South Africa’s own electric car

6 October 2008 No Comment

joule_electric_car South Africans can be proud of the Joule – our first credible electric car contender.

The sleekly designed six-seater MPV was put into development by Cape Town based company Optimal Energy and offers zero emission urban transport through employing a modular, large-cell lithium-ion battery pack enabling 200km range.

Thanks to the clever design though, a secondary battery can be accommodated enabling the car to increase its range to 400km in an urban environment.

The eye-catching exterior design stems from Calvinia-born Keith Helfet, and will easily hold it’s own against the world’s best when it is showcased at the Paris Motor Show on Thursday.

The cars body is a steel space frame complimented with glass and carbon composite alongside plastic body panels, while the doors incorporate side impact beams for safety.

Enough interior space for six passengers is accommodated by the Joule’s flat wafer chassis and attachment points that still allow space for the battery bays.

The cars suspension employs a traditional McPherson strut front arrangement, whilst the rear employs a semi-independent trailing twist beam (torsion bar) system.

The Joule also uses its all-round ventilated, ABS enabled disc brakes featuring brake regeneration capability to help recharge its battery and its integrated computer system monitors each battery cell, ensuring performance and reliability.

joule_electric_car_side Optimal Energy claims the Joule can reach a topspeed of 130km/h and also says it should take you no more than seven hours to charge up to 200km range, as easy as plugging it in overnight and letting it do the work for you!

Optimal Energy CEO Kobus Meiring says the car should be ready for local buyers towards the end of 2010.

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