Kor Ecologic

Kor Ecologic

USA http://korecologic.com/ Today, there are 1 billion cars in the world. With population and affluence rising, this is rocketing towards 2.5 billion cars by 2050. If these are similar to today’s cars, this spells disaster. According to the International Energy Agency, by 2050, unless 2/3 of all known fossil fuel reserves stay in the ground, the climate would move the world to a non-habitable state. How these future 2.5 billion cars are designed is serious business. Their small, independent team of seasoned designers believe now is the time to act. They believe that powering cars on Renewable Energy is vital to our civilization’s survival. A first prototype was completed in 2013. It became the first car to have its body 3D printed, and is the greenest practical car ever made. They call our unique, low energy car URBEE. They recently initiated a second prototype, called URBEE 2. They are embracing Digital Manufacturing as essential to the design of an environmental car. Engineered to safely mingle with traffic, the two passenger vehicle will have its entire exterior and interior 3D printed. “A future where 3D printers build cars may not be far off after all,” said Jim Bartel, VP of RedEye On Demand. If successful in crowdfunding, we will demonstrate URBEE 2’s potential to the world. In 2015, taking just 2 days, 2 people and a dog would travel from New York to San Francisco using 10 gallons of bio-fuel, setting a world record. URBEE is a return to fundamentals, and a rethink of traditional automotive design and manufacturing. As a species endangered by our own actions, we must quickly learn to stop burning fossil fuels. Surely, the ultimate goal of Design is to serve the ‘public good’. Therefore, corporations and individual designers have a responsibility to offer products that are not only useful, but in balance with the environment.