Honda has hit upon a novel method of producing cars that are not only faster than the conventional process but is also cheaper as well. It's 3D printing technique that the Japanese car maker has adopted under technical collaboration with the domestic firm Kabuku to produce a car as small and quirky as the Renault Twiz, AutoCar reported.
However, unlike the Renault offering, Honda's yet to be named 3D printed car is designed as a small utility vehicle, one that can transport cargo over short distances. This will make it suited for courier duties and is essentially a single seater car. For instance, the car built for Toshimaya cookie company has lots of bird engraved on the body panel to match the bird-shaped cookies.
That said, the car is also extremely customizable, which means its interiors can be altered easily to fit it in any other intended roles. Further, the altered components can be produced quickly as well using 3D printing technique.
Power comes from an electric motor and battery combo though Honda has skipped on providing the specs here. So there is no word yet on what the power rating of the car though it will likely have a range of 50 miles or 80 km. Further, there are three battery packs included, with the largest fitted underneath the body. The other two are user removable and are fitted along either side of the driver's seat and can be pulled out to charge from any domestic outlet.
A lightweight framework is used to keep weight under check, which again draws its inspiration from Honda's motorcycle division. Most of the external body panels are 3D printed, which Toyota and Kabuku claimed leads to faster turnaround time. How fast? According to CNET, it took a Stratsys printer an entire month to produce the body panels printing 24/7. Add to that the two months that Honda engineers spent designing the car.
3D printing also turned out to be cheaper as well, which makes the process just right for mass production. More details are expected during the Japanese tech exhibition, CEATEC 2016 which is where the car will be making its debut.
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