US start-up Local Motors recently conducted a crash test with a 3D-printed self-driving vehicle. Images of the test have been released, with which Local Motors aims to increase confidence in 3D-printed vehicles.
Local Motors is a startup from the US state of Arizona that has developed a shuttle called Olli. With this autonomous electric vehicle, the company is targeting urban transport between residential areas, school campuses and city centres, for example. Local Motors aims to market Olli as a smart, safe and sustainable form of transport.
Olli has a range of 40 to 60 kilometres and can be fully charged in an hour and a half. The vehicle has 240Nm of tractive power and can propel itself at a speed of up to 40 kilometres per hour. The vehicle weighs 2,654 kg and can carry a load of 612 kg.
3D-printed components
Among the striking features of Olli is the fact that the components of this vehicle - including the chassis - are largely manufactured with a 3D printer. This offers significant advantages. For instance, an entire Olli can be printed in just 10 hours, which helps reduce production time and costs.
At the same time, however, the use of 3D-printed components raises questions and concerns. "Many people ask the question 'is it safe or not? Am I driving around in something that a MakerBot (ed: a manufacturer of 3D printers) has printed?'," Jay Rogers, CEO of Local Motors, told The Verge. "The answer is not only that it is safe, but that it will become increasingly safe in the future."
Demonstrating safety
Using crash tests, Local Motors aims to demonstrate the safety of 3D-printed vehicles and specifically Olli. The company conducted two crash tests: one at a speed of 4.8 kilometres per hour and one at around 40 kilometres per hour.
In the first test, Olli emerges completely unscathed. The crash test where Olli rams a wall at 40 kilometres per hour looks considerably more spectacular; on impact, several windows in the vehicle break and glass flies around. However, the vehicle's 3D-printed chassis is largely intact. Rogers points out that the focus during the crash test was on the chassis and Olli was fitted with unlaminated glass during the test. The road-tested versions of Olli currently use laminated glass, which does not shatter into pieces in an accident.
Images of the crash can be found at The Verge.
Automatic emergency brake
Such accidents, by the way, should be prevented by Olli's automatic emergency braking system. This system scans the road ahead of the vehicle and, if obstacles are detected, automatically brakes to avoid a collision.
Olli's design is still under development; the use of additive manufacturing allows Local Motors to change the design and test new prototypes relatively easily. Among other things, the company plans to add a crumple zone to Olli in the near future to partially absorb impact in the event of a collision.
Shuttles from 2getthere
Autonomous shuttles are not new, by the way. On a route between Rotterdam's Kralingse Zoom metro station and the Rivium business park, for instance, such a vehicle has been deployed since 1999. These are electronically guided autonomous vehicles from the Utrecht-based company 2getthere.
In January 2018, it was announced that 2getthere will expand the ParkShuttle connection, with the vehicles also running on public roads. Previously, the shuttles only ran on closed stretches not accessible to regular traffic. 2getthere also announced in April that it will set up an autonomous shuttle service at Brussels Airport. The shuttles will transport passengers between the airport and parking facilities completely autonomously on public roads.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
Source: Local Motors
