The Blade: Zero to Hero in just 60 seconds

The car of the future is here. It’s not the DeLorean DMC-12 from the Back to the Future trilogy, but it is much lighter and dare we say – just as fast? The Blade, a super 3D printed car, is as its name might suggest sleek, sexy and oh so powerful. But why so light, you ask? The 3D printed car’s chassis is connected together with a series of 3D-printed nodes. Making the entire car weigh in at a mere 635 kilograms. That’s 90 per cent lighter than the average car. Combined with a 700-horsepower engine, it can accelerate from 0 – 60 in just two seconds. More impressive than any supercar touring the planet thus far: it’s more remarkable than the sexy Bugatti Veyron, and even the revered Ferrari. But this 3D printed car is not just fast; it’s also environmentally friendly. Championing a bi-fuel approach, it uses gasoline or compressed natural gas – making it the most eco-conscious automobile around.

3D Printed Car – More Environmentally Friendly?

Paving a sustainable way forward, the company in question is San Francisco-based Divergent Microfactories. Their innovative production method solves pollution issues, excess material use and cost problems – and all without sacrificing style over substance. “We have got to rethink how we manufacture, because — when we go from 2 billion today to 6 billion 3D printed cars in a couple of decades — if we don’t do that, we’re going to destroy the planet,” reminds CEO Kevin Czinger. That’s not to say the eco-friendly car is a new idea. Quite the contrary. The first 3D printed car launched in 2011, had just eight horsepower and a maximum speed of 70mph. Four years on, and progress has not slowed down.

With today’s obvious desire, and need, for cleaner, greener cars, the Blade would be a welcome addition to the roads. But it’s not just the pollution caused by the hoards of daily drivers that Divergent are looking at, it’s what happens before the shiny car drives out of the showroom. During the manufacturing stage, a car produces an inexcusable amount of excess pollution and refuse. This impact is no less damaging than what is produced by the day-to-day, year-after-year, touring of your average Ford F-Series. The Blade, on the other hand, has a comparatively shorter production time, meaning it’s as eco-safe in the factory as it is on the streets. This is all thanks to its ‘light as a feather’ undercarriage. With the help of 3D printing technology, the team at the startup company has found a way to radically lessen “the resource use and pollution generated by manufacturing the 3D printed car.

Simple to create, the base of the world’s first Blade prototype takes just an hour to assemble and tips the scales at a mere 46 kilograms. And while it may bear a resemblance to your childhood K’NEX set, fear not, the revolutionary chassis is anything but child’s play. Divergent Microfactories hopes their speedy manufacturing process will transform the automobile industry and radically reduce emissions. Rewind six-or-so decades, and Doc and Marty are speechless. While this is just a glimpse of what’s to come – the future looks green!

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