Agence France-Presse Jan 24, 2012 – 12:49 PM ET | Last Updated: Jan 24, 2012 2:40 PM ET
Yves Herman/Reuters
European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso attends the international presentation of the first self-folding electric vehicle, Hiriko, at the EU headquarters in Brussels January 24, 2012.
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BRUSSELS • 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 stroller for easy parking.
The idea for the vehicle came from 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.
The idea for the vehicle came from 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.
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Hiriko
The Hiriko folded up and parked! The two-seater is Spain’s answer to urban stress and pollution.
Demonstrating for journalists, Barroso clambered in through the fold-up front windshield of the 1.5-metre-long car.
Hiriko
Hiriko on the road! 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 stroller for easy parking.
“European ideas usually are developed in the United States. This time an American idea is being made in Europe,” says consortium spokesperson Gorka Espiau.
Its makers are in talks with a number of European cities to assemble the tiny cars that can run 120 kilometres without a recharge and whose speed is electronically set to respect city limits.
They envisage 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 ($16,368).
Francois Lenoir/Reuters
European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso, left, poses with Jesus Echabe, president of Hiriko who takes the wheel at the EU launch of the Hiriko.
Several cities have shown interest, including Berlin, Barcelona, San Francisco and Hong Kong. Talks are underway with Paris, London, Boston, Dubai and Brussels.
Georges Gobet/AFP/Getty Images
No doors? Climb in and out of the Hiriko through the fold-up front windshield of the 1.5-metre-long car.
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.”