When you think of Ibiza, you no doubt think of the unbeatable nightlife. Super clubs are dotted across the island and have been a huge draw for revellers for decades. And while there has always been a popular off-season, the last couple of years have really allowed the White Isle to show off its many other sides, while the clubs have been unable to open due to the pandemic.

 Environmentally-conscious students in the Netherlands have developed a 'completely self-sufficient' solar-powered electric camper van.

The vehicle, called Stella Vita, provides enough energy to drive, take a shower, watch TV, charge a laptop and even make coffee or cook a meal on a small stove, thanks to solar panels on its roof. 

It's the creation of about 20 students who make up the Solar Team Eindhoven, a research group at Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands. 

Some of the team (it remains unclear exactly how many) are now taking the fetching blue-and-white car van on a 1,864-mile (3,000 kilometre) road trip throughout Europe, ending at Spain's southernmost city, Tarifa. The solar-powered vehicle is on display on a closed road, in Guyancourt, south of Paris. It's the creation of a group of students at the Solar Team Eindhoven, a team of about 20 enthusiastic and ambitious students at Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands

The solar-powered vehicle is on display on a closed road, in Guyancourt, south of Paris. It's the creation of a group of students at the Solar Team Eindhoven, a team of about 20 enthusiastic and ambitious students at Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands

The ambitious group of Dutch students has reimagined van life and is hitting the road to Portugal. Just don't call their groundbreaking new solar-powered vehicle a campervan - it's a 'self-sustaining house on wheels'

The ambitious group of Dutch students has reimagined van life and is hitting the road to Portugal. Just don't call their groundbreaking new solar-powered vehicle a campervan - it's a 'self-sustaining house on wheels' 

STELLA VITA SPECS 

Top speed: 75 miles per hour 

Range: 454 miles in the day, 373 miles at night

Power: Solar energy

Facilities: Stove, sink, bed, on-board information system The sleek but odd-looking mobile home took a test drive last week at a Renault facility outside Paris last week.  

Now, the students are hitting the road. During the tour, they're making stops in various cities to organise different events and show 'what is already possible for a sustainable future in terms of energy and mobility'.

But the students insist their unique vehicle is not technically a camper van. 

'We call it a self-sustaining house on wheels,' said Lotte van Dasler, part of Solar Team Eindhoven. 

'We are independent in terms of our energy. A camper isn't, and we are. So I think that we make something new. New concept, new idea and new future – sustainable future.' 

Solar panels on the roof of the vehicle generate enough energy to drive and live off the grid, while an on-board information system shows just how much of that energy you use when you cook, take a shower or watch TV. 

It also has a roof that slides up when stationary, making it slightly reminiscent of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as it flew through the air in the classic 1968 film.  

There's also room for a double bed, dining table, sitting area and sink next to the stove, as well as seat for two passengers up front, including the driver. 

There's no toilet on board, however, meaning passengers might have to make urgent stops throughout their long, eco-friendly journey. 

Stella Vitta is being driven from Eindhoven to Spain's southernmost city, Tarifa - a 1,864-mile (3,000 kilometre) road trip via various cities to organise different events

Stella Vitta is being driven from Eindhoven to Spain's southernmost city, Tarifa - a 1,864-mile (3,000 kilometre) road trip via various cities to organise different events

It also has a roof that slides up when stationary, making its solar panels stick out, maximising the amount of energy generation

It also has a roof that slides up when stationary, making its solar panels stick out, maximising the amount of energy generation

With the solar panels stuck out, Stella Vita is slightly reminiscent of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as it flew through the air in the classic 1968 film (pictured)

With the solar panels stuck out, Stella Vita is slightly reminiscent of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as it flew through the air in the classic 1968 film (pictured)

On a sunny day, Stella Vita is capable of traveling 454 miles (730 kilometers) at a top speed of 75 miles per hour (120 kilometers per hour), the team say. 

And thanks to its 60 kilowatt hours battery it can drive 373 miles (600 kilometers) at night when there's no solar energy. 

Once it's parked and its roof unfolded, it boasts 188 square feet (17.5 square meters) of solar panels – about as much as an average home's roof can accommodate. 

Designed by the solar team of Eindhoven University of Technology, Stella Vita is equipped with solar panels on the roof, through which the vehicle generates enough energy to drive, shower and watch TV

Designed by the solar team of Eindhoven University of Technology, Stella Vita is equipped with solar panels on the roof, through which the vehicle generates enough energy to drive, shower and watch TV

Stella Vita includes room for a double bed, dining table, sitting area and sink next to the stove - although it's a bit of a squeeze, meaning passengers may still be smelling the cooking fumes from dinner as they drift off to sleep

Stella Vita includes room for a double bed, dining table, sitting area and sink next to the stove - although it's a bit of a squeeze, meaning passengers may still be smelling the cooking fumes from dinner as they drift off to sleep

Stella Vita is pictured here earlier this month in front of the Arcade du Cinquantenaire in Brussels, Belgium. Its European tour is intended to 'show the rest of the world what is already possible for a sustainable future in terms of energy and mobility'

Stella Vita is pictured here earlier this month in front of the Arcade du Cinquantenaire in Brussels, Belgium. Its European tour is intended to 'show the rest of the world what is already possible for a sustainable future in terms of energy and mobility'

The team's experimental road trip to Tarifa got off to a less than perfect start with drive train problems, meaning Stella Vita was carried on a trailer from Eindhoven to Brussels and from the Belgian capital to Paris.

At the test drive last week near Paris, project manager Laura Van Houtum said, 'We just want to make kilometers to make sure that these small troubles are not going to come up again.'

But its creators are sure that their mobile home is part of a drive to tackle climate change by harnessing renewable energy sources.

'We want to show that the future that we think is ... 10 years ahead of us is already here,' said Van Dasler. 

Stella Vita has solar panels on its roof, meaning it doesn't need charging stations. The vehicle generates enough solar energy to drive, shower, watch TV, charge a laptop and make coffee

Stella Vita has solar panels on its roof, meaning it doesn't need charging stations. The vehicle generates enough solar energy to drive, shower, watch TV, charge a laptop and make coffee 

On a sunny day, Stella Vita is capable of traveling 454 miles (730 kilometers) at a top speed of 75 miles per hour (120 kilometers per hour)

 On a sunny day, Stella Vita is capable of traveling 454 miles (730 kilometers) at a top speed of 75 miles per hour (120 kilometers per hour)

The solar-powered vehicle in motion in a closed road, in Guyancourt, south of Paris. It's a mobile house in which you can live, work and live while traveling on the energy of the sun

The solar-powered vehicle in motion in a closed road, in Guyancourt, south of Paris. It's a mobile house in which you can live, work and live while traveling on the energy of the sun

Its creators are sure that their mobile home is part of a drive to tackle climate change by harnessing renewable energy sources. The vehicle is pictured here in Brussels

Its creators are sure that their mobile home is part of a drive to tackle climate change by harnessing renewable energy sources. The vehicle is pictured here in Brussels

A staff member (right) introduces a perplexed-looking visitor to the Stella Vita vehicle in Brussels, Belgium on September 20

A staff member (right) introduces a perplexed-looking visitor to the Stella Vita vehicle in Brussels, Belgium on September 20 

SOLAR POWER EXPLAINED: ENERGY IS CONVERTED FROM SUNLIGHT INTO ELECTRICITY

Solar panels convert energy from the sun into electrical power (stock image)

Solar panels convert energy from the sun into electrical power (stock image)

Solar power is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity. 

Two methods for generating solar power exist.

Photovoltaics — the kind of solar panel you might see built into a calculator — are capable of directly converting light into electrical power. 

In concentrated solar power systems, however, mirrors or lenses are first used to collect the sunlight that falls on a large area and focus it — creating heat that can be used to drive a steam turbine and generate electricity.

The productivity of solar panels is dependant on the sunlight they receive in a given location — a factor which is dependant on both latitude and climate.

Optimum locations for solar farms include the arid tropics and subtropics, with deserts lying at such low latitudes often being cloudless and getting around 10 hours of sunlight each day.

According to NASA, the eastern part of the Sahara — the Libyan Desert — is the sunniest place on the Earth.

Solar power accounted for 1.7 per cent of the world's electricity production in 2017, and has been growing at a rate of 35 per cent each year.

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