team M’s final design is lightweight and compact. Our design is advantageous due to its speed, energy efficiency, safety, and affordability.

Our lightweight design allows the AEV to have less rolling resistance between its wheels and the track. As a result, the AEV is able to move at higher speeds, as the motors aren’t working to compensate for the resistance. The AEV is able to complete a full run of 56 feet in merely 47 seconds. Its speed will allow the AEV to carry passengers quickly between locations. It will also make the vehicle able to stick to a strict time schedule and will be reliable for passengers.

The decreased rolling resistance once again offers benefit to the vehicle by making our final AEV design extremely energy efficient. Because there is little resistance to overcome, the AEV is able to travel at the same speed as heavier designs using significantly less energy. Additionally, our final design coasts with ease, which saves even more energy. Our AEV only uses 196 J in an entire run. In comparison with a heavier design, our AEV used nearly half as much energy. This saved energy will decrease the environmental impact of the AEV, while also decreasing cost.

Our new AEV is extremely safe for the public. We have coded the vehicle to utilize coasting and gradually enter the loading zone and dock. The AEV utilizes a breaking technique where the vehicle will coast for a set distance and then the motors are reversed in order to bring the vehicle to a stop. The combination of coasting and reversal of the motors offers a gentle, yet effective, breaking system. There is no harsh breaking for passengers to worry about. They will experience a fast and smooth ride across Columbus and its residential areas.

Finally, our AEV is affordable. Its design removes unnecessary parts and the 3D printed part is made of very little material. The design itself costs $880 and the overall AEV structure costs $148,601. Compared to the original design, our final design saves $2,672 in design costs. Our AEV costs $981,553.87 between the structure and the energy and time costs of two runs. While this may seem like a high price, this cost is low for all of the benefits that come along with our AEV design.