Here's the list of six electric cars which will definitely be some of the major attractions at CES 2016. (Photo : Twitter)
Local Motors is the world's first major producer of 3D-printed cars, and announced last week that it will offer pre-sales for the world's first mass-produced 3D printer-made auto models beginning in spring 2016. The all-electric highway-ready LM3D Swim price point will be about $53,000.
The LM3D series costs about three times more than the basic Swim model. Local Motors told Mashable that this is due to its being a fully-legal highway-ready vehicle.
The company is constructing a "microfactory" facility in Knoxville, Tennessee where it will manufacture the printable cars. It is scheduled to be completed at the end of this year.
A Local Motors press release explained that it will use Direct Digital Manufacturing (DDM) to produce the cars. 3D printers will be part of the process.
Currently about three-quarters of the LM3D Swim can be made of 3D-printed parts. However, the company hopes to increase that figure to 90 percent as the technology improves, according to CNET.
The automobile's body has a dune buggy-like appearance. It is the result of a crowd-sourced competition that ended in July
Local Motors hopes to start delivering its new product to customers during early 2017. It is the target timeline.
That would make the company the world's first to offer 3D-printed cars to the public. Major automakers such as Audi are only making scaled-down replica models, according to Mashable.
However, there are a few big questions that remain to be answered. They include if Local Motors can meet its timeline that would include passing federal crash tests, and how many people will feel the inexorable need to buy one.
The company points out that the LM3D units will have many key features missing in the first Swim model. It argues that will make it worth purchasing.
Local Motors was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. Its current products include electric bicycles, Race motorcycles, Rally Fighter autos, and 3D printed cars.
This video features Local Motors' Strati, the world's first 3D-printed electric car:
