Electric vehicles (EVs) are being developed around the world as the cars of the future. One of these is the small electric vehicle Hiriko, which has been introduced in Spain. Developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, it is a unique EV that can be folded and is attracting a great deal of attention, including for its design.
City: MEDEA Malmö
Did you know that a project is underway in Niigata Prefecture to adapt the Hiriko EV to Japanese standards and run it on public roads?
The Japanese version of Hiriko is being developed by Hiriko.JP, a newly established company in Kashiwazaki City, Japan, which will start demonstration tests in the prefecture in 2014 and aims to make its market debut in three years at the earliest. The design of the Niigata model of Hiriko was unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show 2013 and attracted a lot of attention!
New Energy Resources Development Office, Industrial Promotion Division, Industry, Labour and Tourism Department, Niigata Prefecture WEB site: http://www.niigata-ev-phv.jp/
See its design!
From the WEB site of the New Energy Resources Development Office, Industrial Promotion Division, Industry, Labour and Tourism Department, Niigata Prefecture.
From the WEB site of the New Energy Resources Development Office, Industrial Promotion Division, Industry, Labour and Tourism Department, Niigata Prefecture.
Oh, it's a very robot-like design! That's no wonder, the design was created by Kunio Okawara, who designed the Mobile Suit Gundam mobile suits! A great choice for robot fans of yesteryear!
It looks sharper than the Spanish Hiriko. This is because the design was commissioned to Mr Okawara as part of the modification process to change the standard width of the Spanish version, 1.7 metres, to the Japanese light car standard of 1.48 metres.
Mr Okawara commented on the design in the Hiriko.JP brochure: "I want to give the car expression, not inorganicity. It's a character that asserts itself," he commented in the Hiriko.JP brochure. The design certainly looks familiar.
An image search for ' Hiriko Niigata ' will also reveal many photos from different angles. We are looking forward to seeing this design of Hiriko Niigata model running in the city of Niigata in the future.
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