Ecosummit TV: Gorka Espiau, Head of International Programmes at Hiriko, pitches the Spanish EV startup at ECO12 Berlin. Hiriko aims at reinventing sustainable social mobility in smart green cities by building a foldable electric vehicle optimised for car sharing that was originally invented at the MIT Media Lab. The networked city car shall only be offered in car sharing fleets which is a pretty disruptive distribution strategy. The first prototype is available and Hiriko is looking for investors who want to accelerate their vision of sustainable urban mobility.

Hiriko’s drive train is very innovative as it is based on 4 robot wheels powered by a compact electric motor. Each robot wheel can be steered which enables the car to drive a full 360 degree circle on the spot. The steering of the car uses electric wires which saves a lot of space and material. While the manufacturing of the key parts of Hiriko cars will take place in the Basque country, the assembly is planned in local factories in the cities operating Hiriko fleets. I am fascinated by Hiriko’s vision and execution and recommend that you get in touch with Gorka and his team to talk about cooperation.

Tags: Berlin, car sharing, City Car, Cleantech Startup, ECO12, Ecosummit 2012, Ecosummit TV, Electric Vehicle, Emobility, EV, Gorka Espiau, Hiriko, MIT Media Lab, Robot Wheel, Smart Green City, Smart Green Startup, Spain, startup, Sustainable Social Mobility