Airbus APWorks Light Rider
What happens when an
aerospace-specialist develops a motorcycle instead of calculating
spaceship-engines? A unique concept is born.
This peculiar looking thing is called
the Light Rider, and it’s the world’s first 3D printed motorcycle. With a
state-of-the-art 3D frame, APWorks – one of Airbus’ subsidiaries – used bionic
algorithms in order to define the organic frame structre using nature's design
principles.
In other words, it has an aero-space
approved approach, created out of thousands of 30 µm thin layers in a metallic
powder bed, that offers the bike superb stiffness. APWorks says it’s using the
best materials as the whole frame is created out of Scalmalloy – an
aircraft-grade aluminum that offers the specific strength of titanium and is
unequaled in 3D printing.
The entire rig also weighs only 35 kg, which in conjunction with its emission-free 6 kW electric motor that
outputs up to 130 Nm of torque, offers a power-to-weight ratio equal to that of
a supercar. It does 0 to 45 km/h in 3 seconds and has a top speed of
80 km/h, with an autonomy of 60 km.
Airbus’ APWorks plans to make an
exclusive small series of the Light Rider – street legal for everyday use –
with only 50 units planed. A deposit of € 2000 (US$ 2,229) will secure you one, but
the full price of the bike is € 50.000 (US$ 55,727).
