3D printed e- cars set to roll out
Roads to be flooded with affordable cars
Shanghai, March 14: Cars are getting a total makeover in terms of how they look, their capabilities, and most importantly how they are going to be manufactured.
Autonomous vehicles have started to appear on the roads. Interestingly, more and more cars are being made with 3D printed parts.
Electric and hybrid cars are slowly becoming affordable and numerous. Eventually, the roads could be full of electric, autonomous, 3D printed cars that are safer, environment friendly and more customisable.
The LSEV has two out of three — it’s not autonomous, but it is electric and 3D printed. Mostly 3D printed, anyway – the two- seater car from Italian manufacturer XEV has all of its visible parts 3D printed except for the chassis, seats and glass. The car was developed in collaboration with Polymaker, which was responsible for the R& D of the material used to 3D print the LSEV.
Using 3D printing enabled the manufacturers to reduce the number of parts in the car from over 2,000 to only 57, while research and development time was shortened by two thirds.
Investment costs were also reduced by more than 70 per cent in comparison to a traditionally manufactured vehicle.
The LSEV is also much lighter than conventionally manufactured cars of its size — about 450 kg as opposed to a ton or more. Unlike other 3D printed cars that have appeared, the LSEV can be mass produced, and will be. Already, the car has received 7,000 pre- orders, including from such organisations as the Italian National Post Service and car rental company ARVAL.