The world’s first 3D-printed car is all set to be rolled out as early as 2019. The car in question is a Smart-car sized model called the LSEV that's made almost entirely using 3D-printing technology, and the makers are a joint venture between the Chinese Polymaker company and the Italian-based manufacturer X Electrical Vehicle (XEV).
A few components of the car still have to be made by conventional methods, such as the chassis, the windows and the tires, but the vast majority of the car is made by 3D printing. Although it would probably be easier, quicker and cheaper at the moment to use conventional production methods, the real point of 3D printing is that it dramatically reduces the amount of waste material produced during the production process.
The LSEV claims to have a range of almost 150 km on a single charge along with a top speed of 70 kmph. The prototype was built in 3 days and XEV intends to build around 500 of them each year on a single production line. The car will make its debut at the Beijing Motor Show next month with production to begin in 2019.
