Solar Butterfly: a butterfly travels around the world emission-free
What did you dream of as a child? About a trip to the moon or maybe living in your own fairytale castle? Louis Palmer from Switzerland had quite different things on his mind: at a young age, he discovered the environmental activist side of his character and began campaigning for our society and politicians to do something about climate change. And he still feels the same today. For Louis Palmer it is so crystal clear that the increasing impact of climate change on our planet can hardly be stopped – but, above all, this problem needs a solution! This is how his idea of the Solar Butterfly came about. The inspiration for this was his previously developed solar taxi, in which he had already travelled around the world.
Solar Butterfly – what is that exactly?
In order to whip up attention for his project and to create a strong symbol for environmental protection, Louis Palmer decided on a unique means of transport – the Solar Butterfly. The trailer in the shape of a butterfly is powered by extremely efficient solar cells and shows how renewable energies can be used for emission-free travel. At the same time the Solar Butterfly is also a “Tiny House” and is towed by an electric car. Since the launch of the project in the spring of 2022, its initiator Louis Palmer and his team have already travelled to numerous European capitals. This year the Solar Butterfly crew is heading to North and South America.
The mission of the Solar Butterfly
By 2025 Louis Palmer and his team want to have visited more than 1,000 sustainability-oriented projects on six continents with the Solar Butterfly and they plan to organise events with the local population, schools, politicians and the press there. The objective of the trip? To change the world in a positive way and to drive forward solutions to combat climate change!
The Solar Butterfly in front of the Eiffel Tower
HELLA is also on the road with the Solar Butterfly
But what exactly is the connection between the Solar Butterfly and HELLA? That answer is very simple! In order to contribute to climate protection, it was mainly LED light sources that were first used for energy-saving purposes. Since then, these have accompanied the Solar Butterfly on its journey around the globe. The interior of the trailer is lit up by HELLA headlamps and indeed it is our headlamps that are also used for the entire exterior lighting of the vehicles. In this way we want to not only ensure the safety of the team and of the vehicle, but also wish to show that we focus on environmentally friendly technologies. We are pleased to be part of this important project and to make our contribution to environmental protection. Because one thing is really clear: every single one of us can contribute something to environmental protection, and indeed every contribution counts!
