Honda Showcases 3D-Printed Customizable EV

Honda has always been experimenting with stuff related to the automotive industry. Soon after the second world war, it gave birth to a motorcycle by attaching an engine, which was supposed to power radios, to a bicycle. It was also the first Japanese team to enter Formula 1 racing. Stories like these have only helped Honda reinvent itself as an industry leader in innovation. One such step towards a fresh new way of manufacturing cars was recently presented by Honda, with a 3D-printed, customizable electric vehicle (EV) concept.

3D-printing for car manufacturing isn’t new to the industry and companies like Local Motors in America are working primarily on this concept. Fresh off the heels of the 2016 Paris Motor Show, Honda unveiled its Variable Design Platform for micro EVs: tiny cars where weight and space are part of luxuries. The idea is to design a vehicle body exactly as per customer’s needs. For instance, the car can either have a hatchback layout for someone who wants a small delivery vehicle or space for a family of three.

Honda took the design and engineering know-how from its motorcycle division, resulting in a light but safe pipe-based chassis, to which all the panels are attached. The automaker tied up with design firm Kabuku to develop the feather-weight body, doors and seat.

The concept of 3D-printing the entire car could lead to reduced design time and cheaper costs. Since Honda’s car is technically an electric vehicle, there are no major mechanical linkages between the power-plant and the controls. This plays especially well in favour of 3D-printed panels, because customers can simply unbolt a body, order for a new one and get it collected from the design shop the very next day. Although theoretically, the whole equation sounds incredibly promising. For now, it is just a platform that is still under development and could take years to kick in as an industry standard.

Source: Engadget