Local Motors, 3-D printed vehicle company, announced the winner of its Project Redacted challenge. Local Motors has also partnered with three universities for autonomous driving and advanced materials research, using LOCO University Vehicles.
The winning design of Project Redacted is Reload Redacted – Swim/Sport by Kevin Lo, a Local Motor community member since 2011.
The revolutionary design showcases the benefits of Direct Digital Manufacturing (DDM) including the ability to create a completely customizable vehicle. It has a flexible foundation that can support many different styles and technology options.
Local Motors is the first company to use DDM in vehicle production to decrease the amount of tooling while it increases the speed to market for highway-ready vehicles.
The Redacted winner will act as the foundation for the world’s first road-ready 3D-printed vehicles. Local Motors plans to design, build and sell a Low Speed Electric Vehicle (LSEV) in Q1 2016, as well as a highway-ready version later that year.
The winning entry was chosen from judges from the Local Motors community, as well as a professional judges, including former Tonight Show host and car enthusiast Jay Leno; SEMA Vice President of Vehicle Technology John Waraniak, and SABIC Senior Manager Geert Jan Schellekens.
“You need something that makes you go ‘what’s that?’” Leno said of the winning entry. “My top choice would be Reload Redacted – Swim/Sport because it’s sporty, fun, and you can commute in it.”
Local Motors also unveiled a fleet of vehicles, it calls LOCO University Vehicles. LOCO, short for Local Motors Co-Created University Vehicles.
The first three universities to participate in the program are the University of Michigan (U of M), Arizona State University (ASU) and the University of Nevada at Las Vegas (UNLV).
U of M takes delivery of a LOCO, to focus on the development of autonomous (self-driving) technology. U of M plans to use the LOCO to develop a fleet of autonomous vehicles which will transport students around the University’s North Campus while also serving as the nation’s first testbed for on-demand autonomous.
The UNLV LOCO will also focus on autonomous vehicle technology. The partnership with Arizona State University will conduct and gather groundbreaking research on advanced materials.
The battery technology in the test platform uses the same lithium ion chemistry used in existing electric vehicles (as well as iPhones).
Local Motors proved the ability to build vehicles with DDM when it debuted the world’s first 3D-printed car, the Strati, in September of 2014.