Hiriko

HIRIKO, invited to the Embassy of the United States in Madrid

The HIRIKO Project was a model of corporate corporation between the USA and Spain in an event held in the North American embassy in Madrid last Thursday 2nd June. Ambassador Alan D. Solomont gathered 150 representatives of industries and corporations from both countries and expressed interest for the development of the electric vehicle, the modules of which are to be built in the Basque Country.

The delegation from the MIT And from AFYPAIDA/HIRIKO including Kent Larson, Ryan Chin, David Poblano and Jesús Echave and Iñigo Antia showed the contributions offered by HIRIKO to the new big cities of the 21st century in terms of sustainability, transport and technological innovation to everybody present.

The US ambassador in Spain, Mr. Alan Solomont, expressed considerable interest for the HIRIKO project, above all in terms of the participation of American corporations and institutions. Together with him were the US Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, Senator Robert Menéndez and Juan Rodríguez Inciarte, Chairman of the United States-Spain Forum and senior executive of the Banco Santander.

In his speech, ambassador Alan D. Solomont emphasise the innovating and research effort of spearhead technological centres and universities such as the MIT which has been used in several applications such as is the case of HIRIKO in which, Among others, corporations such as GUARDIAN or BOSTON POWER taking part.

The chairman of AFYPAIDA/HIRIKO, Jesús Echave, showed Solomont those solutions for urban mobility offered by HIRIKO, an electric vehicle that is to be unveiled in Vitoria very soon. Hiriko, which is being developed in Vitoria with the collaboration of the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), was the main attraction in the Embassy of the United States in Spain before the 16th United States-Spain Forum was held.

A scale prototype was exhibited in the event held in the ambassador’s residence before US Undersecretary of Commerce, Francisco Sánchez, and Senator Bob Menéndez, Chairman of the United States-Spain Council. On the following day, ambassador Solomont participated in the 16th United States-Spain Forum held in Oviedo with the presence of the Princes of Asturias.