One very unusual electric car has debuted in Brussels. The Hiriko EV uses a hub-mounted electric motor at each wheel, though that's not the most interesting aspect of the vehicle. According to The Telegraph, the Hiriko uses an interesting rear suspension design that allows the vehicle to fold up, rotating the cabin vertically, to take up less space while parking. The partnership behind the vehicle say the car consumes approximately one third the parking space of a Smart ForTwo. Occupants enter from a single front door, and the Hiriko ditches the traditional steering wheel in favor of a joystick.
Folding electric car to enter production
Posted on Thursday, January 26 2012 @ 19:53 CET by Thomas De Maesschalck
Autoblog reports a folding electric car will enter production. The compact two-seat city car has been developed by a group of Basque businesses, the Spanish government and the MIT media lab. A total of 20 test vehicles will be made, with manufacturing costs estimated at $16,253 per car. Details on range, power or charge time are still unknown.