They made it! By landing back in Abu Dhabi after a total of 21 days of flight and 42'000 km travelled in a 17 leg journey, Solar Impulse has proven that clean technologies can achieve the impossible.
Coming from Egypt, Bertrand Piccard landed in Abu Dhabi on 26 July 2016 completing the final leg of an endeavor that was until now considered impossible - flying around the globe in an electric airplane powered only by the sun and capable of flying many days and nights in a row without fuel.
This landing brings full circle the historic circumnavigation that began on 9 March 2015 when Solar Impulse set off from Abu Dhabi.
Taking turns in the single-seater 3.8 m3 cockpit, Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg have flown Solar Impulse around the world in 17 legs, crossing Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the USA, the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea and the Middle East. A total of 19 world records were set, in particular when André Borschberg accomplished the pioneering first of flying five consecutive days and nights over the Pacific Ocean from Japan to Hawaii in the longest duration a solo airplane of any kind has ever flown and when Bertrand Piccard achieved the historic first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean.
The accomplishment is a dream that was considered impossible by many experts and the demonstration that renewable energies and efficient technologies offer tangible solutions for sustainability.
"The drive behind the Solar Impulse mission was to demonstrate how innovation and a pioneering spirit can change the world,” said Thomas Oetterli, CEO of Schindler. “That is why Schindler was a main partner in the Solar Impulse project. We share this spirit of vision and innovation for the future. As a leading global manufacturer of elevators, escalators and moving walks, Schindler is pushing the boundaries of how people view mobility in the cities of tomorrow.”
Sustainable solutions are critical as the cities of today grow exponentially in size and population. For Schindler, the partnership was the perfect embodiment of our ongoing investment in innovative technology for sustainable mobility. It is proof of what is possible when we place no limits on our imaginations and work together towards a common goal.
By embedding Schindler engineers in the Solar Impulse project, Schindler wanted to strengthen scientific networking between two organizations that share similar values and goals. Schindler's aim with the project was but will also be in the future to follow and support cutting-edge technology in the field of clean and sustainable mobility.
Congratulations to the entire team - We at Schindler are so proud to have been a main partner in this historic venture.