Student team Solar Team Eindhoven of TU Eindhoven presents Stella Juva, the world's first ambulance that is powered by solar energy. The solar ambulance is designed to make medical care accessible to people in the most remote areas. Here, poor roads and a lack of fuel or electricity limit access to healthcare.
Sustainable energy, key to healthcare
Solar Team Eindhoven aims not only to accelerate the transition to a more sustainable future, but also to create social impact by improving access to healthcare. "We were inspired by the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, which strive to make good healthcare accessible to everyone," explains team manager Mathijs van Gerven. In developing Stella Juva, the student team collaborated with international health organizations such as Amref Health Africa, formerly known as Flying Doctors.
"Together with healthcare organizations, we're developing a vehicle that fits real-world practice. We hope to improve healthcare access, and make it more sustainable,” says Yarno Basten, partnerships manager of Solar Team Eindhoven. “We want to inspire healthcare providers, companies, and other organizations to create social impact through technology. If twenty-three students can achieve this in a single year, it shows what's possible when the technological industry and social organizations work together."
"For millions of people, good healthcare remains out of reach. Access to care shouldn't depend on whether there's access to electricity or fuel. Amref Health Africa has been working for almost 70 years to make healthcare in Africa better and more accessible. In remote areas, healthcare workers sometimes travel great distances by bicycle, and reliable energy is not a given. This is essential, for example, to keep vaccines cooled or to use medical equipment,” says Femke Maurits, partnerships manager of Amref Health Africa in the Netherlands. “That's why we're proud to explore together with Solar Team Eindhoven how solar-powered innovation can bring healthcare closer to people who currently have almost no access to it,"
Not a traditional ambulance
Stella Juva generates energy through the solar panels on its roof and uses this energy both to drive and to power medical equipment. On a sunny day, the solar ambulance is expected to be able to drive 715 kilometres. This means medical care delivery is not dependent on charging infrastructure.
Stella Juva is not designed as a traditional ambulance. Whereas a regular ambulance transports patients to a hospital, Stella Juva brings care directly to the people. This allows healthcare providers to, for example, carry out blood tests, screen people for diseases such as tuberculosis and malaria, administer vaccinations, and perform pregnancy ultrasounds. This way, common conditions can be identified and treated in time, even in the most remote locations.
Testing in Kenya
Solar Team Eindhoven will travel to Kenya in August. There, the team will test Stella Juva in locations where the vehicle could be deployed in the future. In several remote areas, healthcare scenarios will be simulated, such as the treatment of patients with tuberculosis. This allows the team to evaluate how effectively the solar-powered ambulance performs in real-world conditions. During the testing phase, the team will visit two field locations where the treatment of patients will be simulated. At the same time, the team expects to cover hundreds of kilometers with Stella Juva, powered entirely by solar energy.
