Polymaker, a 3D printing material maker, and XEV, an Italian vehicle manufacturer, have unveiled a mass-producible 3D printable car, which will retail around $10,000 (Rs 630,000). Eventually, the prices are expected to come down to around $9,450 (Rs 596,000), as per South China Morning Post.
The two-seater car termed ‘LSEV’ will be able to reach a speed of 70kph with a range of 150km per charge. According to the company it is closer to adopt mass production in China, and is expected to commence commercial sales in the second quarter of 2019.The company is displaying a prototype of the LSEV, at Shanghai’s China 3D-printing Culture Museum, before exhibiting it at the Auto China 2018 in Beijing next month.
XEV further states that it has received around 7,000 orders for the world’s first mass-produced 3D-printed electric vehicle. XEV said that nearly all its visible parts are 3D-printed except for its windows, tyres and chassis.
XEV is the brainchild of Guo Xiaozheng and a handful of Chinese auto industry professionals, which was started less than a year ago and claims to be able to create a new model in just four months.
By incorporating FDM 3D printing and Polymaker materials, XEV has decreased the number of plastic components in the car from more than 2,000 to 57 only. The LSEV weighs just 450 kilograms, compared to the tonne that is typical of similarly-sized cars.
Guo Xiaozheng, a senior designer at XEV, said that with Beijing planning to introduce new rules governing low-speed electric vehicles by the second half of this year, after which it is likely to begin distributing manufacturing licences for such cars.
The company using a single production line – complete with 3D printers and assembly facilities – will be able to handle the building of 500 cars annually.
Video credit: Polymaker