Arizona-based car company Local Motors revealed a 3D-printed electric car concept known as the LM3D Swim during the 2015 Detroit Motor Show. The revolutionary car concept will enable customers to customize its design and will help reduce car production expenses.
Local Motors unveiled the LM3D Swim printed car concept at the 2015 Detroit Motor Show. The 3D-printed car is said to be going to production and will be available in 2016 with a $53,000 price tag. The vehicle looks like a toy in certain ways but the concept will decrease costings of car production while enabling the customers to influence each printed car's designs.
Local Motors community member Kevin Lo designed the printed car concept. He also won the carmaker's Project Redacted challenge last July. The vehicle is 75% 3D printed. The blend is a mixture of 20% carbon fiber and 80% acrylonitrile butadiene styrene plastic that makes each part customizable.
The carmaker has announced that they will start pre-selling the 3D-printed electric cars in springtime 2016. Manufacturing and distribution are targeted by the first quarter of 2017.
Local Motors Chief Executive Officer Jay Rogers deep-rooted at SEMA that the company will be using DDM to create the vehicles at an unparalleled pace in the car production history. He added that the company is really excited to begin taking orders for the printed cars by springtime.
In addition, the company is busy working on crash test certifications to permit the LM3D to be legally driven on highways. Plans are to build an array of models at a new company micro-factory that is currently under construction. The unfinished micro-factory will be located in Knoxville. The company is also following another location in Washington, D.C.
The company's target is to open 100 factories throughout the next decade. As far as location goes, the carmaker has a micro-factory located in Las Vegas and their headquarters are located in Arizona.
