Team N’s designs are focused on many factors, such as cost, speed, and environmental efficiency. Because the AEV’s project has many similarities to real-life transport systems, we looked many transport systems around the world, ranging from high speed bullet trains to the simple metro system, and evaluated how we could apply concepts from them into our design.
Picture of a Shinkansen, a Japanese Bullet Train
At higher speeds, the aerodynamics of the transport system matters in reducing the drag. We realized that we needed to design our AEVs in a way to reduce drag at these speeds.
In addition, we looked into many tram systems. We found there were two factors that were influencing the direction of tram design nowadays, which are cost, speed, and comfort. We found people preferred trams because they were more comfortable than buses because they moved more steadily. As a result, the design of the tram had to make sure that the cargo it was carrying, or the passengers, did not move around often during the trip. In addition, trams were much faster than other methods of transportation, such as buses, so speed was also a factor.
Sources
[1] Baker, C. (2013, September 26). Understanding the phenomena of train aerodynamics. Retrieved from https://www.globalrailwayreview.com/article/18927/understanding-the-phenomena-of-train-aerodynamics/
[2] Newman, P. (2018, September 26). Why trackless trams are ready to replace light rail. Retrieved from https://phys.org/news/2018-09-trackless-trams-ready-rail.html
[3] Piccirilli Dorsey, Inc. (2018, July 19). Fact Sheet: High Speed Rail Development Worldwide. Retrieved from https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-high-speed-rail-development-worldwide