autoevolution
 

Chinese 3D Printed Electric Vehicle to Sell for Under $10,000

In a world that will soon become overcrowded with electric vehicles of all makes and sizes, the price is likely to rank as one of the most important criteria for selecting such a car.
3D-printed LSEV 17 photos
Photo: YouTube screenshot/ polymaker
Hackrod La BanditaHackrod La Bandita virtual wind tunnel testingHackrod La Bandita designHackrod La Bandita drawingHackrod La Bandita scketchHackrod La Bandita renderingHackrod La Bandita virtual realityHackrod La Bandita virtual realityHackrod La Bandita renderingHackrod La Bandita chassisHackrod La Bandita chassisHackrod La Bandita renderingHackrod La Bandita 3D printed chassisHackrod La Bandita renderingHackrod Burrito conceptHackrod La Bandita rendering
In general, electric vehicles being sold today are more expensive than internal combustion cars, but buyers in most markets where EVs are sold can benefit from various government-backed rebates.

No rebate in the world could, however, bring the price of an electric vehicle down to $10,000 (or even less, depending on the source). But a 3D printer might do just that.

Back in March, Chinese Polymaker, a company that specializes in 3D printing, announced it has created, together with car manufacturer X Electrical Vehicle Limited (XEV), a small car that will become the world’s first mass-production project created using 3D printing.

XEV is the first real mass production project using 3D printing,” said Luo Xiaofan, Polymaker CEO.

“By saying real, I mean there are also lots of other companies using 3D printing for production. But nothing can compare with XEV in terms of the size, the scale, and the intensity.”

Called LSEV, the car can be printed in just three days, except for the chassis and seats which need to come from regular manufacturing facilities. The car's unspecified drivetrain gives it a range of some 93 miles (150 km) and a top speed of 43 mph (70 km/h).

The most striking feature of the car is the number of parts it is made of. Thanks to the way it was created, it comprises only 57 parts, compared to the over 2,000 found in an average car.

Being so tiny, the car is ideal for city roads. According to Clean Technica, XEV already won the hearts and pockets of the Italian Postal service, which is said to have ordered, together with other interested parties, some 7,000 LSEVs.

Plans are to make the tiny EV available in Europe and Asia starting 2019.

If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Daniel Patrascu
Daniel Patrascu profile photo

Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories