US vehicle manufacturing firm Local Motors has unveiled the design ‘Reload Redacted - Swim/Sport’ which is not only the winner of the contest Project Redacted but also the foundation for the world’s first-of-its-kind road-ready 3D-printed vehicles.
The vehicle series, which is yet to be named, is all set to be designed, built and sold under a low speed electric vehicle (LSEV) iteration, slated to be launched next year. A completely homologated highway-ready version will also be introduced later in 2016.
Executed by Kevin Lo, the design, which has notched up the winner's recognition, is stated to have upholded Direct Digital Manufacturing (DDM) for a customizable vehicle, offering a flexible foundation backing various other styles and technical specifications.
The Project Redacted was brought about to let the co-creation community challenge one another in imagining and designing the next generation of 3D-printed cars.
Local Motors CEO and co-founder John B. Rogers said: "At Local Motors, we are hell-bent on revolutionizing manufacturing.
"Car manufacturers have been stamping parts the same way for more than 100 years. We now have the technology to make the process and products better and faster by linking the online to the offline through DDM. This process will create better and safer products, and we are doing exactly that."
Besides, Local Motors launched a fleet of vehicles called LOCO University Vehicles, referring to an abbreviation of Local Motors Co-Created University Vehicles.
The initiative, which has witnessed partnership with top varsities and laboratories, would be put forward into 3D-printing and other technologies.
University of Michigan (U of M), Arizona State University (ASU) and the University of Nevada at Las Vegas (UNLV) have become the first three to take part in the drive.
Moreover, the Local Motors co-creation community has designed an electric powertrain test platform to look into the domain of advanced battery technology for the 3D-printed car series, which the company intends to harness in the next one and a half years.
