RedEye On Demand and Stratasys have been selected by Winnipeg-based KOR Ecologic to build the first 3D-printed, production-ready car called Urbee. Photo: Minneapolis Star Tribune/MCT
Jim Kor wants to change the world. He created a new kind of car that saves energy. It mostly runs on electricity. But it can also run on fuel made from corn. ######

The plastic Urbee has two seats and three wheels. It can zip across the country on 10 gallons of fuel. A mini-van could just make it from Boston to New York with that much gas. What's most unusual about the Urbee is that it's made using a special 3-D printer.

###### He makes tractors and city buses in his other job.

Strong Like A Falcon, Fast Like A Cheetah

Kor took the idea from nature. The Urbee needed to be light and strong like a falcon. It also needed to be fast like a cheetah. ###### It provided strength and speed at a low weight.

Kor and his team finished their design in 2011. They built the car's body in a 3-D printing factory.

Computers read the design software. ###### The printer made a plastic bumper. Then it made a hood. 3-D printing has been used to make tools, parts and models. But it had never been used to build the entire body of a car.

Speeding Up How Cars Are Made

Normal modeling takes years. ###### But 3-D printing is fast. Designers can change the car very quickly.

First the Urbee parts were printed. Then the parts were shipped back in Kor's lab. ###### He put two electric motors and a small ethanol engine into the car. Today, the Urbee is on tour. It's in England this month. Science and car lovers go crazy over the Urbee.

###### I'd like to license two-and-a-half billion Urbees," Kor said, joking.

The goal is to sell each Urbee for about $16,000. Right now, hybrid cars cost about $20,000.

Making a car that's Earth-friendly is important, Kor said. "But it has to be low-priced."

###### It will need much less fuel to run.

But Kor first needs $3 million. That's what it will cost to make the drawings real. If Kor gets the money, he will begin to make the Urbee in 2014. ###### His son and his dog will make the trip with him.]]>