Hiriko -- the folding urban EV designed at MIT

[NeilBlanchard]

The progress of this design has gotten to a point where they are now talking a specific date for production -- next year 2013. This car is a two seat (side by side) that is very short to begin with, but it can fold upward and in a parking mode, it takes up just 1/3 of a space.

Oh, the entry door is the whole front with the windshield, so very much like the Isetta. And the wheels each have an electric hub motor, and the tires are non-inflating designs. A lot of interesting concepts in one small car.

Fold-up car of the future unveiled for Europe - Yahoo! Autos

Futuristic fold-up car makes its debut Photos | Futuristic fold-up car makes its debut Pictures - Yahoo! News

MIT's Folding Electric Car Goes On Sale Next Year - Technology - The Atlantic Wire


(click on image for link)

[DJBecker]

Lots of interesting ideas, some of which will be discarded after a little real-life testing.

It's good for city use in a mild climate, but definitely not a highway car. It makes a golf cart look like a SUV. With hub motors, hitting a pothole at over 25MPH will be a problem for both the motor and the chassis.

Most of the pictures are photo-realistic renderings overlaid on photographic backgrounds of well-known locations. You have to look closely to see this, as it's not hinted at in the captions or stories.