Solar Adventure: Cyclist Travels 3,276 Miles on SunPower-Charged Electric Bike

This summer I traveled more than 3,200 miles, solo, on my solar bike from Ventura, Calif., to New York City to raise awareness about solar energy and healthy living.

One of the greatest takeaways from the journey was that solar technology works. The SunPower® panel flawlessly charged the electric bike’s battery, giving me an unlimited range. And it provided so much more, a visual hook for curious minds to learn more.

Here are the few fast facts from my solar bike adventure:

• 81 days on the road
• 13 states
• 3,276 miles
• 767,988 cycling revolutions
• 19 sit-down meetings (discussing wellness with businesses & municipalities)
• 2 crashes (no major injuries!)
• 8 flats (all caused by the metal mesh from blown-out tires on highways)
• 2 cable breaks (the joint where the two solar wires are soldered to the battery charging cable)
• 3 slow motion topples (Sometimes I forgot my feet were snapped into the bike pedals.)

But there is so much more to this odyssey than can be portrayed by just the numbers. It is the impromptu conversations that have colored my days.  

The rig did its job. It acted as a conversation tool, drawing in curious people and activating their minds.

Read the full blog post here to find out what Marissa Muller learned on her journey.