The Solartaxi is coming!

06 January 2008

Nullarbor Consulting will host Louis Palmer and his team from Switzerland as they drive their solar powered taxi through Merimbula as part of their world tour.

The journey has already taken them from Europe through Asia to Bali (coinciding with the World Climate Change Conference) and New Zealand. The car will arrive by ship in Sydney around 29 January.

The solar taxi will charge up additional battery power from our grid-connected solar panels at Lochiel on 8 and 9 February before continuing its journey to Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth,

The Solartaxi is an electric vehicle with a five-metre-long solar trailer covered with 6 square metres of solar cells. The electricity is stored in a newly invented ZEBRA battery, so the taxi can even drive at night, without any sunshine. The solar cells on the trailer produce enough electricity to run the car up to 100 km a day.

To drive more than 100 km a day, the battery is charged with additional solar power. For this purpose, the solar taxi team has a solar power plant on a rooftop in Berne, Switzerland. This electricity is fed into the grid, offsetting electricity generated by using fossil fuels. Team leader Louis Palmer says it's like paying money into a bank account and withdrawing the money somewhere else: They feed solar electricity into the grid and charge it into the battery anywhere in the world, from the grid. By using a quick charge it's possible to fill 50% of the whole battery capacity in 30 minutes. The regular charging process takes 6 to 8 hours.

The Solartaxi demonstrates how it is possible to produce enough electricity with a mere 9 square metres of solar cells on a rooftop to drive 15'000 km a year.

For more information about this amazing vehicle and photos of their tour so far see: www.solartaxi.com

EVENTS

The solartaxi's visit to Merimbula is kindly supported by MACCAT.

Friday 8 February 2008 @ 7.30pm Merimbula RSL Club in Main Street
Louis Palmer will be giving a free talk on the solar taxi and its journey. Seats are limited. To book, please call us on 6495 7435 or contact us.

Saturday 9 February 2008 @ 10:00am - 12:30pm Market Street Merimbula
The solar taxi will be on display outside Mr Buffs Car Detailing (near McDonalds). Come and meet Louis Palmer and the solar taxi team. Open to the public. Free event. For enquiries please contact us.

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