Prague startup touts 4ekolka, a 3D-printed electric city car

The company is called 4ekolka, and, as seen in a one-minute video on YouTube, founder Petr Chladek was able to start that little thing up and take it up a rather long driveway. There was even an incline.

4ekolka will make a car that will be able to go as far as 124 miles on a full charge. The car will have a 9.6-kilowatt-hour battery, and will have a top speed of about 35 miles per hour. A prototype of the vehicle cost about $12,000 to build, and Chladek is testing it on the streets of Prague. And given the car's unusual appearance - it's a two-toned vehicle topped by a glass bubble thing – he's probably gotten plenty of interesting looks.

The concept of making a car with 3D-printed parts is getting less and less far-fetched, actually. Earlier this year, Daihatsu said it was working with 3D printing company Stratasys and industrial designers from Znug Design to produce body panels for the Daihatsu Copen two-seat roadster/coupe. The thermoplastic panels will be produced starting next year with Fortus Production 3D Printers.

Then there is Local Motors, which is believed to have produced the world's first 3D-printed car. The startup unveiled the concept, called the Strati, at last year's Detroit Auto Show, producing the vehicle with said printers in a scant 44 hours. The company has said deliveries may start as early as the end of 2016 with a starting price of $53,000.