Solar Taxi Stops in Vancouver on World Tour

Everywhere Swiss schoolteacher Louis Palmer drives, he manages to draw a crowd.

And he's drawn a lot of crowds.

Palmer and his now world-famous SolarTaxi made a stop in Vancouver on Thursday to kick off the North American part of his world tour.

He's already driven through 27 countries and covered off 32,000 kilometres in his trusty blue companion – which tows a trailer of solar panels – while raising awareness for global warming and alternative energy.

“So far, I can't believe I have made it two-thirds around the world,” Palmer told a welcoming party outside the Telus World of Science yesterday. “I'm a bit nervous about this last third of my tour, but so far we haven't had any problems.”

For Palmer, the global zero-emissions trek is the realization of a childhood dream.

He fantasized about driving around the world at the age of 11, until he learned about global warming in school.

“[The teacher] said when you are driving a car, you are part of the problem,” Palmer recalls. “What he told me was shocking.”

And then he saw the devastation climate change can have first-hand during his travels as an adult.

“After seeing the tragedy of global warming, I decided I am going to start this project and see what happens.”

The result has been nothing short of breathtaking.

In the face of skyrocketing gas prices, Palmer has managed to make it this far on $100 of electricity.

And along the way, he's shown every curious onlooker just how far clean energy can take you.