The Solar Butterfly embarks on a grand voyage
Inside Komax
Komax is a sponsor of Louis Palmer’s visionary Solar Butterfly project. In addition to its financial contribution, Komax also provided the space to build the Solar Butterfly and performed various tasks in the work together with Komax apprentices from automation and mechanics. The big roll-out for media and sponsors took place in Dierikon on April 27th.
The media representatives and sponsors in attendance were impressed by the unveiling of the Solar Butterfly in Dierikon. The mobile home is powered entirely by solar power, as is the vehicle that tows it, a Tesla Model X. Komax was enthusiastic about Louis Palmer’s idea of taking a trip around the world with a solar-powered tiny house right from the start. A journey that aims to bring people on all continents closer to the urgent matter of protecting our planet. For Komax, too, this project combines two topics that are important for the company – e-mobility and sustainability.
The Solar Butterfly was developed in cooperation with the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences. In recent months, intensive construction work has been carried out on the mobile home in a specially provided factory hall at Komax in Dierikon. A few final steps still have to be taken before the Solar Butterfly can embark on its big voyage. The tour starts in Geneva on 23 May 2022 and ends in Paris on 12 December 2025, on the 10th anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement. The first stage will take the Solar Butterfly through Europe for five months before it continues onward to other continents. Louis Palmer’s project will attract international attention and Komax is proud to be a partner in this forward-looking project.
Louis Palmer
In his “Solartaxi” project, Louis Palmer was the first person to circle the world in a solar-powered vehicle. It was awarded the UNEP Champion of the Earth by the UN Environment Program and also won the European Solar Award. Louis Palmer is the initiator and organizer of the World Advanced Vehicle Expedition (WAVE), the ZERO RACE, an electric vehicle race around the world in 80 days and the Switchbus, the world’s first 100% electrically powered tour bus.
Solar Butterfly
The Solar Butterfly is the first mobile home to be able to charge an electric car with the solar power it produces on its own to get around. The solar panels of the Solar Butterfly open at the push of a button and give the trailer the look of a butterfly. Hence the name. A TV studio for reporting daily news updates from the tour is also integrated into the motor home. Reports for various TV stations from all over the world will be produced here, as well as video clips for the Butterfly YouTube channel.
Contact
Roger Müller has been working for Komax since 2016. Transparent communication with internal and external stakeholders is a key concern for him.