Another step towards a new urban mobility system
Moving torwards a greener future, the City Council of Vitoria-Gasteiz has agreed to establish a collaborative framework with AFYPAIDA, the entity that promotes the "Driving Mobility HIRIKO" project.
As part of this agreement, the Centre for Environmental Studies of Vitoria Gasteiz (CEA) and HIRIKO will develop activities aimed at changing urban behaviour, namely to decrease the use of conventional cars and promote public transport. The agreement makes the HIRIKO project a partner in the "European Green Capital" activities of Vitoria-Gasteiz. HIRIKO will help to raise awareness, promote and support the initiative. HIRIKO is an innovative electric car. It's a two-seater with drive and four-wheel steering that folds once it is parked. The car was developed in Vitoria-Gasteiz by a consortium of companies grouped around AFYPAIDA: Guardian, Sapa, TMA, Forging Products, BRW-Basque Robot Wheels, Ingeinnova and Maser Mic, all coordinated by DENOKINN. After signing the collaboration agreement, Javier Maroto, mayor of Vitoria-Gasteiz said: "We must take every opportunity to promote our city, and there is no better place to do so than on board this electric vehicle that set Vitoria-Gasteiz in the select group of Smart Cities, which apply the latest technologies for sustainable, social and cooperative development." On 24 January 2012, President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Durao Barroso presented the first prototype of this vehicle at the headquarters of the presidency of the European Commission. President Barroso referred to this car as an example of social innovation. "This project is an important part of the response to the crisis in Europe", said the president of the EU executive. He pointed out that the birth of HIRIKO has been possible thanks in part to European funding by the European Social Fund. Jesús Echave, president of HIRIKO, said in his presentation: "This is our proposal for the design of what the cities of the 21st century should be like: more human, more comfortable and more committed to the environment. I am convinced that Vitoria-Gasteiz, our Green Capital, will be one of them. We want to contribute to this through the development of this vehicle."
