The 3-D printing technology has come a long way, having been used to create different items including musical instruments, replicas of gaming items and even working guns. A new company has made use of the 3-D technology to push it one step further: creating the first 3-D car.
Dubbed the Blade, the first 3-D car comes from manufacturer Divergent Microfactories, a start-up company based in San Francisco. Blade's chassis was created entirely using 3-D printing method, thus giving it the advantage of being lighter than the average vehicle, Time reported.
In fact, this method took away 90 percent of the average weight, since the materials used were mostly carbon fiber instead of the standard aluminum. Apart from the chassis, Blade also has 3-D printed interiors and grilles.
Blade's look is not just for show. What runs on its inside, the fuel, is also something to be marveled at. Divergent Microfactories also considered the type of fuel that will make the car run, and opted for compressed natural gas. This powers the 700HP engine, putting it on top of the green list of environmentally-friendly cars to date.
The overall look and function of the car does not deter from its actual performance. Currently, Blade claims to match the fastest acceleration speed to date, which is from the Porsche 918 Spyder. Without going into the exact milliseconds, the Divergent Microfactories' Blade is said to accelerate from 0-60 mph in somewhere around two seconds, while the Porsche's record is exactly 2.2 seconds, Mashable reported.
This is pretty impressive considering the 3-D printed material used for the car's chassis. It obviously helps, since the car only weighs 1,400 pounds. Still, it's a one- or two-time performance, because the burst of speed does have an impact on the engine, unlike how the Porsche can perform.
Divergent Microfactories plans to produce just a few models of Blades. However, the technology made to use the Blade will be sold to other manufacturers, so it may well be the start of the 3-D printed car trend.