3D Printing Plays a Big Role in New Imperia GP Roadster Development

Imperia GP Roadster Hybrid Car

The classic Imperia marque is being resurrected in Belgium with the development of a unique hybrid-powered retro-coupe. 3D printing technology plays a big role in its development and manufacture.

Imperia Automobiles was formed in 2009 to bring to market hybrid car technologies developed by Green Propulsion, a Belgian automotive R&D firm that specializes in electric and hybrid vehicles.

The roadster's hybrid powertrain consists of a 200hp, 1.6liter gasoline engine and a 150hp electric motor.

For the roadster's drivetrain components, Imperia designers partnered with Voxeljet, a 3D printing services company in Germany, and SICTA, a French aluminum foundry. Voxeljet prints sandcasting moulds which are then sent on to the SICTA foundry.

Tip of the hat to the 3ders blog.

The Saietta-R Electric Motorcycle from Agility Motors

Saietta-R Electric Motorcycle

We just saw this high-tech electric motorcycle, the Saietta-R, in a feature at the Wired website. The Saietta-R is the first product from Agility Motors in the UK. Agility claims 0-60mph time of 4 seconds, and a riding range of 112 miles per charge. Though it may look like a high-tech concept vehicle or design exercise, it is in fact in production now. The electrical and mechanical features are described here.

Volta Volare, Claimed First Production Electric Aircraft

Volta Volare of Portland, OR made quite a splash with a write-up in Popular Science announcing the production status of their electric airplane. Actually, it is a kind of hybrid, with an electric motor and battery pack that has a range of 300miles, then a gasoline engine with a range of 700miles kicks in. So it's a lot like a flying Chevy Volt.

Question is, Is it really for real? The price is quite high at $500,00 per plane.