3D Printed Electric Car Charges Off Solar Powered House

BUILT using newly-developed large-scale printing technology, this fully drivable 3D PRINTED car is doing its bit for the environment

 

The car weighs 4010lbs and the fact it is entirely printed means its parts are easy to change and replace

The eco-friendly vehicle was created as part of an ambitious project by the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Experts there wanted to develop a car and house that can run on sustainable energy.
The printed car runs off a battery and can travel for 35miles in city driving conditions

The vehicle runs off a battery and has been designed to pair up with a building, which powers itself from a solar panel on the roof.

Surplus solar power is stored in batteries connected to the house, and the car parks on a wireless pad outside.
The vehicle charges off the solar-powered building by parking over a wireless pad on the ground

This platform allows a two-way energy flow between the vehicle and structure – with the car helping to power the house during peak usage hours, and the building’s solar panels working to charges the car’s battery when needed.

Lonnie Lowe, an expert at Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s manufacturing demonstration facility, said: “There’s basically three main places where energy goes – manufacturing goods, buildings, transportation.
Oak Ridge workman work busily away on a very different kind of construction site

“The fundamental question was is there a single place where we can kind of pull all of these things together?”

The printing technology means the car’s parts can be replaced easily, and its battery allows it to travel distances of up to 35 miles in city driving conditions.
The 3D car partway through the build process

The car, which weights roughly 4010lbs, has 110hp and can reach speeds of up to 60mph.

Developers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee are now looking for ways to make the car lighter.

http://cars.barcroft.tv/3d-printed-car-and-building-oak-ridge-national-laboratory-tennessee