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Headline: Meet 'Blade', The World's First 3D-Printed Hypercar

Caption: A California-based startup which specialises in 3D metal printing techniques adapted from the aerospace industry has unveiled the world’s first 3D printed hypercar. Divergent 3D has developed a 720 BHP hypercar made from aerospace-grade carbon fiber and aluminum alloys and has coined its creation the Blade. Equipped with four-wheel drive, the Blade is a lightweight machine that features a 3D-printed chassis which weighs in at just 102lbs (46kg). The start-up is backed by Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-Shing and raised $65 million in 2017 to develop its factory in to create parts for the automotive industry that are designed to dramatically cut the cost and environmental impact of car production. Divergent made the Blade to showcase the capabilities of 3D printing, resulting in a fully-road legal car that is inspired by jets — a design language which is continued into its in-line cabin featuring an aviation-influenced central seating position. "We’ve found a way to make automobiles that holds the promise of radically reducing the resource use and pollution generated by manufacturing’, explains Kevin Czinger, Divergent 3D founder and CEO. 'It also holds the promise of making large-scale car manufacturing affordable for small teams of innovators.' 'We have got to rethink how we manufacture, because — when we go from 2 billion cars today to 6 billion cars in a couple of decades — if we don’t do that, we’re going to destroy the planet.” As for performance, Blade's light weight enables the supercar to accelerate to 0-60 m.p.h in 2.2 seconds. But, in case you’re itchin’ to get the metal to the pedal in this sweet ride, you’ll have to wait. The company has only manufactured a few models, but hopes to start working with boutique manufacturers soon to start producing more.

Keywords: feature,photo feature,photo story,car,cars,motoring,tech,technology,purple,design,future,vehicle,transport

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