Chinese company, Polymaker tied up with Italian vehicle manufacturer X Electrical Vehicle (XEV) to create the Smart-sized LSEV. The car is almost entirely made using 3D printing technology. The chassis, glass windscreen and tyres are made using conventional methods. The benefit of this is that waste material produced from the production of the vehicle is drastically reduced.
Polymaker boss Xiaofan Luo said this car should “inspire more [car] companies to adopt 3D printing”. The company was able to reduce the plastic parts in the car from 2000 (using conventional built methods) to just 57 thanks to 3D printing. The prototype of the car can cover 93 miles and can travel up to speeds of 43mph. The car weighs only 450kg.
The LSEV is being showcased at Shanghai’s China 3D-printing Culture Museum and will also be shown at the the Beijing motor show next month. Luo added, “the availability of more functional high-performance materials will enable 3D printing to be used on many more applications.” He described 3D printing production as “an inevitable trend in the [car] industry”.