Hiriko, a personal mobility solution for cities revealed in Brussels

You might remember 'CityCar', a concept two-seater EV conceived in MIT a few years back. The concept was a brainchild of William J. Mitchell, a Professor of Architecture and Media Arts and Sciences in MIT. The concept is now a reality, thanks to the collaborative efforts of seven different Basque firms named collectively as Hiriko Driving Mobility, MIT, and the Spanish government. The concept has been renamed as 'Hiriko', which is a Basque word for 'urban'. The much thought-over concept promises to provide a more suitable and effective solution to solve personal mobility and congestion problems of our future cities. The prototype was unveiled by Durao Barroso, President of the European Commission.

Hiriko, a personal mobility solution for cities revealed in Brussels

Just looking from outside 'Hiriko' seems like a just another two-seater EV, but it certainly has some striking features, which help it in distinguishing itself from the crowd. You'll be surprised to know that electric motors responsible for running it don't have a separate compartment, but are attached to the wheels itself. The wheels also consist of steering and suspension with each wheel being controlled independently. Another striking feature is its ability to fold itself while parking, thereby, reducing its parking space to one-third of the space taken by conventional vehicles. Its wheels can move at their own axis enabling the vehicle in parallel parking and changing lanes.

The 1.5-meter long compact car weighs less than a thousand pounds and offers a personal mobility solution for cities in the future. The car has a single door in the front to help the driver and passenger to get inside and would use a joystick or a 'haptic' steering wheel instead of the conventional one. There are currently 20 units of the vehicle in production that are expected to be rolled out next year. It can be prospectively put for hire in cities just like a fleet of bicycles. You can know the availability and current location of these vehicles through your mobile devices. 'Hiriko' provides you with a personal car that meets your day-to-day commutation needs, while reducing the burden on transportation system.

A single recharge helps you travel up to 125 kilometers with a maximum speed of 59 mph. The vehicle will be first tested in cities like Barcelona, Berlin, Malmo, Hong Kong, and San Francisco and then might be made available for the rest of the world. The estimated cost of production of a Hiriko stands at $16,500, which is actually cheap for an EV. The sales of city cars has rather been stagnant in recent years, 'Hiriko' might help in changing this trend by introducing a low cost, affordable, and smart vehicle to this EV segment.

Via/Source:Physorg