The first ever 3D printed car was assembled in 44 hours in front of spectators in Chicago at the International Tech show this past Saturday. The car was produced by Local motors and they expect to offer cars to the public in a few months. The chassis and suspension and drivetrain was not 3D printed but the body panels and interior were.
Cool- I'm looking forward to the day when you can design your own body,and attach it to a chassis, like the "skateboard car" hydrogen concept modular system from a few years ago.
Where have I heard that before? Along with the promise of "mass customization."
Still cool, though. No reason the frame and engine can't incorporate more 3D printed parts and/or technology. The manufacturers won't be interested in printing your custom parts, but the aftermarket sure will. For a price that will only get more accessible.
Cool Idea but not coming to a road near you anytime soon. You need a crash tested structure and other required safety features to get it legal in the US. Unless you remove a wheel, then it becomes a motorcycle. It's also ugly, the layers are too thick, they need to be doing it in higher definition.
Cool Idea but not coming to a road near you anytime soon. You need a crash tested structure and other required safety features to get it legal in the US. Unless you remove a wheel, then it becomes a motorcycle. It's also ugly, the layers are too thick, they need to be doing it in higher definition.
Last i heard "kit cars" dont have to meet the same requirements as production cars. Might be a loophole . ( for now )
I doubt that this will be an attractive consideration in my lifetime, they have a long ways to go, but it's a start. There is one heck of a lot more into the car than the 48 hrs construction time they mention. With a 40 mph top speed, 120 mile range, and a cost of between $18,000 to $30,000, well frankly I've seen betting golf carts costing considerably less.
I doubt that this will be an attractive consideration in my lifetime, they have a long ways to go, but it's a start. There is one heck of a lot more into the car than the 48 hrs construction time they mention. With a 40 mph top speed, 120 mile range, and a cost of between $18,000 to $30,000, well frankly I've seen betting golf carts costing considerably less.
Good luck keeping this thing clean:
since its so thick, why cant one just sand it smooth ( then paint it )
since its so thick, why cant one just sand it smooth ( then paint it )
That would take a heck of a lot more time than it took to make it.
The thing is basically an electric motorcycle with 4 wheels, nothing to keep from getting wet, no heat, no A/C, pretty much noting but essentials to make it mobile. It's really the modern day version of Henry Ford's first prototype car (he built for under $300), with lower emissions.
Last i heard "kit cars" dont have to meet the same requirements as production cars. Might be a loophole . ( for now )
But is it a kit car or production car? For it to be a kit car you'd have to build it off a production car. production is production despite the method used, there would be no getting away with making this car without going through the same crash testing and safety requirements as any other production car. A trike would be the only easy work around.
I'm really not impressed with the performance, the title should have read "First 3D Printed Electric Golf Cart"
The good thing about this is that it shows it can be done, they or someone else I'm sure can/will do better and they probably rushed it just to be the first.
Incidentally I was just at Local Motors earlier today. Didn't see the 3D Printed Car, but I did get to play around the Rally Fighter (didn't get to drive one though).
Originally posted by jmbishop: Cool Idea but not coming to a road near you anytime soon. You need a crash tested structure and other required safety features to get it legal in the US. Unless you remove a wheel, then it becomes a motorcycle. It's also ugly, the layers are too thick, they need to be doing it in higher definition.
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Originally posted by User00013170: Last i heard "kit cars" dont have to meet the same requirements as production cars. Might be a loophole . ( for now )
And that is, as far as I've heard, the very loophole they use to sell the Rally Fighter without crash testing. They don't sell it as a kit exactly, the prospective owner has to come to the factory (Tempe, AZ) and spend around a week helping them assemble it so it can be called (and titled as) self-built. When I was there today I watched them building one:
[This message has been edited by OKflyboy (edited 09-17-2014).]
Originally posted by TheDigitalAlchemist: That's awesome, man! Thanks for sharing the pics!
You bet!
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Originally posted by 2.5: Those look fun, never heard of them.
They do indeed. I've actually been following these guys since their design stages. It was originally a crowd sourced design, asking the internet to come up with design concepts. Unfortunately they've gone up in price significantly. Of course at their original price of $60K they were already way above my range, but now they're $99K!! They gained a lot of popularity lately by being the "bad guy guv'ment" car in the latest Transformers movie:
[This message has been edited by OKflyboy (edited 09-17-2014).]
Originally posted by jmbishop: For it to be a kit car you'd have to build it off a production car
Not sure that is the case, as you can also buy/build custom frames for your 'custom' body too. its still a 'kit' that you either build from scratch or assemble from parts. It might vary from state to state.
Originally posted by jmbishop: For it to be a kit car you'd have to build it off a production car
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Originally posted by User00013170:
Not sure that is the case, as you can also buy/build custom frames for your 'custom' body too. its still a 'kit' that you either build from scratch or assemble from parts. It might vary from state to state.
Yeah semantics. AFAIK there's no "Kit car" category in most states, typically its "Specially Constructed Vehicle" or sometimes "Self-built Vehicle".
It also should be noted there are plenty of non-production-car-based kit cars out there. Hundreds of different Sand Rails (many of which having no VW parts), the Ultima GTR, the Factory Five GTM, the list goes on and on.
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