Electric vehicles come under scrutiny for their lifetime carbon footprints. That’s because their batteries and motors are essentially add-ons to energy-inefficient combustion vehicle designs. Hence, they may struggle to earn sufficient carbon offsets for generous government subsidies. This may soon be a thing of the past, thanks to a greener future through 3D printing.
The Greener Future a 3D Printer Company Envisions
The company manufactures large-scale 3D printers. It has a policy of making printing large-scale objects as attractive as possible. It may have had its eyes on printed cars for a while. However, it decided to do a demo with a 3D-printed, full-scale motorcycle first.
The original Nera was a warrior of Connacht in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. BigRep may have been feeling equally feisty when it devoted three days to printing the non-electric parts of the motorcycle it also calls Nera. You got it. The wheels, the tires, the frame, and all the body parts of the motorcycle are lightweight carbon fiber. The motorcycle promising a greener future weighs just 132 pounds.
Look Ma No Carbon Monoxide Pollution
Nera’s Design Looks like Something out of Sci-Fi
We stopped by “The Drive” to compare notes. They confirmed the fully-functional 3D-printed motorcycle even has airless 3D-printed tires. The performance statistics are under wraps. Could this mean BigRep is contemplating going commercial with its greener future motorcycle?
The design is equally avante garde meaning ‘new and experimental’. There’s fresh air where a petrol bike would boast its engine. The electric motor is in the rear wheel hub, while the batteries hide behind the body panels. The overall effect is of a dancing gazelle as opposed to an overweight petrol super-bike. There are no shock-absorbers. The structure is the spring.
BigRep printed the 15 non-electric parts using ProHT, ProFLEX, PETH, and PLA filaments. They used a 0.6-1mm nozzle at a layer height of 0.4-0.6mm if your elevator stops on that floor. The prototype cost $2,600, excluding batteries and motors we assume. Here’s to a greener future. Cheers!
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Preview Image: Large Scale 3D Printer
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