3D Printing Goes Full Customization | “Road Ready” 3D Printed Car
Wow, Local Motors sure is busy this year. This unusual auto
manufacturer specializes in collaborative open source design,
microfactories, and 3D printing, and we took note when the company
kicked off 2015 by hooking up with the US Energy Department for a new
lightweight design challenge. What we didn’t note was this other
challenge launched by Local Motors, which could put you behind the wheel
of a fully customized 3D printed car some time next year.
3D Printing & Project [Redacted]
The latest challenge comes under the heading Project [Redacted],
which Local Motors playfully introduced with a video that would put the
most insistent Jade Helm conspiracy theorist to shame (seriously, ice cream truck morgues?).
The challenge was to design “the next generation of 3D-printed cars,”
and qualifying entries had to demonstrate that the design could result
in the world’s first road-ready 3D printed car, which Local Motors
really does plan to put into production in 2016.
The idea is to roll out a low-speed version at the beginning of the
year, and follow it up with a “fully homologated highway-ready” model
before 2017 (homologated is fancyspeak for a vehicle approved for a
particular use).
The winning entry was announced last week, and it’s a twofer that
demonstrates the high degree of customization enabled by 3D printing.
Kevin Lo, a long-time Local Motors collaborator known as Reload, won for
a duo of designs called Reload Swim and Reload Sport.
Reload Swim is a 2+2 buggy that recalls Pimp My Ride with a beach party–ready sound system:
Reload Sport, shown at the top of this article, features a more sleek, look-at-me-I’m-aggressive approach to style.
The secret sauce is a hull-based foundation that forms a “skateboard” upon which other elements are added:
Did we mention that the new 3D printed car will be an electric
vehicle? It will be, and the placement of the batteries was done to
maximize the compatibility of the design with 3D printing. You can get
more details about the construction from the Local Motors slideshow, or check out the company’s somewhat bombastically produced (on purpose, we’re guessing) video:
Not for nothing, but the judging panel included other Local Motors
community members as well as professional judges included well known
steam-driven car aficionado Jay Leno.
3D Printing & Lithium-Sulfur Batteries & Autonomous Vehicles &…
Speaking of batteries, while Local Motors currently deploys
conventional lithium-ion batteries, the company is eyeballing new
technology including lithium-sulfur batteries, which it claims can triple the energy at half the weight of lithium-ion.
Local Motors also has its eye on the autonomous vehicle market, leveraging its collaborative roots in the academic community.
In partnership with the University of Michigan, Arizona State
University, and the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, Local Motors is
forging ahead with its LOCO University Vehicles project, short for Local
Motors Co-Created University Vehicles.
The first LOCO unit has gone to the University of Michigan, which
will focus on autonomous vehicles for campus commuting. The idea is also
to out-Uber Uber with an on-demand system. Developing new materials for
3D printing is also part of the overall collaboration.
What About That Lightweight Car?
In case you’re wondering about that earlier collaboration with the Energy Department, that would be the LiteCar Challenge, which was won by a bio-inspired, 3D-printed car called WaterBone.
As for that microfactory thing, 3D printing is a natural fit
with small, low-volume manufacturing facilities. The company already
has a facility up and running in Tennessee to facilitate its
collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (so group hug, taxpayers!), and plans are in the works to open two more this year.
All images via Local Motors.
Courtesy: Cleantechnica
