UC Berkeley News Brief

Students check out the Solar Taxi in front of Hearst Memorial Mining Building on Monday. (Aaron Walburg/UC Berkeley photos)

Taking a solar spin

From Public Affairs | 14 July 2008

BERKELEY – Hosted by the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS), the zero-emission, globe-trotting Solar Taxi made a pit stop on campus today (Monday, July 14). Swiss adventurer Louis Palmer set off on this promotional round-the-world trip last July to call attention to global warming and existing solutions for oil independence. He has demonstrated the vehicle to heads of state, environmental ministers of several countries, and officials from international organizations.

Swiss adventurer Louis Palmer (right) takes Chancellor Birgeneau for a spin in the Solar Taxi.

Since the start of his trip, Palmer has traveled through more than a dozen countries, including Germany, Saudi Arabia, Australia, and China. He started off his UC Berkeley visit with a 10:30 a.m. lecture at the Hearst Memorial Mining Building, followed by free demonstrations and rides. Chancellor Robert Birgeneau was one of the lucky passengers to get a chauffeured ride in the Solar Taxi.

With a full component of batteries, the Solar Taxi can be powered for almost 200 miles. With additional energy from the solar cells on a sunny day, it can travel almost 260 miles. The vehicle has a top speed of 60 miles an hour and needs no gasoline at all. More information is available on the CITRIS website.