Key people Jay Rogers (CEO) CEO Jay Rogers (2007–) Founded 2007 | Website localmotors.com Headquarters Phoenix Type of business Private | |
Industry Motor vehicle manufacturing Profiles | ||
Local Motors is an American motor vehicle manufacturing company focused on low-volume manufacturing of open-source motor vehicle designs using multiple microfactories. It was founded in 2007 with headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona. The company’s current vehicles include the Rally Fighter and their 3D-printed Strati and Swim vehicles. The company develops vehicles using 3D Printing and utilizes vehicle designs provided by the online community. In 2016, the company introduced an autonomous electric-powered shuttle named Olli.
Contents
How local motors works
About the co-founder
John B. Rogers, Jr. is the Co-Founder and current CEO of Local Motors. His grandfather, George M. Hendee, owned Indian Motorcycle Co.Rogers founded Local Motors after serving for seven years in the United States Marine Corps, where he was an Infantry Company Commander. He has worked as a consultant for McKinsey & Co., as an investment analyst at Ewing & Partners, and at a startup medical device company in the People’s Republic of China. He serves as the Chief Investment Officer and Director of the RBR Foundation, a philanthropic foundation focused on education and healthcare. A graduate of Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Rogers holds a Masters in Business Administration from Harvard Business School (Baker Scholar).
Community
Local Motors' website is a community focusing on vehicle innovation. The content is created by the users who discuss designing, engineering, and building innovative vehicles. Members contribute their own ideas and projects which are discussed with the community.
Co-creation is a technique used by Local Motors, General Electric, and LEGO to enhance new product development. Select organizations have partnered with the company to facilitate co-creation of their products including US Army, Domino’s, and Airbus Group.
One of the biggest community driven competitions was hosted by Local Motors in collaboration with Airbus Group.
Rally Fighter
The Rally Fighter was the first model produced by Local Motors and is an Open sourced vehicule . The car was introduced in 2010 after 12 months of development, which constitutes a record Time to Market compared to the automobile industry standards, by applying innovative technologies and crowd sourcing techniques. As the company describes it, the Rally Fighter is "a fully capable off-road prerunner, with the amenities and luxuries of an every-day on road vehicle"..
Strati
In collaboration with Cincinnati Incorporated and Oak Ridge National Laboratory Local Motors manufactured Strati, the world's first 3D printed electric car. The printing took 44 hours to complete, and was witnessed by a live audience at the 2014 International Manufacturing Technology Show in McCormick Place, Chicago. The car consists of 50 individual parts, far less than a traditional vehicle (which is manufactured with roughly 30,000 parts). The Strati was designed by Michele Anoè, a member of the Local Motors community, and is produced in small quantities to serve strategic partnerships, such as with NXP Semiconductors.
LM3D Swim
In 2015, the company debuted a 3D-printed car named the LM3D Swim. It was designed by Kevin Lo, a member of the Local Motors community. The materials used are 80 percent ABS plastic and 20 percent carbon fiber. The vehicle uses technology provided by IBM that offered IoT connectivity. The Swim is currently on display at the company’s location in National Harbor, Maryland.
Olli
In 2016, the company unveiled an autonomous, electric-powered bus. The vehicle was designed by Edgar Sarmiento, initially named the "Berlino" from the Urban Mobility Challenge: Berlin 2030. The vehicle was built by Local Motors and has IBM Watson technology installed to provide a personalized experience for riders. The vehicle was demonstrated live to their online audience on Facebook Live at a media event in National Harbor. The vehicle is still undergoing development.
Olli was manufactured in Chandler, Arizona using additive manufacturing techniques, including 3D Printing. The company has not announced pricing yet.
Miami-Dade County, the State of Nevada and the Danish Vesthimmerland Municipality expressed interest in using Olli on their roadways.
Locations
Local Motors operates five locations in Phoenix, Knoxville, Las Vegas, National Harbor, and Berlin. The company also hosts educational events that are focused on technology, science, and manufacturing topics. People can visit their retail locations in Phoenix, Knoxville, and National Harbor to purchase sustainable and locally-sourced merchandise.