3D Printing
News Contact us Seen on social
Home / News / AM Car Wins Innovation Award at Shell Eco-marathon

AM Car Wins Innovation Award at Shell Eco-marathon

April 26, 2022

Oh, how times change!

If you had tried to make a small plastic electric vehicle 35 years ago, you would have been pilloried and mocked relentlessly.

Just ask home computer pioneer Sir Clive Sinclair, who in 1985 released his Sinclair C5 e-trike and got that exact same response. It seemed that some folks had issues with sitting in a battery/pedal powered recumbent tricycle with truck wheels roaring by at mere inches from their petrified heads…

While the C5 debacle buried the idea of actually useful urban EV products for decades, the idea of small, fuel efficient concepts has been kept alive and kicking in the Shell Eco-marathon.

The marathon has been running for many years now and has been used as a platform for student teams to push the envelope in terms of fuel economy, and this year a team from Saskatchewan Polytechnic has taken an award for innovation in 3D printing.

The 107 kg plastic urban concept vehicle looks like a cross between an egg and the aforementioned doomed Sinclair C5, and you can see what their entry looks like in the image below.

Saskatchewan
The Saskatchewan vehicle nabbing silver back in 2018 (Image credit: Saskatchewan Polytechnic)

The team built two versions of the vehicle to compete in the marathon.

The little EV was printed from pieces of plastic (with low infill) and was assembled together into the structure you see in the image above.

“The material that we used is called lightweight PLA which is a relatively new 3D printing material,” said Tim Muench, program head for design and manufacturing engineering technology at Saskatchewan Polytechnic.

“It’s about one-third the weight of normal 3D printed material and it of course uses about a third of the amount of materials so in the end there’s less material that needs to be recycled.”

The structural members were made from recycled carbon fiber hockey sticks in order to keep the weight of the vehicle down to decrease rolling resistance and increase range.

In addition to the reused hockey sticks, the team repurposed other items to keep costs and weight down. For example, the starter motor is made from an electric drill and a plastic drinks bottle was used to pressurize the fuel system. It uses a 35cc Honda ice auger motor (for drilling holes in ice) producing a very mild 1.25 horsepower.

Unfortunately, due to the weather on the day of the marathon, the team were unable to compete. They did pick up the technical innovation award however (for use of AM) and as they have been entering the race since 2017, they have ranked highly in previous races, having received silver in the 2018 marathon.

You can see that race finish in the video below.

In addition to the innovation award, the team had their car assessed and were unofficially 4th highest in terms of fuel efficiency, managing to eke out a staggering 372 miles per gallon from their tiny engine and lightweight vehicle.

C5
The original Sinclair C5. Crazy or crazy innovative? (Image credit: Wikipedia)

Would you purchase an urban vehicle like this? It has a little space for luggage!

Has the public stopped laughing at the C5 to give these mini electric urban vehicles another chance?

cooling-part-featured
Related Story
3D Printed Motors Coming Soon
Share:
WhatsApp Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Buffer Reddit E-mail
About the author | Phillip Keane
Phillip is an aerospace engineer from UK. He is a graduate of Coventry University (UK), International Space University (France) and Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), where he studied Advanced Manufacturing at the Singapore Centre for 3D Printing.
Latest posts

3D Printed Switchable Explosives Offer Safer Solutions for Mining and Military Applications

Researchers at the Los Alamos National Laboratory have developed "switchable" high explosives that require an inert fluid, like water, to be activated, minimizing... read more »

Military
Experimental setup and detonation time lapse

Engineer Wins Prize for 3D-Admix Concrete Printing Additive

Fort Bragg resident and civil engineer, Michael Butler, has won the Most Innovative Product Award at the 2023 World of Concrete International Exhibition.... read more »

Construction
concrete and 3D-Admix

Patent Granted for 3D Printing Embossing Technology

Northann Corp has obtained a European patent for its innovative "DSE Embossing Technology." This new method combines positive and negative embossing techniques in... read more »

News
DSE embossed example

USAF Global Strike Command Embraces 3D Printing for Future Weapon Sustainment

The Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) is turning to 3D printing to address its weapon sustainment needs. As the field of additive... read more »

Military
USAF mechanical engineer

Particle Accelerator Sheds New Light on Solidification of Metals During 3D Printing

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, and other institutions have made a... read more »

3D Printing Metal
Shooting X-rays

CyBe to 3D Print Florida’s First Villa

Dutch construction printing company CyBe Construction is set to print their first 3D concrete villa in Florida, utilizing mobile printing technology to construct... read more »

Construction
CyBe Render

Custom 3D Printed Gaming Mouse Now on Kickstarter

Canadian start-up Formify has launched a Kickstarter campaign for their custom 3D printed gaming mouse, designed to enhance player performance in Esports. Already... read more »

News
custom 3d printed gaming mouse

3D Printed Titanium Cranks Now Available for Electric Mountain Bikes

Cane Creek is taking electric mountain bikes to the next level with the introduction of their 3D printed titanium Electric Wings crankset. Designed... read more »

3D Printing Metal
Swanky and robust

New Technique Produces Ultra-Lightweight, Waste-Free Concrete Structures

Researchers at the University of Michigan's Taubman College have developed an innovative 3D printing method that creates ultra-lightweight, waste-free concrete structures. The "Shell... read more »

Construction
Tubular

Social

  • Facebook Facebook 3D Printing
  • Linkedin Linkedin 3D Printing
  • Twitter Twitter 3D Printing
  • Geeetech THUNDER Geeetech THUNDER
    250 x 250 x 260 mm
    $489
    Buy Now
  • Geeetech ALKAID Geeetech ALKAID
    82 x 130 x 190 mm
    $99
    Buy Now
  • Geeetech Mizar M Geeetech Mizar M
    255 x 255 x 260 mm
    $399
    Buy Now
  • Fusion3 F410 Fusion3 F410
    355 x 355 x 315 mm
    $4,599
    Buy Now
  • Modix BIG-60 Modix BIG-60
    600 x 600 x 660 mm
    $4,900
    Buy Now
  • Geeetech A30T Geeetech A30T
    320 x 320 x 420 mm
    $449
    Buy Now
  • Geeetech Mizar S Geeetech Mizar S
    255 x 255 x 260 mm
    $279
    Buy Now
  • Hands-On Review: The Mole 3D Scanner
    Hands-On Review: The Mole 3D Scanner Learn More
  • Hands-On Review: Creality Ender 5 S1
    Hands-On Review: Creality Ender 5 S1 Learn More

Featured Industries

  • Automotive
  • Aerospace
  • Construction
  • Dental
  • Environmental
  • Electronics
  • Fashion
  • Medical
  • Military
  • Industry MAGNUM Industry MAGNUM
    1500 x 1200 x 1200 mm
    €159.000
    Request a Quote
  • Modix BIG-120Z Modix BIG-120Z
    600 x 600 x 1200 mm
    from $7,500
    Request a Quote
  • Modix BIG Meter Modix BIG Meter
    1010 x 1010 x 1010 mm
    from $13,500
    Request a Quote
Join our newsletter

Our newsletter is free & you can unsubscribe any time.

Company Information

  • What is 3D Printing?
  • Contact us
  • Join our mailing list
  • Advertise with us
  • Media Kit
  • Nederland 3D Printing

Blog

  • Latest News
  • Use Cases
  • Reviews
  • 3D Printers
  • 3D Printing Metal

Featured Companies

  • Modix
  • Industry
  • Geeetech

Featured Industries

  • Automotive
  • Aerospace
  • Construction
  • Dental
  • Environmental
  • Electronics
  • Medical
  • Military
  • Fashion
  • Art
2023 — Strikwerda en Dehue
  • Home
  • Join our mailing list
  • Contact us
Featured Industries
  • Automotive
  • Aerospace
  • Construction
  • Dental
  • Environmental
  • Electronics
  • Medical
  • Military
  • Fashion
  • Art
Blog
  • Latest News
  • Use Cases
  • Reviews
  • 3D Printers
  • 3D Printing Metal
Company Information
  • What is 3D Printing?
  • Contact us
  • Join our mailing list
  • Advertise with us
  • Media Kit
  • Nederland 3D Printing
We serve cookies on this site to analyze traffic, remember your preferences, and optimize your experience.
Details
Close