BARNEVELD, Netherlands: A team of Dutch students has unveiled what they describe as the world’s first solar-powered ambulance, designed to deliver medical care to remote communities where access to healthcare remains limited.
The futuristic white-and-yellow vehicle, named Stella Juva, features solar panels on its roof that power both the electric motor and onboard medical equipment, including an X-ray machine, defibrillator and other essential diagnostic devices.
Developed by students at Eindhoven University of Technology, the two-seater ambulance can reach speeds of up to 120 kilometres per hour and is built to travel across difficult off-road terrain.
On sunny days, the vehicle has a range of up to 715 kilometres. It also includes a battery charged by solar energy, enabling it to operate during the night or in cloudy conditions.
“Stella Juva is fully equipped to deliver medical healthcare in hard-to-reach areas,” said project leader Mathijs van Gerven, a 21-year-old biomedical engineering student.
Unlike conventional ambulances, Stella Juva is designed to bring healthcare directly to patients rather than transport them to hospitals. The vehicle carries tuberculosis testing kits, refrigerated vaccine storage and an ultrasound device for prenatal care.
The student team plans to test the ambulance in Kenya next month to evaluate its performance in real-world conditions.
Femke Maurits, Partnerships Manager at Amref Health Africa, said the innovation addresses a major challenge facing many African countries, where healthcare facilities are often located far from isolated villages.
“The issue that many African countries have is that the distance between very remote villages and healthcare facilities is really big,” she said, highlighting the potential of the solar-powered ambulance to improve access to essential medical services.
