{{short description|Swiss teacher, innovator, and environmentalist}} {{Multiple issues| {{More footnotes needed|date=August 2016}} {{Unreliable sources|date=August 2016}}}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}} '''Louis Palmer''' (born 1971 in Budapest) is a Swiss keynote speaker, global environmental adventurer, and "Solar Pioneer".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.morgenpost.de/web-wissen/article1375733/In-80-Tagen-ohne-Abgase-um-die-Welt.html |title=In 80 Tagen ohne Abgase um die Welt – Wissen – Berliner Morgenpost |language=de|website=Morgenpost.de |date=2010-08-16 |accessdate=2016-08-09}}</ref> thumb|Palmer on the Solartaxi
==Life== Louis Palmer was raised in Luzern, Switzerland.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.solartaxi.com/mission/louis-page/ |title=Louis' Page |publisher=Solartaxi |accessdate=2016-08-09}}</ref> Since he was a little child, his dream was to show the benefit of renewable energy sources and solar cars to the world. After finishing school, he became a schoolteacher. After [https://web.archive.org/web/20120410054223/http://www.louispalmer.ch/en/projects/ several trips] to foreign countries, he discovered his vision and took his first steps into Solar Energy. In 2007 and 2008, he was the first to circumnavigate the globe on solar power.
==Motivational speaker== Louis Palmer speaks at conferences around the world about solar energy and the possibility of a better world through renewable energy.{{citation needed|date=September 2012}} As a conference speaker, he has had the opportunity to speak to audiences of researchers, politicians, and students. In 2009, Palmer was awarded the European Solar Prize,{{citation needed|date=May 2026}} and in 2011, he was awarded Champion of the Earth for circumnavigating the globe in a solar-powered vehicle.<ref>{{cite web |title=Louis Palmer: Solar Butterfly |url=https://www.ted.com/talks/louis_palmer_solar_butterfly?subtitle=en |website=TED Talk |publisher=TED Conferences, LLC. |access-date=28 May 2026}}</ref>
==Solartaxi== In 2004, with the help of sponsors and technical support, Palmer began building a solar-powered car called the ''Solartaxi''. For the technical expertise, he worked together with the Hochschule für Technik und Architektur Luzern and three other Swiss universities. He drove around the world in his Solartaxi between 2007 and 2008, logging over 54,000 kilometers through over 40 counties. In 2008, the tour ended in Luzern after 18 months, making it the first tour around the world in a solar-powered car.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spiegel.de/reise/fernweh/0,1518,597903,00.html |title=Solartaxi am Ziel: In 80 Tagen um die Welt – mit Elektroautos – SPIEGEL ONLINE |website=Spiegel.de |date=2008-12-22 |accessdate=2016-08-09}}</ref> During the tour, his companion Erik Schmitt made a documentary film about the tour.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.solartaxi-themovie.com/ |title=Solartaxi The Movie |publisher=Solartaxi The Movie |date=2010-06-23 |accessdate=2016-08-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170421011206/http://www.solartaxi-themovie.com/ |archive-date=21 April 2017 |url-status=usurped }}</ref> In 2009 he was awarded the European Solar Prize for his Solartaxi.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eurosolar.de/en/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=76&Itemid=115 |title=European Solar Prize 2009 |website=Eurosolar.de |accessdate=2016-08-09}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=May 2026|reason=Link leads to 2018 page, not 2009, and "Louis Palmer" does not appear on the website at all}}
==Zero Race== After his Solartaxi tour, Palmer drew from his previous experience when he became the initiator and tour director of an organized race. The Zero Emissions Race took place between August 2010 and February 2011. The aim was to make it around the world in 80 days and to show what emission-free vehicles can accomplish. Palmer invited four teams to enter the competition,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.zero-race.com/en/teams/ |title=Driving Teams from around the world |website=Zero-race.com |accessdate=2016-08-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151230014717/http://www.zero-race.com/en/teams/ |archive-date=30 December 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> setting vehicle criteria that were quite concrete: They had to be propelled by an electric motor, they had to be able to drive a certain distance in a certain time, and they had to be able to carry at least two passengers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.zero-race.com/en/race/ |title=It's about |website=Zero-race.com |accessdate=2016-08-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151230014610/http://www.zero-race.com/en/race/ |archive-date=30 December 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Through Zero Emissions Race, Palmer was once again able to draw attention to his vision of sustainable living.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12578749 |title=Trio of electric vehicles end emission-free world tour |date=25 February 2011 |publisher=BBC News |accessdate=2016-08-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/Industries/202631/Green-cars-begin-world-race.html |title=Green cars begin world race – Society – Vietnam News | Politics, Business, Economy, Society, Life, Sports – VietNam News |website=Vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn |accessdate=2016-08-09}}</ref>
==WAVE World Advanced Vehicle Expedition== Palmer's third tour began on 10 September 2011 in Paris and finished on 25 September 2011 in Prague. 25 electric vehicles from eight countries joined his first [http://www.wave2011.net WAVE] across 3,000 km and eight countries. The tour stopped in around 30 cities to demonstrate to the public that electric vehicles are reliable, fun, and powerful. All vehicles had to produce their own electricity from a renewable source such as wind or solar and feed it into the grid. In December, the second WAVE took place in India. Five electric cars joined this tour from Mumbai to Bangalore and back.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wave2011.net |title=WAVE – World Advanced Vehicle Expedition |website=Wave2011.net |accessdate=2016-08-09}}</ref> In 2014, 75 vehicles have already joined the tour, and Palmer set the world record for the largest electric vehicle parade with 481 vehicles, which joined the WAVE at its start in Stuttgart on 31 May 2014.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wavetrophy.com |title=WAVE TROPHY join the world's largest EV rally |website=Wavetrophy.com |accessdate=2016-08-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191118093355/https://wavetrophy.com/ |archive-date=18 November 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2016, Charged Hong Kong helped students get climate commitments which were sent to United Nations and multiple world leaders.<ref>{{Cite web |title=wave.earth |url=https://forsale.godaddy.com/forsale/wave.earth?utm_source=TDFS_BINNS2&utm_medium=parkedpages&utm_campaign=x_corp_tdfs-binns2_base&traffic_type=TDFS_BINNS2&traffic_id=binns2& |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260117212924/https://forsale.godaddy.com/forsale/wave.earth?utm_source=TDFS_BINNS2&utm_medium=parkedpages&utm_campaign=x_corp_tdfs-binns2_base&traffic_type=TDFS_BINNS2&traffic_id=binns2& |archive-date=2026-01-17 |access-date=2026-05-27 |website=forsale.godaddy.com |language=en}}</ref>
==Switchbus / Switzerland Explorer== {{BLP unreferenced section|date=May 2026}} Together with his wife, Dr. Julianna Priskin, Palmer co-founded the Switzerland Explorer" with the world's first 100% electric tour bus. The aim of Switzerland Explorer is to take groups or individual tourists on sustainable tours around Switzerland. The bus was originally in service for the German army, and then it was converted to electric drive by Design-werk. It can transport up to 16 passengers and has a range of up to 300 km.
==Writings== * ''Verrückt nach dieser Welt: Abenteuer zwischen Himmel und Erde''. Delius Klasing Verlag. Bielefeld. 2005. {{ISBN|978-3-7688-1682-3}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{DNB-Portal|130548561}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20120114032458/http://www.louispalmer.ch/en/bio/ Louis Palmer's biography] – on his personal website * {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20170421011206/http://www.solartaxi-themovie.com/ Solartaxi. Around the world with the sun]}} – website promoting the film by Erik Schmitt * [http://www.wave2011.net/ WAVE World Advanced Vehicle Expeditions 2011] – about the WAVE Europe and WAVE India * [http://www.wave2012.net/ WAVE World Advanced Vehicle Expeditions 2012] – about the E-Bike WAVE and WAVE Europe in September 2012 * [https://web.archive.org/web/20191118093355/https://wavetrophy.com/ WAVE World Advanced Vehicle Expeditions] – about the world's largest electric vehicle tour * [http://www.unep.org/champions/laureates/2011/palmer.asp UNEP Champion of the Earth Award] – about Louis Palmer as Lauretae * [https://web.archive.org/web/20141218074326/http://switzerland-explorer.ch/ Switzerland Explorer - Sustainable tours around Switzerland] – about the tours aboard the world's first 100% electric tour bus
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Palmer, Louis}} Category:1971 births Category:Living people Category:People from Lucerne Category:Solar car racing Category:21st-century Swiss inventors