Entrepreneur Kevin Czinger is excited about the future of cars. But instead of focusing on driverless vehicles like Google and Uber, he has something else in mind: 3D-printing.
Enter his revolutionary take on automobiles — the Blade, a car built out of 3D-printed aluminum joints that snap together like legos.
As the founder of Divergent 3D, Czinger is betting big on the idea that car parts can be designed, printed and then assembled in micro-factories all over the country.
Divergent 3D raised $23 million in a series A round in January, according to Cruchbase.
Czinger appeared on the season three premiere of CNBC's "Jay Leno's Garage" to show off his ultra-sleek 1400-pound, 700 horsepower prototype. Leno can be seen taking the car for a spin around Los Angeles in this YouTube video for his show.
"[Czinger's] real goal is to sell this technology to major manufacturers," Leno says. "And the cool thing is, it's made right here in America."
The Blade made its debut in June of 2015 at the O'Reilly Solid Conference in San Francisco, where Czinger touted the car's revolutionary manufacturing technology and lightweight body.
Forbes noted at the time of the car's debut that it was "unclear how auto-safety regulators may regard the Blade" but gave options for how the company may want to explore the issue.
Czinger also boasts that the production process is environmentally friendly — another facet close to Divergent's core mission.
"Society has made great strides in its awareness and adoption of cleaner and greener cars," says Czinger, addressing the audience at the O'Reilly Solid Conference. "The problem is that while these cars do now exist, the actual manufacturing of them is anything but environmentally friendly."
CNBC's "Jay Leno's Garage" airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET.
