Futuristic Car for Futuristic Times!

Will a new vehicle that looks like something out of The Jetsons save the world from over-populated traffic and pollution?

Introducing a special 1.5-meter-long electric car designed in Spain's Basque country - the all new Hiriko! A new revolutionary fold-up car created to address urban stress and pollution issues. The vehicle was unveiled yesterday and is the world's very first car to actually be able to fold into itself in order to save parking space.

"Hiriko" is the Basque word for "urban." This new invention boasts a driving range 75 miles without charge, four motors that are each built into each wheel and seating capacity for two without any doors. NO DOORS!? Well... technically the front windshield opens for passengers/drivers to come in-and-out. The actual speed of the car is electronically regulated to respect city limits and its four wheels are designed to turn at right angles to allow for sideways parking in tight spaces. As for the actual folding mechanism, the car doesn't fold into a suit case (we're probably a couple hundred years too early for that) but it does indeed 'fold' in much the same way that a stroller does.

Although designed in Spain, the actual concept was dreamt up by Boston's MIT Media lab. The prototype was then developed by a partnership between seven Basque business firms (under the name Hiriko Driving Mobility), the Spanish government and the MIT Media Lab. Madrid has funded the project with a GBP 13 million grant.

The car is slated to hit European cities in 2013 and several cities have shown interest, including Berlin, Barcelona, San Francisco and Hong Kong, while further talks are underway with Paris, London, Boston, Dubai and Brussels.

The developers envision their vehicle as a city-owned vehicle, like the fleets of bicycles available in many European cities, as well as being sold in the private sector for around 12,500 euros. If the car ends up being a success, it could not only help solve urban transportation and pollution problems, but also aid in job creation - something a battered Euro zone could very much benefit from.

Despite its official release date of next year, around 20 of these bubbly vehicles will be deployed on a trial basis around autumn this year in several European and American cities including Boston in Massachusetts, Malmo in Sweden, and Bilbao in Spain.

The only downside, however, is that the car contains thousands of electrical and mechanical parts, all of which will need some sort of protection in case something goes wrong. In other words, this vehicle could be a warranty nightmare. Europe may not be able to afford such a risk, but I suppose the trial runs will truly decide that for future. Until then, try not to hit one of these poor little things on the freeway.

Over and Out,

- Peter

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