A group of students from Eindhoven has developed a solar-powered ambulance designed to improve access to healthcare in remote regions. The team says the vehicle could help communities in remote areas. In these regions, access to medical care is often limited because of poor roads and scarce fuel supplies. The ambulance will be tested in Kenya in August in partnership with aid organisation Amref.
The vehicle, named Stella Juva, is fitted with solar panels on its roof. These generate electricity to power both the motor and the medical equipment on board. According to the builders, the ambulance can travel up to 715 kilometres on a sunny day when driving on paved roads.
The project was developed by Solar Team Eindhoven. The student team says Stella Juva is the first ambulance in the world to both drive and operate on solar energy.
Solar Team Eindhoven previously competed in the World Solar Challenge. The race for solar-powered vehicles covers more than 3,000 kilometres across the Australian outback from north to south. The team has also driven another solar-powered vehicle more than 1,000 kilometres through Morocco and the Sahara Desert.
“Access to care should not depend on whether a power outlet or fuel is available,” said Femke Maurits, who manages partnerships for Amref, including the collaboration with the Eindhoven students. “In remote areas, healthcare providers sometimes travel long distances by bicycle and reliable energy is not a given, even though it is essential to keep vaccines refrigerated, for example, or to be able to use medical equipment.”
The tests in Kenya will take place in remote areas where the ambulance could be deployed in the future. The trials will simulate several healthcare scenarios, including the treatment of people with tuberculosis.
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