A group of students at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University have found something new for 3D printers to create: electric cars.
The solar electric car prototype, called the NTU Venture 8 (NV8), is capable of taking drivers on rides at up to 37 miles per hour, according to Engadget. The team plans on using the vehicle in this year's Shell Eco-Marathon Asia racing event.
While the students originally wanted to give its vehicle a supercar design, they instead decided to make it "a sensible cute micro-car with vertical opening doors."
Ilmi Bin Adbul Wahab, a computer engineering student who led the NV8 project, said the car consists of a 3D-printed cabin that was made from lightweight plastic to make sure the vehicle was light and still provided maximum space and comfort inside, PC Magazine reported. Associate Professor Ng Heong Wah, who mentored the team, said the car's creators aimed to collect as much solar energy as possible by adding silicon solar cells that can follow the car's shape.
"For it to be lightweight, thin and yet strong, we integrated a honeycomb structure and a unique joint design to hold the parts together," Wah said. "When seen against the light, the structure has a translucent see-through effect, like a dragonfly wing. It is a sight to behold!"
The students created the NV8 as an "urban concept" and say it "is Singapore's first and probably Asia's first 3D-printed concept car," Engadget reported.
The car is made up of 150 lightweight plastic parts, some of which were printed at NTU's Additive Manufacturing Center. The facility aims to provide a place for students and staff to work on 3D-printing research projects.
Among the NV8's competitors will be the NTU Venture (NV) 9, a three-wheeled racer created by another NTU team that can "take sharp corners with little loss in speed due to its unique tilting ability inspired by motorcycle racing," PC Magazine reported. Shell Eco Marathon Asia will take place later this month in Manila, Philippines.
