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Jan 29, 2012
A tiny revolutionary fold-up car designed in Spain’s Basque country as the answer to urban stress and pollution was unveiled Tuesday before hitting European cities in 2013.
The “Hiriko,” the Basque word for “urban,” is an electric two-seater with no doors whose motor is located in the wheels and which folds up like a child’s collapsible buggy, or stroller, for easy parking.
Dreamt up by Boston’s MIT-Media lab, the concept was developed by a consortium of seven small Basque firms under the name Hiriko Driving Mobility, with a prototype unveiled by European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso.
Demonstrating for journalists, Barroso clambered in through the fold-up front windscreen of the 1.5-metre-long car.
“European ideas usually are developed in the United States. This time an American idea is being made in Europe,” consortium spokesman Gorka Espiau told AFP.
Its makers are in talks with a number of European cities to assemble the tiny cars that can run 120 kilometers (75 miles) without a recharge and whose speed is electronically set to respect city limits.
They envision it as a city-owned vehicle, up for hire like the fleets of bicycles available in many European cities, or put up for sale privately at around 12,500 euros.
Several cities have shows interest, including Berlin, Barcelona, San Francisco and Hong Kong. Talks are under way with Paris, London, Boston, Dubai and Brussels.
The vehicle’s four wheels turn at right angles to facilitate sideways parking in tight spaces.
The backers describe the “Hiriko” project as a “European social innovation initiative offering a systematic solution to major societal challenges: urban transportation, pollution and job creation.”
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Top 10 Videos for The Hiriko
Hiriko Video Gallery
Hiriko Photo Gallery
Hiriko Questions and Answers
Hiriko Last News
What people are talking about Hiriko on Twitter
Plans to make Hiriko fold-up cars a city-owned vehicle, up for hire like Boris bikes! (video): hiriko-t.co/toe332cE
News on the Hiriko City Car: Social Innovation in Spain leads the way hiriko-t.co/x8hzI3KJ
Open thinking between the worlds of science and business hiriko-t.co/JpEv8f3q /// hiriko-t.co/tsoL2NZu #Porelmedioambiente
Attacking Assumptions to Innovate: The Hiriko (which means “city car” in Basque) was developed at MIT’s Media La… hiriko-t.co/Su7AFQHS
HIRIKO Folding Electric Car hiriko-t.co/MTqjdWsq via thefancy
hiriko-t.co/U4LL4Dkw a new concept of urban mobility
RT Recce233Savoie: #RT ninafettuccine Photo: › [M.I.T. CityCar, Renamed Hiriko, Is Headed to Production - hiriko-t.co/Sx5MPOA0] #tech hiriko-t.co/qZmgq4Ae
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