A team of Dutch students has introduced what they describe as the world’s first solar-powered ambulance, aiming to deliver medical care to remote and underserved regions. The vehicle, named Stella Juva, features solar panels on its roof that power both its engine and onboard medical equipment, including x-ray machines and defibrillators.
Designed as a two-seater with a white and yellow exterior, Stella Juva can travel at speeds up to 120 kilometers per hour and is built to navigate difficult off-road terrain. Its solar-charged battery system allows for an operational range of 715 kilometers on a sunny day and provides power for nighttime or cloudy conditions. The ambulance is outfitted to provide healthcare directly to patients rather than transporting them to medical facilities.
“The Stella Juva is fully equipped to deliver medical healthcare in hard-to-reach areas,” said Mathijs van Gerven, the 21-year-old biomedical engineering student at Eindhoven University of Technology who leads the project. The vehicle is supplied with tuberculosis testing kits, refrigerated vaccine storage, and ultrasound equipment for prenatal care.
The team plans to test the ambulance in Kenya starting next month, aiming to assess its performance in challenging environments where access to healthcare is limited. Femke Maurits, Partnerships Manager at Amref Health Africa—a humanitarian organization working in several African countries—highlighted the potential impact of such a vehicle. She noted that the long distances between remote villages and health centers, combined with limited public transport, high fuel costs, and unreliable electricity, pose significant obstacles to healthcare delivery.
“The issue that many African countries have is that the distance between very remote villages and healthcare facilities is really big,” Maurits said. “A really cool innovation like the Stella Juva can help us solve such big challenges in healthcare delivery.”
The project has taken a year to complete, with many students pausing their studies to fully commit to building the ambulance. The vehicle’s interior includes a dashboard displaying speed and battery status, while medical supplies are stored in the rear compartment.
Van Gerven acknowledged the difficulties the ambulance will face in the rugged conditions of Kenya, emphasizing the need for durability and preparedness. “There is a robustness that we need to take into account if we want to drive off-road... where the healthcare really needs to be delivered,” he said, pointing to spare tires and shovels carried onboard for potential recovery needs.
While Stella Juva is currently a prototype, Van Gerven expressed interest in collaborating with industry partners to expand production and enhance the design. “We built this within just one year,” he said. “The technical industry should be able to do this way better and way faster. We would like to scale this up.”
Maurits underlined that the ambulance’s adaptability and independence from traditional fuel and power sources could make a significant difference in regions lacking basic infrastructure. The upcoming trials in Kenya will offer a critical test for the feasibility of solar-powered medical vehicles in addressing healthcare gaps in remote areas.