From the article:
Quote:
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Advanced 3D printing machines create underbodies and engine blocks that are detailed and to scale for the reduced sized clay models. Working suspensions with spinning wheels allow aerodynamic engineers to better examine how airflow affects a vehicle’s underbody while in motion, resulting in quieter cars and trucks that can cost customers less to operate.
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I've suspected that part of the GM bail out years ago included an agreement to make cars like the Volt.
I have read that Ford received stimulus money for simply converting light truck plants into making smaller fuel efficient cars.
These events were way back in 2009-ish (some tied to
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009).
I'm just wondering if this facility is an outcrop of that funding, or more of a response to the heightened fuel economy requirements on the horizon.
2012
Obama Administration Finalizes Historic 54.5 MPG Fuel Efficiency Standards
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press...iency-standard
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WASHINGTON, DC – The Obama Administration today finalized groundbreaking standards that will increase fuel economy to the equivalent of 54.5 mpg for cars and light-duty trucks by Model Year 2025. When combined with previous standards set by this Administration, this move will nearly double the fuel efficiency of those vehicles compared to new vehicles currently on our roads. In total, the Administration’s national program to improve fuel economy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions will save consumers more than $1.7 trillion at the gas pump and reduce U.S. oil consumption by 12 billion barrels.
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Not just cars, heavy trucks too.
2014
White House to Toughen Fuel Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles
President Obama Announces New Fuel Economy Regulations | TIME.com
If anyone finds an article linking government grants and or loans to the building of this new wind tunnel please post it. For now it's just a suspicion of mine based on previous events.
Some (Industry Lobbyists) may have felt it was unfair to hike up standards which may impose a financial burden on the car industry, without some vehicle/means/government guaranteed loans to help reach these goals.
Excluding the politics of regulation, the idea of 3D printing scaling down the costs of running different models though it at a more rapid pace is news worthy to say the least.