The Eindhoven University of Technology Solar Team has officially unveiled Stella Juva, the world’s first solar-powered ambulance, demonstrating a new role for photovoltaic technology in emergency healthcare. Powered by AIKO’s high-efficiency ABC (All Back Contact) solar cells, the vehicle is designed to provide reliable medical services in remote regions where access to electricity, fuel and transportation infrastructure is limited.
Rather than depending on transporting patients to hospitals, Stella Juva is designed to bring essential medical care directly to patients, functioning as a self-sufficient mobile medical unit in areas where healthcare infrastructure is limited or unavailable.
The vehicle can travel up to 715 km under favourable solar conditions and reaches a top speed of 120 km/h. Electricity generated by the rooftop photovoltaic system powers both the vehicle and onboard medical equipment—including defibrillators and portable X-ray systems—while an integrated battery system ensures continuous operation during the night and periods of low solar irradiance.
Extending Photovoltaics Beyond Power Generation
While solar mobility has attracted increasing attention in recent years, Stella Juva represents a broader shift in how photovoltaic technology can be deployed.
Rather than focusing solely on transportation, the project explores how distributed solar generation can support critical public services where reliable electricity directly affects healthcare delivery and patient outcomes.
Developed by the Eindhoven Solar Team—winner of the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge Cruiser Class and creator of the solar-powered vehicles Stella Vita and Stella Terra—the project reflects a move from demonstrating the limits of solar mobility to addressing practical humanitarian challenges.
According to the team, the concept was inspired by the reality that millions of people worldwide continue to live in regions where conventional ambulances cannot reliably operate because of poor road infrastructure, limited fuel availability or unstable electricity supplies.
Why ABC Technology
Vehicle-integrated photovoltaics present unique engineering challenges. With limited roof area available, every percentage point of module efficiency directly influences the amount of usable energy that can be generated.
The Eindhoven Solar Team selected AIKO’s ABC technology for its combination of high conversion efficiency, long-term reliability and stable performance under demanding environmental conditions.
According to David Komdeur, Photovoltaic Engineer of the Eindhoven Solar Team, maximizing energy generation from a constrained installation area was one of the project’s key design considerations.
In addition to its high energy density, AIKO’s ABC cells incorporate copper interconnection technology, which helps reduce the risk of micro-cracks caused by continuous vibration during off-road operation. Combined with low degradation characteristics and favourable temperature performance, the technology enables stable electricity generation across a wide range of operating environments, supporting uninterrupted power for mission-critical medical equipment.
Student-Led Innovation
Stella Juva was developed by a multidisciplinary team of 23 university students, most of them in their early twenties, who dedicated nearly a full year to designing and building the vehicle.
Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, Project Lead Mathijs van Gerven reflected on the motivation behind the project.
"We live in a world with unreliable energy grids, skyrocketing fuel prices, a healthcare system that is not completely up to standard, and a rapidly changing climate," he said.
"All of these challenges call for action. That's why, in September 2025, a group of 23 students started with a blank sheet of paper. Eleven months later, we are standing here today."
The prototype will now enter a programme of field demonstrations and operational testing to evaluate its performance in real-world medical scenarios.
Expanding the Role of Solar in Public Services
For AIKO, the collaboration highlights the growing role of high-efficiency photovoltaic technologies in emerging application scenarios beyond conventional rooftop and utility-scale installations.
As the industry continues to explore new use cases for distributed solar generation, projects such as Stella Juva demonstrate how photovoltaic technology can contribute not only to decarbonisation, but also to improving the resilience and accessibility of essential public services.
The company said it will continue working with partners worldwide to explore innovative applications for ABC technology across mobility, public infrastructure and other energy-intensive sectors.
