Renée Bonorchis
1 October 2008
Johannesburg — JOULE, SA's first fully functional electric car, will be unveiled in Paris this week at the start of the annual motor show.
Named after James Prescott Joule, who came up with the first measure for a unit of energy, Joule has been three years in the making and has survived so far thanks to cash injections of R50m from the government's Innovation Fund and R30m from the Industrial Development Corporation.
The car was developed by a Cape Town-based company called Optimal Energy. The CE, Kobus Meiring, worked for Denel on the Rooivalk helicopter project and went on to project-manage the more successful Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) initiative.
At the Paris Motor Show, Asian countries are expected to launch hydrogen-cell cars, but Meiring said there would be a place for many types of vehicles.
"The combustion engine is likely to remain dominant for a while," former science and technology minister Mosibudi Mangena said at Joule's launch, "but it is possible this car will establish a new culture in SA of local innovation".
The car was designed by Keith Helfet, who was the chief stylist at Jaguar for many years.
Joule is a six-seater multipurpose vehicle with a sporty interior, lots of suede and loads of boot space. Helfet, who did not want a "tree-hugging" kind of car, said the brief was to make Joule competitive in the rest of the world.
"I wanted flowing surfaces, using form as my starting point. I was possibly influenced by my formative years spent on Clifton beach," Helfet said.
Joule will roll off the production line in SA at the end of 2010 with the export market being catered for thereafter. One model will be able to cover 200km before recharging while the bigger model will manage 400km .
Diana Blake, marketing manager for Optimal Energy, said the price could not be fixed now but "in current terms it will be in the R200000 segment".
SA has experienced an electricity crisis this year, but Meiring said he had no doubt there was enough electricity to make Joule a viable alternative.
"We barely get the lights to work all the time," Meiring said, "but Eskom is our friend. Even with Eskom's current infrastructure there's enough to charge millions of cars off-peak -- between 11pm and 6am."
Joule, which is silent and has zero emissions, plugs into a wall socket.
"Using a normal 220V home outlet and the Joule's onboard charger, about seven hours of charging is required for a 200km range. The electricity to run Joule will cost about 10% to 20% of the petrol or diesel to run a similar vehicle. Joule also has an optional solar panel incorporated into its roof, providing energy for accessories such as the air-conditioner," Blake said.
South African electricity is particularly bad for the environment because it is generated by burning coal. But Meiring said electric engines were about five times more efficient than combustion engines and it was easier to control the pollution from one power station than from millions of cars.
Blake said once production began, Joule would have the same backup and support as any other vehicle on the market.
"Maintenance will be performed at approved Optimal Energy service centres. Mobile service teams in the big centres will ensure a one hour call-out service. Because Joule contains substantially fewer parts than a petrol or diesel vehicle, maintenance will be much less and servicing intervals will be greater."
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