On Thursday, Haider Taleb will attempt to set a new world record for the greatest distance travelled in a solar-powered wheelchair.
The UAE national, who wants to raise awareness of the uses of renewable energy, will set off from Masdar City at 6am, travelling across three emirates to arrive at Sharjah’s Al Thiqa Club for the Handicapped at an estimated time of 8pm.
That makes it a distance of over 125 kilometres in 14 hours, and Taleb hopes it will be enough to win a Guinness World Record.
“Setting the record is an important milestone as it underscores how technological innovation can improve lives and demonstrates the raw power that can be harnessed from the sun,” he said, posting on his Twitter page on Wednesday that he aimed to travel a minimum of 100km on his journey.
"While crossing the finish line is the ultimate goal, the journey is equally as important. I want to show the world the advantage of a solar-powered wheelchair, and highlight the hope and encouragement it brings to people with reduced mobility,” he added.
Taleb presented the first version of the wheelchair, which he invented, to the Young Future Energy Leaders (YFEL) in January.
His chair scores over traditional electric wheelchairs because the solar power source frees its user from geographical limits. Electric wheelchairs must be charged regularly, but the overhead solar cells on Taleb’s chair automatically charge the chair’s batteries on exposure to sunlight. His publicists say the panels are powerful enough to charge four 20w batteries.
The next step of his plan to spotlight solar energy is an attempt to travel across the seven emirates that make up the UAE. He will begin that challenge on November 22, and hopes to finish in time for UAE National Day on December 2.
Taleb is being supported by Masdar, Abu Dhabi's renewable energy initiative.