Students from Eindhoven University of Technology have developed Stella Juva, the world's first solar-powered ambulance designed to bring medical equipment to remote areas. Developed by Solar Team Eindhoven, the vehicle operates as a self-powered mobile health station rather than a high-speed transport ambulance.
Access to medical care remains difficult in many parts of the world because of inadequate electricity, fuel, and road infrastructure. An estimated 1 billion people live in remote regions lacking reliable roads or power grids, making it hard for health teams to operate medical devices.
Solar panel and battery technology
Stella Juva uses high-efficiency All Back Contact solar cells produced by AIKO. The technology moves electrical connections to the back of the cells, eliminating front grid lines to capture more sunlight and maintain energy generation in partially cloudy weather.
Electricity generated from the panels is stored in a 50 kWh lithium-based battery, allowing the vehicle to run at night or during extended periods of bad weather. Solar Team Eindhoven said the vehicle can achieve a range of up to 715 kilometers on a single sunny day and reach a top speed of 120 km/h.
The electrical system is split into two separate zones for driving and the medical cabin. If driving power runs out, the battery automatically prioritizes remaining power to keep vital medical equipment running, while special inverters protect sensitive devices from voltage fluctuations.
Lightweight body and medical equipment
To maximize range while carrying heavy medical tools, the student team built the chassis and body from aviation-grade carbon fiber composite materials to keep total weight to 1,350 kilograms. This is significantly lighter than standard operational ambulances, which weigh between 3,500 and 6,350 kilograms. The vehicle also features an aerodynamic design focused on efficiency.
Inside its climate-controlled medical cabin, Stella Juva carries specialized diagnostic tools. The equipment includes a special X-ray device for tuberculosis screening, an ultrasound system for prenatal checks, rapid test kits for malaria, and an automated external defibrillator. A high-efficiency cooling system also keeps vaccines and medicines safe in extreme temperatures.
Solar Team Eindhoven will take Stella Juva to Kenya this month for its first major field test outside the laboratory. The team will test the vehicle on harsh terrain and examine how it operates in real healthcare scenarios to gather data for future updates. Stella Juva is not currently designed for commercial mass production, and the team has shared its engineering work as open source.
