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The 3D-Printed Urbee 2 Hybrid Car is Light, Strong, and Nearing Production
Inhabitat.com ^ | 03/03/13 | Morgana Matus

Posted on 03/03/2013 6:34:52 PM PST by Kevmo

The 3D-Printed Urbee 2 Hybrid Car is Light, Strong, and Nearing Production

by Morgana Matus, 03/03/13

Nothing says “Welcome to the Future” like a 3D-printed runabout vehicle with a hybrid engine, three wheels, speeds of up to 110 mph, and capacity to carry up to 1,200 lbs. The Urbee 2 is the result of Jim Kor’s dream for a modern, sustainable vehicle that will someday revolutionize the way that we commute. The exterior’s lightweight construction of ABS plastic allows for a minimum amount of drag and fuel required to operate the car, and it’s stronger and more easily manipulated than steel. Able to hold two passengers, the Urbee could very well be the next big thing in urban transportation.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Extended News; News/Current Events; Technical
KEYWORDS: 3dprinting; business; technology; transportation
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To: nascarnation
I'd take the world's slowest Porsche instead!



Video of the intro and test drive on the test track.
Driven in traffic.
Video of how it is made.
41 posted on 03/03/2013 7:56:58 PM PST by Jack Hydrazine (It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine!)
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To: Jonty30
http://lefthandedcyclist.blogspot.com/2012/01/bucky-and-urbee.html


42 posted on 03/03/2013 7:57:21 PM PST by HangnJudge
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To: Jonty30

Pretty neat. Weight far forward, 2 wheels in the front. Appears a pretty stable design. But it is a motor cycle.

2 wheel motor cycles are pretty safe on dry pavement. If the idiots driving cars make allowances for them.


43 posted on 03/03/2013 7:58:24 PM PST by Texas Fossil
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To: TLI
OK... they are two different cars or models then
44 posted on 03/03/2013 8:03:04 PM PST by Chode (Stand UP and Be Counted, or line up and be numbered - *DTOM* -ww- NO Pity for the LAZY)
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To: Kevmo

Anytime you see the words “sustainable “ and “vehicle “ in the same sentence, you can almost guarantee the rest of the text was written by some crackpot.


45 posted on 03/03/2013 8:04:21 PM PST by bolobaby
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To: Kevmo

Anytime you see the words “sustainable “ and “vehicle “ in the same sentence, you can almost guarantee the rest of the text was written by some crackpot.


46 posted on 03/03/2013 8:04:43 PM PST by bolobaby
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To: bolobaby

Maybe they could make it out of shrink wrap. Heat it up and it shrinks to casket size.


47 posted on 03/03/2013 8:25:20 PM PST by oldasrocks (They should lock all of you up and only let out us properly medicated people.)
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To: Chode

I’m guessing that he went with three wheels to avoid having to meet safety standards for cars- a 3-wheeler is technically a motorcycle.


48 posted on 03/03/2013 8:28:01 PM PST by Squawk 8888 (True North- Strong Leader, Strong Dollar, Strong and Free!)
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To: bolobaby

Well, then, maybe you can take it up to the rest of these crackpots over at wikipedia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_transport


49 posted on 03/03/2013 8:30:36 PM PST by Kevmo ("A person's a person, no matter how small" ~Horton Hears a Who)
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To: Squawk 8888
brilliant!!! none of those pesky front and side impact tests with crash test dummies to deal with...
50 posted on 03/03/2013 8:40:49 PM PST by Chode (Stand UP and Be Counted, or line up and be numbered - *DTOM* -ww- NO Pity for the LAZY)
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To: Chode

Well at first I thought you were right till I saw the pic in post #42.

Yep, it has got to be two versions.

Still, that is pretty bad when nobody can tell the front from the back.

.


51 posted on 03/03/2013 8:54:42 PM PST by TLI ( ITINERIS IMPENDEO VALHALLA)
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To: oldasrocks
Heat it up and it shrinks to casket size.

Just change the design a bit...

.

52 posted on 03/03/2013 9:01:56 PM PST by TLI ( ITINERIS IMPENDEO VALHALLA)
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To: TLI
i heard that...
53 posted on 03/03/2013 9:08:05 PM PST by Chode (Stand UP and Be Counted, or line up and be numbered - *DTOM* -ww- NO Pity for the LAZY)
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To: Kevmo

What keeps these ultra-light cars from being blown off the road when a large truck passes it?


54 posted on 03/03/2013 10:58:28 PM PST by clearcarbon
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To: Chode

Wow! Good catch.

Looks like we’re looking at the Urbee 1.0, and the Urbee 2.0!

Gives you a choice on how you would like to die!


55 posted on 03/03/2013 11:22:32 PM PST by Noob1999 (Loose Lips, Sink Ships)
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To: Texas Fossil
Uhhh, we have a design problem. I have been on 3 wheel motor cycles and they are not stable. 110 MPH on 3 wheels, not only no, but H/NO.

Your are correct the arrangement with one wheel forward is highly unstable. Two wheels forward is very stable unless traveling in reverse or in a spin.

56 posted on 03/03/2013 11:29:19 PM PST by D Rider
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To: clearcarbon

The same thing that keeps motorcycles from being blown off the road...


57 posted on 03/04/2013 1:00:50 AM PST by Kevmo ("A person's a person, no matter how small" ~Horton Hears a Who)
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To: Noob1999
pretty much... my choice is home, in bed, in my sleep
58 posted on 03/04/2013 5:57:57 AM PST by Chode (Stand UP and Be Counted, or line up and be numbered - *DTOM* -ww- NO Pity for the LAZY)
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To: Kevmo
Three-wheel urban car capable of 110MPH?

Somebody's design parameters are 'way off...

59 posted on 03/04/2013 8:11:31 AM PST by TXnMA (REMEMBER the Alamo! REMEMBER Goliad! REPEAT San Jacinto!!!)
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To: TXnMA

It’s basically a slightly safer motorcycle. Most motorcycles can go about that speed, not that they do it all that much. The compelling part of this technology is the 3D printing aspect more than the design parameters of the first generation. It’s like the Honda 600 with the possibility of a cottage industry 50 times bigger than the British MG hobby car. Fast forward that concept by 30 years (do you see a lot of Hondas on the road today?) and you’ve got millions of domestically built hybrid cars filling the subcompact niche.


60 posted on 03/04/2013 8:27:04 AM PST by Kevmo ("A person's a person, no matter how small" ~Horton Hears a Who)
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