3D printed device prevents electric cars in a dealership showroom from accidentally starting and moving around the show
General Motors has developed a device that prevents the seat belt from being buckled. But calm down, there is a logical and well-founded explanation for this. It exists to prevent customers visiting showrooms from accidentally starting electric cars and causing accidents.
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Despite being a remote hypothesis and that it has never reported the problem in its dealership network in the country, the manufacturer reports that competing brands have already registered collisions caused within their salons. This is because customers did not realize that the car was started (since electric cars do not generate noise in operation). And even though many models are equipped with noises to warn pedestrians, inside a hall any movement can be dangerous. Then, she anticipated a possible problem and literally printed the solution.
And how does it work? It is a small 3D printed clip that is attached to the end of the belt fitting, preventing it from being buckled. Models with the Spark EUV only start when the seat belt is properly connected at the side point to the seat. Thus, the piece prevents the customer from simulating (to the extreme) the routine aboard the Spark and ending up starting the car, which can leave like an elephant in a porcelain store through the dealership’s hall.
GM printed hundreds of parts on a gigantic 3D printer, valued at US$ 1 million (R$ 5.1 million), installed at its development center in São Caetano do Sul (SP) and distributed it to the dealer network. The cost of each item was in the order of R$ 3. Even with the scale to cover the entire network, it is a derisory value given the risk avoided.
But it is worth remembering that the item is installed only in the cars displayed in the showroom to purposely avoid the operation of the electric car (in this case, the Spark). Outside this environment, the use of the belt by all occupants of the vehicle is mandatory.
