ENGINEERS at a Swindon-based tech company have used lockdown to get the UK’s first 3D-printed electric vehicle ready to drive.

David Speight and Bob Bradley of Scaled in the Rushy Platt Industrial Estate spent the last few months moving towards their vision of making a fully-functioning electric car for a single passenger using large-scale 3D-printing.

The Chameleon is now available for driving demonstrations and will be going through various tests and trials to ensure it is safe and suitable for potential customers.

Mr Bradley said: “We hope to offer a viable alternative for those situations where a functional, sustainable electrical vehicle is attractive.

"Using this technology, it can also be adapted to a wide variety of different needs.

"Our prototype can achieve speeds of up to 45 mph and we have used high-strength recycled plastic, which is an additional environmental benefit to the electric vehicle aspect.

"In theory, it should be possible to manufacture ecological light vehicles from materials that are currently dealt with as waste.”

This eco-friendly method of manufacturing could lead to more refuse being recycled and transformed into vehicle parts.

The team know that this type of vehicle will not be suitable for everyone but they believe it will work well for certain situations.

These include security firms needing to patrol a site, staff who need to move between buildings in a large area, or for short-distance passenger transport from airports and train stations to city centres.

It could be useful for drivers who need to use a company vehicle for short journeys during work hours or who live alone and only need to travel short distances.

Mr Speight added: We used recycled plastic, which is strong and helps the circular economy because it means plastics can be recycled and used to create a long-lasting vehicle.”

The vehicle was created on the team’s Chameleon Platform which is a manufacturing cell that includes robotics.

Scaled was set up five years ago as a tech start-up which aims to give the UK market access to large-scale 3D printing.

For more information, visit https://scal3d.com