The NTU Venture 8 is a solar electric car mounted on a carbon-fiber single-shell chassis with a 3D-printed body shell. (Photo : www.3dprint.com)
Young engineers at the the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) have made history by building an urban solar electric car encased in a 3D-printed body shell, the first of its kind in Singapore.
The innovative electric car, dubbed as the "NTU Venture 8" or the NV8, was mounted on a carbon-fiber single-shell chassis.
Students from the NTU built the electric car from scratch for over a year after creating the design for the vehicle and made use of the latest engineering technology including the use of silicon solar cells which could be molded into the shape of the car.
NTU associate professor Ng Heong Wah, speaking for the university, expressed his pride at having been able to work with an innovation like no other.
"We are extremely proud to have designed and assembled a 3D-printed body shell for the electric car. The 3D printed car body was pushing existing technology to the limits and we are so pleased that it has paid off," he stated.
According to the students responsible for the magnificent addition to car technology, they made use of 3D-printing technology to form the cabin from lightweight plastic in order to maximize space inside the vehicle and to make the driver more comfortable while handling the car.
While doing this, they were also able to maintain a minimum weight for the car, which could still run as fast as 60 kilometers per hour with very low consumption of energy.
The students said that they would participate in the Shell Eco-marathon Asia competition in 2015 using the NV8 as entry to the Urban Concept category, which would include vehicles that can be considered "roadworthy" and fuel-efficient.
