nFrontier Unveils UILA, a 3D Printed Hyrbid Electric Cargo Bike and Electric Vehicle

Once again, 3D printing has been used for an innovative and sustainable new solution. This time, nFrontier, a Berlin-based innovation studio, has unveiled UILA, a revolutionary vehicle that is essentially a hybrid between an electric cargo bike and a small Electrical Vehicle (EV). Hoped to be a new solution for sustainable mobility, the prototype was made actually used Stratasys’ polymer solutions and was unveiled at Formnext 2022 this week at the Stratasys stand, hall 12.1, booth D121.

It is perhaps no surprise that we have seen an influx in sustainable solutions in recent years. The past 10 years have been some of the hottest on record and many are looking for ways to address their own carbon footprints. This includes in the transportation sector. Indeed, according to a press release from Stratasys, current studies estimate that there will be more than 270 million electric two- and three-wheelers on the road globally. And we have certainly seen an influx in both electric bicycles and electric vehicles in the past few years, especially with raising gas prices.

UILA at the Stratasys booth (photo credits: 3Dnatives)

This latest solution, UILA, meanwhile occupies a happy medium between the two. It does not require a driver’s license and can be used on bike lanes, but it also provides extra security thanks to its covered format, surrounding users and protecting them from possible hazards on the road. Moreover, it integrates a number of comforts normally more associated with vehicles including but not limited to a modern infotainment system with smartphone functionalities as well as the ability to call the parked vehicle to drive towards you or follow you without a driver. We took a closer look at what users can expect from the vehicle.