Making a Cross-Country Trip in 2 Days on 3 Wheels

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By Eva Recinos2013-11-15 18:30:15 -0500

Driving across the country requires a significant amount of time and fuel, but one team hopes to make the trek using only 10 gallons of biofuel over the course of two days.

Earlier this year, engineer Jim Kor and his team conceptualized Urbee 2, a 3D-printed car comprised almost completely of 3D-printed plastic parts. It can carry two passengers and drives on just three wheels.

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Now, the team is hoping to test out Urbee 2's performance on the road for an extended period of time. The team's current Kickstarter campaign asks for funding for the book Driving for Our Lives: a road trip through the Ecosphere. It details the creation of Urbee, which the team calls "the greenest car in the world." Any remaining money after publishing the book will go toward the Urbee 2 project; if the team raises $3 million, they will drive from New York to San Francisco in 2015, Kor told Mashable.

The Urbee 2 is a more advanced version of the first Urbee, created by the same team. As the site explains, the first model used 3D-printed exterior parts for its body. The Urbee 2, however, will contain more 3D-printed components. The first model also ran on gasoline while the team hopes to run the Urbee 2 using ethanol. Urbee 2 is still under development.

"My motivation in wanting to write this book is that I want to share what we have learned from the Urbee project with a wider audience," Kor said. "I've always believed that there is a huge educational component to the Urbee project. I know that it definitely has taught me an enormous amount about how we should move on this planet."

The car may sound futuristic, but Kor wants to make it usable for the average driver.

"We hope to demonstrate that Urbee 2 is a practical, roadworthy car that can safely mix with existing traffic," he added.

Backers who pledge $25 will get an electronic copy of the documentary; on the higher end, those who pledge $150 will receive a print copy of the book, the documentary on DVD and a T-shirt.

At the time of writing, the team's Kickstarter project had raised $3,662 Canadian dollars out of a $30,000 goal. The campaign will end Dec. 7.

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Image: screenshot, Kickstarter

Topics: 3D printed car, 3D printing, cars, Dev & Design, Tech, travature, travel, Travel & Leisure, Urbee, Work & Play