Solar Car Goes Around the World, Sans Fossil Fuel

Swiss teacher Louis Palmer, on leave from his job, just spent 17 months driving a solar-powered car around the world, ending up in Poznan, Poland on Thursday, where world leaders are meeting to discuss a climate treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol, which is set to expire in 2012 and was most notable for requiring 37 industrialized nations to cut emissions. His point? To prove to the world, by actions rather than words, that drivers around the world can keep their cars while at the same time giving up their dependence on fossil fuels. So while almost 11,000 delegates are set to discuss what they call aggressive measures to stop heat-trapping gases that are believed to be the cause of global warming, Palmer urges them to go even further. "Here at the conference, we are talking about reducing emissions by 10 or 20 percent. I want to show that we can reduce emissions by 100 percent – and that’s what we need for the future."

Palmer’s solar car, which was built with the help of Swiss scientists, features 2 seats, a top speed of 55 MPH and can go 185 miles on a fully charged battery. Sadly, the car lacks a coffee cup holder, but given the obvious benefits, it’s really a pretty good tradeoff. Amazingly, Palmer only had two breakdowns on his 32,000 mile trip around the world. According to Palmer, "This is the first time in history that a solar-powered car has traveled all the way around the world without using a single drop of petrol."

Palmer has been getting his message about global warming and fossil fuels across to reporters and just about anyone else who will listen, driving the point home by giving rides to just about anyone who wants one. Thus far, he’s toted over 1,000 people in the car, including such luminaries as New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and U.N. climate head Yvo de Boer. His car, though just a prototype, is one that could be put into production rather easily, he claims. "These new technologies are ready. It’s ecological, it’s economical, it is absolutely reliable. We can stop global warming."