Local Motors 3-D prints electric roadster in 44 hours

Local Motors, the crunchy, crowd-sourced, Phoenix-based automaker that brought us the Rally Fighter, built a 3-D printed car that actually drives. The electric two-seater was revealed at the International Manufacturing Technology Show in Chicago.

The design for the Strati (meaning “layers”), was chosen from more than 200 entries submitted to Local Motors in a contest earlier this year. The winner of the design challenge was Michele Anoe of Italy, who will receive $5,000 in cash for the honor.

Local Motors partnered with Oak Ridge Labs, which fitted a large laser printer with a 3-D extruder, according to Mashable. The second part of the build was done by a Thermwood Corp. routing machine, which smoothed out the look of the open-top, outboard-wheeled buggy.

The printing took 44 hours, but milling it took another full day. Eventually the entire process could be shaved to two days, Local Motors’ Jay Rogers told Mashable.

The Strati can reportedly travel up to 40 mph and has a range of 120 miles on a charge. For comparison, the Volt only has a 40-mile range, but can actually hit freeway speeds. Still, for a first effort, the Strati is a pretty good product. Local says the car still needs plenty of testing before it’s sold to the public.

The battery, motor, wire and suspension were sourced from a variety of manufacturers; the powertrain comes from Renault’s Twizy.

Local says this vehicle proves the viability of 3-D printing in the automotive industry. It plans to launch production-level 3-D-printed vehicles in the next several months. Prices could range from about $18,000 to $34,000, according to Local Motors. That’s not quite as cheap as we were hoping, but like all new technologies, prices should go down as usage increases.

German tuner GeigerCars has had a chance to upgrade the C7 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, adding a supercharger and other goodies to significantly boost power output – BUT with a price or $145,000 why would anyone get this and not a Z06

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Eaton blower promises to add an extra 130 horsepower and 93 lb-ft of torque, for a grand total of 590 ponies and 558 lb-ft of twist. The numbers aren’t too far below the factory flagship Z06 build.

Aside from the forced induction, Geiger also added new coilover suspension that allows the owner to drop the front and rear ride height. The ‘Vette is lighter than stock, thanks to a carbon-fiber body kit that accommodates wider 19- and 20-inch wheels.

Some of the carbon fiber is left bare, highlighting the front splitter, side sills and rear spoiler, among other components.

Watch the 2014 Chevy Corvette Stingray take on the 2014 Nissan GT-R – Which Would You Choose?

 

Luckily its unlikely to make it into production.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nissan has revealed a one-off prototype that combines a Leaf EV with a Frontier pickup.

The creation, known as ‘Sparky,’ was borne of engineers’ tinkering rather than a desire to design a new model, though it is said to get plenty of use hauling supplies and people around Nissan’s Arizona tech center.

“I needed a project for a team building activity so we can bring the team together. We had a need for a truck. Something to drive around, a shop truck,” said one of the project’s lead engineers, Roland Schellenberg.

Co-led by fellow engineer Arnold Moulinet of the Durability & Reliability group, the team took several months to chop a Leaf and add a Frontier pickup bed — complete with an electric window on the back of the cab.

Schellenberg takes pride in the “slick truck” but admits that it’s “not so tough,” and is unlikely to make its way to production.

On the most recent episode of Top Gear, an F1 car, Supercar and Motorbike raced against each other in Sydney. Some were disappointed that they didn’t use a MotoGP bike in the race but the reason for that was likely for entertainment value (keep it close between motorbike and supercar). The drivers were Marc Webber (supercar), Jamie Whincup (F1) and Casey Stoner (motorbike).