2010 Geneva Auto Show: Optimal Energy Says Joule EV Is Nearly Production Ready
By Scott Doggett March 4, 2010
Fledgling South African automaker Optimal Energy announced today that its Joule electric car concept (pictured), on display at the 2010 Geneva Auto Show, is "tantalizingly close to the planned production version" and will go on sale in its home country in early 2013.
It's worth noting that this is the very same plug-in zero-emissions vehicle that was first unveiled at the 2008 Paris Auto Show and was scheduled to launch this year. We wish Optimal Energy better luck meeting its new scheduled launch date.
The company said a test fleet of around 100 Joules will start appearing on South African roads this summer. The prototypes, like the show car, will be hand-built by Hi Tech Automotive in the coastal city of East London.
Volume production for the five-seater car at an as-yet-unspecified South African site is planned to commence at the end of 2012, with cars destined for the local and international showrooms by mid-2013 if all goes according to plan.
Among the goals Optimal Energy has for the EV: a range of 185 miles, genuine freeway cruising capability, seating for five, a 5-Star NCAP safety rating and a price starting at the equivalent of about $33,120.
Conceived by Optimal Energy of Cape Town and originally designed by former Jaguar designer Keith Helfet, Joule has been refined by Zagato's Total Design Centre and forms the centerpiece of a stand at Geneva shared by Optimal Energy and the iconic Milanese design house.
The Joule receives its power from a 36-kilowatt lithium-ion battery. The company says the ABS-assisted all-disc braking system will be equipped with a regenerative braking system which, during deceleration, recharges the battery.
Propulsion is by means of a transversely mounted electric motor providing a peak 100 horsepower and a peak torque of 207 pound-feet, driving the front wheels. It's claimed to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in under 15 seconds, with a 84-mph top speed.
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