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A (Mostly) 3-D Printed Race Car Hits 140 Km/h
An anonymous reader writes with an excerpt from a story describing the efforts of a 16-person team called "Group T" competing in the Formula Student 2012 challenge. They've created a car called the "Areion," described as the world's first 3D printed race car. "The Areion is not wholly 3D printed but most of it actually is. It was tested on Hockenheim race circuit and
went from zero to 100km/h in just four seconds. Maximum speed Areion achieved on the same circuit was 141km/h."
The car features an electric drive train and bio-composite materials, and was created using a printing system called Materialise.
but what suburban American families need is a 6 passenger station wagon/minivan that goes 450 km on a single charge, at speeds ranging from 0 to 120 km/h.
Using batteries that maintain their performance for 10 years (which is how durable modern IC engines are).
"I don't know, therefore Aliens" Wafflebox1
James Blish wrote an SF story once where some fellow was dropped into a different society, I think perhaps in the future, and the cars were sleek and low to the ground, and when the guy got in, the car made amazing high-horsepower noises, and he was duly impressed... but when he looked out the window, he saw they were only moving slowly.
That's what I think of when someone blathers about 140 km/hr.
140 kph is 87 mph. That's right. Eighty-seven miles per hour.
Seriously, kids, back to the drawing board. I can drive faster than that down my gravel driveway in my old VW bug. Admittedly, my driveway is a mile long, and my bug has no muffler, but still.