Local Motors has gone from 3D printing its prototype Strati car on the floor of the IMTS show in Chicago last year to taking their printed cars to the streets starting next year. To get from point A to point B, the crowdsourcing auto manufacturer will be opening up two car printing facilities in the US and has already picked the winning design for its first fleet of 3D printed autos. Titled the Reload Redacted, designed by Local Motors community member Kevin Lo, the firm’s first official 3D printed car model is will be available for pre-orders online starting next month.
Beginning in late October, customers will get the chance to order their own customized version of the low-speed Reload Redacted at a price of between $18,000 to $30,000, with delivery expected at the beginning of 2016. The high-speed model, meant for freeway use, will be ready by the end of 2016 and have a price of around $50,000. And, in true crowd-focused form, the ordering will take place on crowdfunding site Indiegogo.
Jay Rogers, CEO of Local Motors, told the local Arizona news about the upcoming campaign, “I’ve got the machines. You’ve got the brains. Let’s bring the chocolate and the peanut butter together and let’s make better cars every four months,” said Rogers of the company’s open-source mentality. We want the development time, which is currently about six years, to come down to about four months. Digitally manufacturing a car allows us to adopt new technology as soon as it comes out. That’s what people desire.”
While consumers can begin pre-ordering their Local Motors cars next month, the car company has already provided three universities with access to LM equipment and 3D printed autos with which to experiment with materials design, in the case of Arizona State University, and autonomous vehicles, in the case of the University of Las Vegas. If you want to experiment with your own 3D printed car, you’ll have to pay a pretty penny on Indiegogo.
