Local Motors reveals 3D-printed car design

Local Motors has chosen the design it will 3D-print during the course of the International Manufacturing Technology Show (ITMS) in Chicago, IL, which runs from 8-13 September.

Called Strati, the concept was judged the best entry in Local Motors' first 3D Printed Car Design Challenge. It was created by Italian designer Michele Anoé, and his design 'will inform and influence' the car to be printed during the course of the ITMS.

The firm announced the competition to design a two-seater EV with a 3D-printed chassis back in April. It ran for six weeks and saw 206 entries submitted from over 30 countries. A panel of six judges selected the overall winner during a week-long review process, while members of Local Motors online community also voted for their favorite work.

A further five designs were given innovation awards, where the judges thought that certain elements of designs were worthy of potential inclusion in the final car. The winner received $5,000 and a trip to see the car being built at the show in September, while the community's favorite and the five innovation winners each got a check for $1,000 for their efforts.

"There are three major challenges facing the auto industry today; part count, weight, and the initial cost of tooling when creating and iterating on vehicles. The hybrid Direct Digital Manufacturing [3D- printing] process stands to address all three of these," said Jay Rogers, Local Motors CEO. "When these hurdles are removed, we open the door to an exciting new era in automotive design and manufacturing possibilities," he added.

The car's chassis will be printed from carbon-fiber-infused ABS to which a wheel and suspension package pre-selected by Local Motors will be attached. The car will use the battery and electric powertrain from a Renault Twizy, all of which were fixed before the competition began and had to be considered by each entrant.

By Tom Phillips