The Urbee car is the brainchild of mechanical engineer Jim Kor and could become the most energy-efficient car on the planet, reports Terry Wholers. (For those of you who attended RAPID 2011, you saw one on the show floor.) Its drag coefficient is 0.15, compared to a third-generation Toyota Prius with a drag coefficient of 0.25, making it perhaps the most aerodynamic vehicle to date.
Today, KOR EcoLogic, a Canadian company, has a goal of getting Urbee into mass production. The two-passenger vehicle is designed to be exceptionally fuel efficient, safe, and inexpensive. It uses electric motors and is capable of 200 mpg when running on an 8 hp ethanol-powered engine, which serves as a backup. The car is expected to reach 70 mph. (A Stratasys FDM machine was used to 3D print the entire body of the car.)
According to Wholers, KOR EcoLogic might be able to make the car available in 2014 with the right investment financing. The initial price might be $50,000 in limited production, but it could drop to $10,000 in mass production.
