I was very fortunate to attend a breakfast hosted by the RAC and the WA Sustainable Energy Association last week.
In addition to excellent speeches by RAC President David Moir and Greens WA MP Paul Llewellyn, the main purpose of the event was to welcome to Perth Louis Palmer and his Solar Taxi.
Louis gave a particularly inspring presentation on his exploits as he makes his way around the world in the solar powered car that he build in his home town of Lucerne, Switzerland.
He has nicknamed the car the Solar Taxi as he has been taking the opportunity to take people for drives in the car to show them the benefits of the technology.
The car has a top speed of 90km/h and a range of 300km, which can be extended to 400km with the addition of a trailer equipped with solar panels.
Louis is wanting to prove that solar technology can be used to produce a zero emissions car that would suit the needs of the vast majority of commuters.
Most commuters do less than 30km in their daily commute, and drive to work as the sole occupant of the car. Louis claims that his car could be mass produced for as little as $10,000.
Perth represents the halfway point for Louis' trip around the world. From here he heads to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Kunming, Shanghai, Beijing, Seoul,
Osaka, Tokyo, Vancouver, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Chicago.
Go to his website to find out more about the technology, the tour or Louis and his team: www.solartaxi.com