Syria’s solar-powered EV provides a ray of hope for locals

Healthcare vehicle transports patients and vaccines in area devastated by more than a decade of conflict

An electric vehicle has become a symbol of hope for healthcare workers in northern Syria.

Years of ongoing conflict has left more than four million people in the region without access to critical health services.

Aerial bombings have destroyed healthcare and energy infrastructure, leaving civilians and medical staff reliant on often-scarce and unsustainable diesel fuel.

This has in turn created a cycle of reliance and fragility that contributes to the devastating effects of the conflict. 

Now a landmark project aims to break this diesel dependency by utilising solar-powered electric vehicles.

Essential vaccines

The first vehicle is already on the road, being used to transport patients and also essential vaccines.

The 100% electric van uses a lithium battery which is charged at health facilities by solar energy.

The deployment of the EV is part of a project called the Health Integrated Resilience System (HIRS), an extension of the Syria Solar Initiative.

Both projects have been pioneered by the Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations (UOSSM) and funded by Creating Hope in Conflict: a Humanitarian Grand Challenge.

The HIRS project aims to combine electric mobility, solar power and telemedicine to increase health system resilience and deliver critical services in the most challenging conflict zones.

Ali Mohamad, UOSSM Environmental Engineer and Program Co-ordinator said: “At the Syria Solar Initiative, our ambition is to help mainstream such integrated approaches for resilience in similar contexts around the world.

“Our team is composed of highly-qualified engineers and doctors, working together to advance this project.

Humanitarian innovators

He said the pilot EV project in Syria would issue a report in the summer which is intended to be a blueprint for other “humanitarian practitioners and innovators”.

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UOSSM’s technical teams are evaluating the pilot project from several aspects, such as technical, economic and logistical.

Mohamad explained the expected results “may transform future operations of health services in areas of crisis and war throughout the world – especially in light of the urgency to meet climate goals for deep decarbonisation”.