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WHAT WEIGHS 77 pounds, goes at 80 km/h and looks like a Swiss cheese on wheels?
An electric motorcycle made from tiny aluminum alloy particles using a 3D printer of course.
European aeronautics giant Airbus unveiled the ‘Light Rider’ in Germany on yesterday, with company boss Tom Enders taking a spin on the group’s latest innovation.
Manufactured by its subsidiary APWorks, a specialist in additive layer manufacturing, the motorcycle uses hollow frame parts that contain the cables and pipes.
The frame weighs just 13 pounds, about 30% less than conventional e-motorbikes.
APWorks chief executive Joachim Zettler said the complex, branched hollow structure wouldn’t have been possible with conventional production technologies such as milling or welding. Airbus is trying to apply the same principle on aircraft.
The company is taking orders for a limited run of 50 motorbikes, costing €50,000 plus tax apiece.
The bikes will have a range of 60 kilometres.
The group plans to present a 3D printed twin-engined aircraft prototype at the Berlin Air Show in June.
With AFP
I am just back from Helsinki and funny how they can manage to have trams run 24/7.
@Sean: berlin too
the mind boggles
@Sean: They have more trams maybe?
@Sean: that’s a lie. They run just after midnight leaving time for essential maintence. Why would you like that?
@Sean: You’re wrong you know.
In Helsinki they operate between 05:30 to 23:30 on weekdays and 07:00 to 23:30 at weekends so actually less hours than Luas.
@Brianto: And not just recently. They have operated 24 / 7 since ever.
I can only dream then of taking my life in my hands by getting a red line Luas at 3am. It’s hairy enough already at 3pm in the day with its current lack of adequate policing.
@Longlin: on the Green line we don’t have that issue, so i suggest 24/7 on Green Line only.
Strange how other cities manage to operate a 24 service, p New York, Chicago, Copenhagen, Melbourne and Tokyo all provide 24 hour transport services to a much wider metropolitan area then Dublin. We really can’t do anything right here. At the very least a late night if not 24 hour service with additional frequency and extended weekend hours should be available on all forms of transport. How on earth is maintenance required every night?
@Heather Knowles: I assume it’s because those cities have more alternative lines during maintenance
@Heather Knowles: because those countries don’t find a problem for every solution, here unfortunately some people have a problem for every solution
@Thomas O’ Donnell: Normally a bus service will replace the tram/train service whilst maintenance is been carried out here in Melbourne
More trains then
Is maintenance carried out every single night? The nights they have to do maintenance they can have a bus service follow the route like the trains do when they’re getting repaired ?
@Ryan O’Rourke: If only they had implemented a priority bus corridor instead. Then we wouldn’t have these issues and multiple bus routes could be implemented using it
I wanna cry. The hopeless of our country. A real no can do attitude.
We get presented with problems – never solutions.
Been all over Europe. Out public transport is the shame of Europe.
I beg the politicians and the unions, that for once, please just once actually deliver us, the people, a public transport that we can be proud of.
You make us ashamed to he Irish.
@Chris Curran: “We get presented with problems, never solutions”. Just like The Journal comments section then.
@sean o’dhubhghaill: Don’t agree.
Our politicians are truly hopeless. No innovation. No leadership. No vision for what the country could be. It’s all about keeping their seats and towing the party party line.
Our planners are conservative, with many passed their sell by dates. In Dublin, four local authorities agree and implement four different county development plans led by planners.
I’m not just describing the problem, I’ve been there, done that and walked away because of party handcuffs.
Dublin needs an exectutive mayor free of party handcuffs to enable a vision to come forward.
Is there only 1 tram? Surely some sort of maintenance rota could be devised combined with somewhat reduced services during the overnight hours.
Is there anything we can do in this country?? How do other countries manage? It’s just a disgrace our lack of decent public transport
With the amount of Taxes that we are paying, it should be a right to get better transport for all Citizens.
Could they please put the Luas underground? Reclaim the streets!
@François Pignon: “Síos” maybe?!
In fairness could you imagine the madness of the Red Line at 2AM in the morning?
Past 1am?? Was trying to get out of town on a Saturday night few wks ago last tram through town passed at 11.15pm??
Surely there be less trams on through the night less than half I imagine so can rotate them easily each night Surely they don’t need maintenance after each day if they do something is wrong
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