3D Printed Cars in China
In China, will be mini-cars named after the famous toy «YoYo» produced. They will be partly printed on a 3D printer. It is expected that microcars in densely populated cities will be very popular. They will be available to many buyers because of the low price, convenient and comfortable cabin.
The Chinese company XEV, on the Kickstarter Internet platform (a site for attracting finance for various projects), has launched a fundraiser for the construction of the YoYo electric car. The authors of the project are planning to print the main components of a small machine using a 3D printer.
The length of the toy «YoYo» will reach only two and a half meters that is the L7 category (according to European classification). This suggests that in the documents it will most likely be listed as an ATV. The design of the mini car will be extremely simple. It will be made up of 57 elements. Despite this, the authors promise that the tiny car will be very comfortable. Both the graceful ballerina and the powerful rugby player can feel it.
Using a 3D printer, almost all YoYo parts will be manufactured, except for the chassis, windshields and side windows and, of course, tires and the power plant. For example, the inventors claim that they only need 4 hours to “print” the bumper. Five hours for the roof, but the doors will take eight hours of work.
The mini car will be equipped with everything necessary to comply with current European safety standards. YoYo will be equipped with safety bars on all sides to protect the machine from tipping over, an airbag and an automatic locking system will be also installed. Since many details will be “printed”, the owners will be able to change the appearance of the machine without any problems or replace damaged elements if necessary.
The YoYo will be driven by a 7.5-kilowatt electric motor powered by a low-voltage 9.2 kW / h LiFePO4 batteries. On one charge, an electric city car can travel up to 150 km and accelerate to a maximum of 150 km / h. The battery can be recharged from a household outlet, and also replaced with a new one thanks to the patented Battery Swapping System. This optional service will automatically inform the XEV Technical Center about the low battery charge.
According to the XEV management predictions, the first cars will be available at a price of about six thousand dollars. However, after the launch of large-scale serial production, the price will rise to 7,995 US dollars.
