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Local Motors

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Local Motors Rally Fighter

Local Motors is an American motor vehicle manufacturing company focused on low-volume manufacturing of open-source motor vehicle designs using multiple microfactories. It was founded in 2007 with headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona.[1] The company’s current vehicles include the Rally Fighter and their 3D-printed Strati and Swim vehicles. The company develops vehicles using 3D Printing and utilizes vehicle designs provided by the online community. In 2016, the company introduced an autonomous electric-powered shuttle named Olli.

About the founder

John B. Rogers, Jr. is the Co-Founder and current CEO of Local Motors. His grandfather, George M. Hendee, owned the legendary Indian Motorcycle Co.Rogers founded Local Motors after serving for seven years in the United States Marine Corps, where he was an Infantry Company Commander. He has worked as a consultant for McKinsey & Co., as an investment analyst at Ewing & Partners, and at a startup medical device company in the People’s Republic of China. He serves as the Chief Investment Officer and Director of the RBR Foundation, a philanthropic foundation focused on education and healthcare. A graduate of Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Rogers holds a Masters in Business Administration from Harvard Business School (Baker Scholar).

Community

Local Motors' website is a community focusing on vehicle innovation. The content is created by the users who discuss designing, engineering, and building innovative vehicles. Members contribute their own ideas and projects which are discussed with the community.[2]

Co-creation is a technique used by Local Motors, General Electric, and LEGO to enhance new product development.[3][4] Select organizations have partnered with the company to facilitate co-creation of their products including US Army,[5] Domino’s,[6] and Airbus Group.[7]

One of the biggest community driven competitions was hosted by Local Motors in collaboration with Airbus Group.[8]

Strati

Main article: Strati (automobile)

In collaboration with Cincinnati Incorporated and Oak Ridge National Laboratory Local Motors manufactured Strati, the world's first 3D printed electric car.[9] The printing took 44 hours to complete, and was witnessed by a live audience at the 2014 International Manufacturing Technology Show in McCormick Place, Chicago.[10] The car consists of 50 individual parts, far less than a traditional vehicle (which is manufactured with roughly 30,000 parts).[11] The Strati was designed by Michele Anoè,[12] a member of the Local Motors community, and is produced in small quantities to serve strategic partnerships, such as with NXP Semiconductors.[13]

LM3D Swim

In 2015, the company debuted a 3D-printed car named the LM3D Swim.[14] It was designed by Kevin Lo, a member of the Local Motors community.[15] The materials used are 80 percent ABS plastic and 20 percent carbon fiber. The vehicle uses technology provided by IBM that offered IoT connectivity.[16] The Swim is currently on display at the company’s location in National Harbor, Maryland.

Olli

In 2016, the company unveiled an autonomous, electric-powered bus.[17][18] The vehicle was designed by Edgar Sarmiento, initially named the "Berlino" from the Urban Mobility Challenge: Berlin 2030.[19] The vehicle was built by Local Motors and has IBM Watson technology installed to provide a personalized experience for riders. The vehicle was demonstrated live to their online audience on Facebook Live[20] at a media event in National Harbor. The vehicle is still undergoing development.

Olli was manufactured in Chandler, Arizona using additive manufacturing techniques, including 3D Printing.[21] The company has not announced pricing yet.

Miami-Dade County, the State of Nevada and the Danish Vesthimmerland Municipality expressed interest in using Olli on their roadways.[22][23][24]

Locations

Local Motors operates five locations in Phoenix, Knoxville, Las Vegas, National Harbor, and Berlin. The company also hosts educational events that are focused on technology, science, and manufacturing topics. People can visit their retail locations in Phoenix, Knoxville, and National Harbor to purchase sustainable and locally-sourced merchandise.[25]

See also

References

  1. ^ “About Local Motors”, Local Motors Website
  2. ^ "Local Motors makes crowd-sourced and 3-D cars". Retrieved 2016-07-20.
  3. ^ Muller, Joann. "Big Ideas, Small Scale: How GE Is Using The Wisdom Of Crowds To Design Better Appliances". Retrieved 2016-07-20.
  4. ^ "Network meeting 25/11: LEGO engaging consumers in Open innovation, co-creation and mass-customization. | Leaderlab". leaderlab.com. Retrieved 2016-07-20.
  5. ^ "REF Rapid Equipping Force - United States Army". www.ref.army.mil. Retrieved 2016-07-20.
  6. ^ Buss, Dale. "Domino's Gets Into the Car Business With DXP Pizza-Delivery Vehicle". Retrieved 2016-07-20.
  7. ^ "Look At These Wild Drone Concepts Airbus Thinks Are The Future". Retrieved 2016-07-20.
  8. ^ "Meet the judges for the Airbus Cargo Drone Challenge | Local Motors". 2016-06-06. Retrieved 2016-07-05.
  9. ^ Gastelu, Gary (3 July 2014). "Local Motors 3D-printed car could lead an American manufacturing revolution". Fox News. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  10. ^ Franklin, Dallas (15 September 2014). "Made in Chicago: World's First 3D Printed Electric Car". KFOR-TV. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  11. ^ Chhabra, Esha. "The 3D Printed Car That Could Transform The Auto Industry: On Sale In 2016". Retrieved 2016-07-20.
  12. ^ "The 3D-Printed Car Is All the Buzz". www.imts.com. Retrieved 2016-07-20.
  13. ^ "Local Motors, NXP unveil 3D-printed car with self-driving, IoT technology | Local Motors". 2016-05-18. Retrieved 2016-07-20.
  14. ^ Bruce, Chris. "The LM3D Swim from Local Motors is the first 3D-printed car you can buy [w/video]". Autoblog. Retrieved 2016-07-20.
  15. ^ "Startup Plans to Begin Selling First 3D-Printed Cars Next Year". Retrieved 2016-07-20.
  16. ^ "Connecting the road with Octoblu, IBM and Local Motors". Retrieved 2016-07-20.
  17. ^ Warren, Tamara (2016-06-16). "This autonomous, 3D-printed bus starts giving rides in Washington, DC today". The Verge. Retrieved 2016-07-20.
  18. ^ Counts, Reese. "The Local Motors Olli is a driverless EV minibus with IBM Watson inside". Autoblog. Retrieved 2016-07-20.
  19. ^ "Berlino 3.0 - Smart mini bus system | Local Motors". 2015-05-01. Retrieved 2016-07-20.
  20. ^ "Local Motors - Timeline | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2016-07-20.
  21. ^ "Building Olli: Why "Second-degree DDM" is critical to the process | Local Motors". 2016-06-24. Retrieved 2016-07-20.
  22. ^ "Local Motors unveils Olli, its new self-driving car, in National Harbor (Video) - Washington Business Journal". Washington Business Journal. Retrieved 2016-07-20.
  23. ^ "Self-driving minibus to hit streets in Las Vegas". 2016-06-16. Retrieved 2016-07-20.
  24. ^ Sebastian Stryhn Kjeldtoft (2016-07-27). "Førerløse busser skal spare tid og penge". Information.
  25. ^ "Local Motors Knoxville retail store gets high-tech makeover | Local Motors". 2016-04-13. Retrieved 2016-07-20.
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