Swerve vs. Butterfly Drivetrain

[Jon Stratis]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

The biggest reason not to do swerve drive isn't simply that it's difficult, it's that tank drive is much easier and is 95% as effective at least. It can be made fantastic with good software but works well even when the software does not. And every other part of your robot depends on the drivetrain to see the light of day. Not moving reliably or quickly is an unacceptable risk for most teams.

I would add that the time and effort put into swerve drive could be better used elsewhere. A simple KoP (or similar) drivetrain can be put together in a single day.