Innovative car to tackle urban pollution

An innovative car has been designed by manufacturers in Spain to curb inner-city pollution, as well as solve city transport problems and create new jobs.

The new eclectic cars, named ‘Hiriko’, have been developed in the Basque country and have the ability to fold up like a child’s collapsible buggy. It is powered by electric, and can run 120 kilometres (75 miles) without a recharge.

The speed of the car is also set to city limits to increase the appreciation of road safety in the urban areas.

The impact of urban pollution on life expectancy has been found to be similar to that of smoking by researchers at the Environmental Health Department at Harvard School, who have found that sustained pollution levels can cause cancer or cardio-vascular problems in the long-term.

Various initiatives to tackle the problem have been implemented world-wide, such as pollution glue in London and green-zones around urban areas. The impact of soot and methane have been singled out in cutting down urban pollution, with researchers at NASA's Goddard Institute finding that five million lives a year could be saved using existing technology.

The new car will be unveiled next week before hitting European cities in 2013.

Posted by Lauren Steadman