Nissan Leaf

It’s been less than a year since Louis Palmer ended his 17-month circumnavigation of the planet in his solar-powered "taxi" and it seems the experience has inspired him to organize something bigger and better. The Swiss teacher is putting together a zero emissions race around the world that will, not unlike the fictional Phileas Fogg, attempt to make the trip in eighty days. While that is 470 days faster than Palmer’s original journey, the competitive version will be taking a more direct 30,000 kilometer (18,641 mile) route.

So far eight teams have signed on and the campaign should boast vehicles as diverse as the ErockIT, the Tesla Roadster and the Loremo. According to the website of the participating Racing Green Endurance team, the entire extravaganza will be filmed and made into a documentary. The race will start from the 2010 Geneva Motor Show in June 2010 and, as well as vying for quickest finish time, competitors will be judged on various criteria including reliability, safety and affordability. Applications are still being accepted so if you have an appropriate vehicle and can feed your local grid with the renewable energy necessary to offset that used by your entry, why not give it a shot? Not only is it a great opportunity to demonstrate to the world what is low-pollution possible, for some it could provide a planet-sized promotional platform for their green transportation product. Check out the vehicle eligibility requirements and let us know in the comments who you think should sign up.