With energy independence and the new green economy being such a part of the elections, finding ways to make our vehicles smarter is on the forefront of our minds. According to Thomas Friedman’s latest column in the New York Times, there is only one green candidate this year. And getting green entrepreneurs stimulated is one thing that differentiates the candidates… which is where things like the Solar Taxi come into play. More (including photos) after the break…

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A couple weeks ago I stopped by the REI in Boulder and got introduced to this crazy machine called the Solar Taxi. The Swiss man who made this is on an epic voyage across the world, and they happened to stop in Boulder after being invited by the University of Colorado to speak at a forum. It’s a small car attached to a flatbed trailer covered in solar panels, and entirely dependent on the sun for energy… enough to travel across the world. Check out the Solar Taxi website here, it’s pretty remarkable.

Yeah, I said AROUND THE WORLD with no gas! Did you catch that? Crazy, huh? Just shows what could happen to this country if we focused on developing these technologies and how much it could be good for our environment and the economy. Become aware, and read up on what presidential candidates are on board with green energy innovation!

Photos for Elephant Journal, by Rusty Ralston