We've already seen all kinds of 3D-printed items, from jewelry, to guitars, and even football cleats. Now, we might soon have an almost entirely 3D-printed car in the Urbee 2.
The hybrid car, created by engineer Jim Kor, is designed to be light, cheap, easy to reproduce and very efficient. It's made entirely of 3D-printed plastic parts, all except the engine and base chassis, which are metal. It has three wheels and can carry two passengers.
Currently, it takes almost three months for the car to be printed and assembled. But once ready, the car is extremely lightweight. According to Wired, the Urbee 2 has a curb weight of just 1,200 pounds, which should give it an impressive miles-per-gallon performance. The head engineer estimates that once the team has a finished prototype, they could drive from San Francisco to New York with just 10 gallons of pure ethanol.
The Urbee team is also very focused on safety. In fact, they want to make it as safe as a racing car. "We’re calling it race car safety," Kor told Wired. "We want the car to pass the tech inspection required at Le Mans."
To learn more about this new 3D-printed car, watch the video above.