Joule in the crown

South Africa's fully functional electric vehicle, the Joule, has finally hit the streets!

More than three years after Optimal Energy first announced that it planned to produce the country's first electric powered vehicle, a small fleet of EVs (electric vehicle) is ready for marketing and testing.

Hi-Tech Automotive, a specialist sports car manufacturer based at St Albans outside Port Elizabeth, has completed its building programme for the Joule and the small fleet has now been moved to Cape Town.

Previous display models were static versions built as "show cars" and did not have opening doors, windows or electric motors.

"There are four marketing vehicles that have been completed, and these will act as demonstration vehicles. These models are beautifully finished and fully operational, and are also being used for testing purposes," said Optimal Energy spokesman Jaco van Loggerenberg.

"East London is still the preferred production site, but the final decision is pending negotiations."

He said Hi-Tech Automotive would not be involved in production. "Hi-Tech have provided unrivalled service, but are not geared to produce the volumes planned.

"Joule will be built from a mix of composites and steel. The aim is to make as much of Joule recyclable as is possible, and has been designed to attain a 5-star Euro Ncap rating." said Van Loggerenberg.

He said the lithium ion batteries would still be sourced from Korea but the IDC has started feasibility studies to look into the possibility of setting up a local battery facility.

Van Loggerenberg said Optimal Energy had approval for the next round of funding from the Industrial Development Corporation. "However, we do not have the funds in place to commence production yet. We are currently in the process of sourcing the investment required."

The planned start of production is 2014 and initial volumes will be an average of 50000 units a year.

SA's first home-grown true blue green vehicle

Joule is a true blue green car!

It can be charged with electricity from any source - hydro or solar. Optimal Energy says that motorists can save up to 90% on fuel expenses and 50% on maintenance costs.

This cost differential is expected to improve even further as the price of oil continues to rise.

The company says because the vehicle contains substantially fewer parts than a petrol or diesel vehicle, maintenance is expected to cost approximately half of these vehicles and this presents a substantial saving on fuel and running costs.

Forget gearboxes and clutches. Each wheel is powered by an electric motor.

Joule accelerates from 0 to 60km/h in under 5 seconds and reaches 100km/h in under 16 seconds.

It also has a top speed of 135km/h and a nominal driving range of 300km,

To recharge, simply plug it in at home. Using one normal 220 Volt home outlet and the onboard charger it will take about seven hours for a 300km range.

A regenerative braking system is used so that energy recovered with this system goes back into the battery, adding to the car's range.

As with all electric vehicles range can be drastically curtailed if one uses the air-conditioning system or other electricity draining accessories.

COMPETITORS:

There is nothing on the South African market at the moment to compare the Joule against.

Only petrol/hybrid vehicles such as the Toyota Prius can come anywhere near it, giving about 5 litres/100km in ideal conditions.

The Nissan Leaf electric vehicle has a range of about 160km but is not yet available in SA.