Wednesday, October 8, 2014

3D printed car takes its first drive in NYC

Strati

A few weeks ago we reported on the world’s first 3D printed car that made its debut at the International Manufacturing Technology Show. But besides making its debut at the show, it was also built there – live, in real-time in front of a live audience.

In all, the car took 6 days to complete. From being printed to assembled, the car was now ready to take on the road.

It is called the Strati, and was developed by a company called Local Motors. And while it is rather peculiar looking, it is still pretty amazing considering that its was printed – and that only in 6 days.

To show of their creation (and also draw a ton of media attention) Local Motors decided to bring the car to New York City, where it could be flaunted and shown off for the world to see, and also take its first steps, or rather drive.

Local Motors allowed various media personalities and journalists to take a spin in the odd looking car. From the New York Post to Mashable, people seemed to be really impressed with the tiny 3D printed car.

The Strati has a small, Renault Twinzy motor and a 120 pound (or 54kg) battery. The car as a whole weighs 1800 pounds, which is just over 800kg – very light on comparison to ‘real’ cars.

Strati

Strati

While the Strati is small and, uhm, intimate, it was still able to fit in two adult men – even if they couldn’t straighten their legs.

On the dash, there is a small display for speed and on the left of the steering wheel are three buttons; D for drive, N for neutral and R for reverse.

The Strati can reach up to 50mph (80 km/h) although its makers say that when it goes into production for market, they will make it so the Strati can only go up to 25mph (40 km/h). Which is only a toy bit faster than a golf cart, but its fine to take a leisurely drive in.

Check out the video on the Strati’s cruise in NYC below:

Source: Mashable

Source : carblog[dot]co[dot]za

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