EM Solar Lanterns

BioLite, 2021

Role: Sr. Mechanical Engineer, Lead
Company: BioLite
Volume: 250,000

Project goals

This program called for two solar lanterns with integrated PV panels. Each serves as an entry-level task light and doubles as a battery for charging mobile devices.

Design challenges

Extreme cost pressure. The program ran on margins of just 1.3%, making cost a constraint on every part of the design.
Rugged and water-resistant. Both lanterns had to survive a 2 m drop and pass IPX2.
Shared electronics. The same driver PCBA had to be repurposed across both lanterns.
VeraSol compliance. The design and packaging claims had to meet all VeraSol requirements.
Built to last. The lanterns had to be repairable, reusable and upgradable, meeting the EN 45554:2020 standard.