Hybrid cars usually feature snazzy, high-tech designs, but few can compare with the Urbee — the first car to be manufactured entirely by 3-D printing. Developed by Kor Ecologic and Stratasys, the Urbee was created with an additive manufacturing process, whereby engineers add layers of printed material until finally arriving with a finished product — in this case, a whole car. As Fast Company explains, the car’s entire exterior (including the glass) was created from 3-D prints, with the help of Stratasys’s Dimension 3-D printers and a Fortus 3-D Production System.
As you can see in the video demonstration after the break, the Urbee actually works, too. It gets a cool 200 mpg on the highway, and a not too shabby 100 mpg while driving in the city. Once you’re done cruising around, you can charge it with a standard electrical outlet, wind power or a solar panel array. No word yet on when the Urbee might make its market debut, but a full-scale prototype will be on display at this week’s SEMA Show in Las Vegas, in case you want to check it out for yourself.
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Meet the Urbee Hybrid, The World’s First 3-D Printed Car originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 02 Nov 2010 10:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
