An Arizona auto manufacturer revealed the design for a 3D-printed, highway-ready car Tuesday. Officials with Local Motors in Tempe said the first vehicles should be available to consumers and on the road by 2016.
The company is working with several academic institutions to complete the rollout, including Arizona State University.
Kyle Squires, an ASU engineering professor, said Local Motors will provide the school with a mule, or test vehicle, for students to work with.
"And we’ll use that as a means to test design ideas, look at different ways to manufacture these materials and I think a special strength of ASU will be to look at properties of these materials as they’re printed," Squires said.
Local Motors first announced plans to manufacture a 3D-printed car last year. Company leaders said the technology will drastically reduce the number of parts required to build a car and make it easier for consumers to customize their vehicle.
