A solar powered caravan (pictured above in London in 2023) that has spent the past four years touring the world to raise awareness about the need to find alternative energy sources to fight climate change has arrived back in its home city of Lucerne.
The Solar Butterfly is an innovative caravan that has been the brainchild of Louis Palmer, a solar power enthusiast who first circumnavigated the world in his solar cab in 2007 and 2008, and his team of 44 people.
The caravan consists of 40sq m of solar panels that spread out like butterfly wings when the vehicle is being towed. These provide most of the electricity not just for the caravan, but also for the car that pulls it.
The Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts was heavily involved in developing the vehicle, with help from sponsors in Switzerland and elsewhere.
The vehicle arrived back at the Lucerne School of Engineering and Architecture at the end of March, having visited 47 countries in four years.
It visited the UK early in the tour in 2023 (pictured above), crossing Tower Bridge and going past Big Ben in London.
But Palmer said the highlight of the trip was taking part in the World Climate Change Conference in Belem in Brazil in 2025.
Unfortunately, poor weather on the day the vehicle returned to Lucerne prevented many pictures being taken then.
In other caravan news, manufacturer Go-Pods has announced it is pausing production of its micro-tourers for the 2026 season, as it looks to bring production back to the UK.
Images: Solar Butterfly
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