The Solar Taxi

Today I got to sit in the Solar Taxi and talk with its creator, Palmer Louis. Palmer decided to  drive around the world (from Switzerland to Australia to the US and back) without a drop of oil. But since the Tesla Roadster and the Chevy Volt are not out yet, he had to make his own electric car to tow his Q-cell solar array. The car is about the size of a smart car, but much shorter so I had a little trouble getting in and out of it, but it was a blast. He said countries around the world are starting to get it, from Thailand to Saudi Arabia, people know that fossil fuels the past and solar is the future. He and his team have done a great job getting the word out and I wish them luck. Check out their website for more information about his trip.

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Of course I can't just blog about electric cars without pointing out the whole issue with the greeness of the grid. The US electrical grid gets 40% of its power from coal so a plug-in electric car in America is hardly green, it produces no emissions but it displaces those emissions to coal plants. Also cars are responsible for hundreds of thousands of traffic deaths each year world wide and they contribute to the paving of our world which exacerbates the urban heat island effect and storm water runoff management issues. So if you want to truly go green, get a bike.

Comments

[Rajesh]

great to hear that you had an opportunity to be in that car...you are very right about electric cars...I think solar powered cars are the way to go...good in all aspects...and money should be spent on researching this form of energy and making it more useful...