The Polymaker LSEV Is A Chinese 3D-Printed Car For £7000

In a country where inner city pollution is reaching crisis levels, there’s plenty of scope for car makers to innovate zero-emission solutions. You’re looking at exactly that.

This strange-looking effort from Chinese firm Polymaker, in partnership with Italian specialists E Electric Vehicle, has just 57 non-3D-printed parts, down from about 2000 in a typical normal car. Powered by batteries and an electric motor, this love-child of a Renault Twizy and a Toyota iQ weighs 450kg and can reach a dizzying top speed of 43mph.

Despite the fact that it’s slower than many 50cc mopeds, the LSEV could be the solution Chinese cities need. A predicted driving range of up to 93 miles should be adequate for simply getting you in and out of the urban sprawl before returning to the same park and ride-style venue you picked it up from.

This prototype took three days to build, but Polymaker says a production line churning out 500 annual units is possible. Sales of the dinky city car, whose crash safety performance is so far a mystery, should start late next year, with prices of around £7100.

This isn’t the first prototype 3D-printed car, but it should be the first to reach showrooms, even if those showrooms are metaphorical. Lately we’ve also seen 3D-printed brake calipers by Bugatti and, a little more affordably, 3D-printed dashboard trim for your Mini.

Source: Autocar