Solar taxi trying to circle the globe
Filed under: Etc., Solar, Green Daily
Swiss teacher Louis Palmer wanted to demonstrate the capabilities of solar power so he created the sun-fueled vehicle shown above. Then he set out to circumnavigate the globe. He set out from Lucerne, Switzerland last July on a year long journey that so far has carried him through Europe, the Middle East, and India. Palmer's three-wheeled, two-seater carries a taxi sign because Palmer is offering rides to anyone who's interested as he makes his trek in the Solar Taxi. This week he tooling around Bali, Indonesia while the UN holds a climate conference there. The solar taxi tows a trailer with extra solar panels bringing the total cell area up to 65 sq. ft. To date he has covered almost 9,000 miles and we'll be looking for Louis when he makes his way to the U.S. next year on his way home later in 2008.
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[Source: Reuters]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
12-07-2007 @ 6:35AM
rgseidl said...
While driving any vehicle around the world on solar PV alone is an impressive feat, the project actually highlights the associated problems: high purchase cost, low power & speed, poor/no crash safety, poor comfort/space and a large footprint on the road.
PHEVs running on renewable electricity for a fraction of total miles covered may prove more feasible technologically, but total system cost will still be very high.
A cheaper way to leverage solar power for transportation is renewable CNG/ANG from scrubbed biogas. BTL and cellulosic ethanol are much harder to produce, but they have the advantage of being liquid. Biofuels from food crops are much more problematic.
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5-23-2008 @ 10:50AM
EV31 said...
Hi, did you know that 2 French teachers, Xavier CHEVRIN and Geraldine GABIN are currently cruising from Paris to Beijing on 2 electric scooters ? First time ever on two wheels, electric power is gaining field !
You can follw their route on www.lacroisiereverte-parispkin.com
Cheers !
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