location sometime in 2015. It will continue sharing research results with Oak Ridge in order to commercialize the cars.

Normally, an electric vehicle has around 20,000 parts, but the Strati has fewer than 50. What Local Motors creates with the printing technology is integrated parts. Here, the body and chassis, which consist of several hundred parts in conventional vehicles, are formed as one.

The body and chassis of a regular automobile is made for strength, enabling it to absorb shock during collisions. Steel sheet is punched into shape using a press and then assembled by welding.

However, for 3-D printed cars, "it is possible to create structures that absorb the impact of collisions inside a single part," explains Earle. The breakthrough was made possible by the new design allowed by theon shortening the time taken from design finalization to finished product, rather than assembly speed.

The design for the latest Strati prototype was finished in early December 2014 and completed vehicle in late January 2015. The entire process took just two months. Normally, the time taken for this process for mass-produced vehicles is 10 months. "Down the road, we want to shorten this to around one week," said Earle.

As the company's name suggests, Local Motors aims to set up locations around the country. The point of this is to develop and produce locally made products while reducing freight costs. The sites will not simply produce cars, they will also be places where customers can participate in designing and creating cars. The products will also be sold on the spot.

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