Next-gen Canadian 3D printed car looks to set world record

Winnipeg-based engineering consulting firm, KOR EcoLogic and Stratasys’ RedEye On Demand additive manufacturing wing announced that the two company’s will collaborate to produce the URBEE 2, the first road-ready, fuel-efficient car built using 3D printing.

Targeted to hit the road in two years, URBEE 2 builds on its predecessor that made headlines in 2010 as the first car to have most of its external body composed of 3D-printed parts. According to KOR EcoLogic’s president and senior designer, Jim Kor, the URBEE 2 will keep the hyper-fuel efficiency and 3D printed body of the original design but add the slick finish of a production automobile.

“As a mechanical engineer, I’ve always believed we could use technology to help us solve some of society’s greatest challenges, like minimizing our dependence on oil and reducing ozone emissions,” Kor says. “How cool is it that American manufacturing can evolve to tackle these challenges head-on? Our team is excited to launch URBEE 2, putting a next-generation vehicle on the road that will eventually be sold to the public.”

According to the company, KOR EcoLogic’s team will design URBEE 2 in CAD, which RedEye On Demand use to building the car’s exterior through Stratasys’ Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) process. The finished two-passenger vehicle will comprise 40 large 3D- printed parts compared to hundreds of parts in the average car. The strong, lightweight vehicle will be designed to go 70 mph on the freeway, using a biofuel like 100 percent ethanol. The goal is for URBEE 2 to drive from San Francisco to New York City on only 10 gallons of fuel, setting a new world record.
www.urbee.net