Oct 31, 2018 | By Thomas
Swedish electric car company Uniti has announced plans to establish an electric vehicle “pilot production plant” at Silverstone Park, UK, part of the famous grand prix circuit. Uniti is developing an all-new electric two-seater Uniti One, which will be first produced at a “pilot production plant” by 2020.
The facility, which the company is calling “the UK's first fully digitised electric vehicle production site”, will serve as a template for franchise production model that will influence future global production. Uniti's vision is to produce 50,000 units per year.
"The UK’s approach to vehicle production, with its focus on light-weighting and innovation in advanced materials, is an ideal model for electric car production globally,” Uniti CEO Lewis Horne said.
Uniti One target specifications:
- 240 km (149 miles) of range
- top speed: 130 km/h (81 mph)
- Rear wheel drive, Dual motors output of 120 kW
- 26 kWh battery pack, DC fast charging
- 25 min from 20-80% on standard charge
- 450 kg of curb weight, 900 kg gross weight
The Uniti One car will be 100 per cent electric, could cost around €14,900 (£12,980).
Uniti plans to unveil its production models in late 2019 and deliver vehicles to pre-order customers throughout northern Europe shortly thereafter. The Uniti One will go on sale in late 2020, priced from €14,900 (£12,980).
Uniti has partnered with energy supplier E.ON to provide a unique benefit for their Swedish customers. With each purchase of a Uniti car in Sweden, E.ON customers will receive five years worth of energy for charging their car at home.
Uniti claims that the One emits 75 percent less carbon-dioxide over a lifecycle than many of today's EVs. Uniti CEO Horne said the electric vehicle, developed as part of a three-year program, is made from recyclable carbon fiber and organic composite materials to reduce its environmental impact.
Horne explained that these materials can be manufactured via a fully automated process. Because of the car’s “scalable” design the company will be able to offer it with 2, 4 or 5 seats.
The digital design process from car to factory automation is pretty fascinating – check out the video below:
Uniti aims to supply each market from within that market. With the help of Siemens' 'digital twinning' technology, Uniti is able to design and crash test its models digitally. It it can send all the blueprints and plans to its new plant where its robots will make the car per the specifications in the digital files. ""Once the Uniti pilot plant facility is fully operational, we can take this blueprint global," says the company.
The company is now taking €149 deposits. Following a successful crowdfunding campaign on their own website, the company has received some 3,000 pre-orders for its first model.
The global electric vehicle (EV) industry is expected to be worth more than $100bn by 2020, with electric vehicles rapidly increasing their market share year on year. Aimed as the ideal second family car as a daily commuter vehicle, Its small dimensions and light weight (450kg) make it suited to city driving.
Posted in 3D Printing Application
Maybe you also like:
- ETH Zurich scientist 3D prints artificial heart pump using Embedded magnet printing
- Precise Bio launches Ophthalmology Business Unit to develop 3D printed corneas
- 3D printed graphene scaffold offers highest-ever capacitance for a supercapacitor
- Apple granted patent for triangular tessellation 3D printing method
- Mitsubishi Electric announces new Dot Forming AM technology for high-precision 3D metal shaping
- MX3D releases stunning images of world's first 3D printed steel bridge
- HP, NTU Singapore and NRF announce $84 million HP-NTU Digital Manufacturing Corporate Lab
- Novel 3D bioprinting tech could create artificial blood vessels, organ tissue
- SHINING 3D Launches AccuFab-D1 DLP 3D printer at Global Reseller & Partner Meeting 2018
- Titomic signs $1.8M Defence MoU with TAUV to 3D print next-generation soldier systems
3Ders.org provides the latest news about 3D printing technology and 3D printers. We are now seven years old and have around 1.5 million unique visitors per month.
