A 3D printed car is almost here.
A new model of car is being manufactured using three dimensional printing technology.
The Urbee 2 is a remodel of the small two passenger hybrid Urbee vehicle that uses solar and wind energy along with an ethanol powered engine.
The engine is metal, but the body of the newly designed model vehicle will be made of plastic parts that are printed using liquid polymer and a 3D printer.
The 3D printing facilities are at RedEye on Demand, a 3D printing production company that helps customers who don't want to buy a printer of their own, but still want to use the technology.
The entire process of printing the car takes about 25 hundred hours. It only has approximately 40 parts, which is very few compared to the hundreds of individual components that make up the average car.
Its lightweight plastic frame and aerodynamic design improves fuel efficiency without sacrificing safety.
The designers of the vehicle plan to make the end product "exceed most, if not all, current automotive safety standards".
And the team has plans to take the prototype for a test drive all the way from San Francisco to New York on 10 gallons of gas.
What do you think of the Urbee 2?
