SA electric car for Paris

Joule, SA’s first battery-operated electric car, will make its global debut this week

Joule, SA’s first battery-operated electric car, will make its global debut this week at the Paris Motor Show, which is expected to draw more than 1,4m visitors. Designed and engineered by Cape-based start-up Optimal Energy, the six-seater is being punted as a practical and affordable alternative to the UK’s dinky Gee-Wizz, with its 60km range and top speed of 64km/hour, and the magnificent Venturi Fetish, expensive at à600000.

The electric car is a big scientific achievement for SA as it could spur a new generation of pioneers in a cutting edge technological field. It also has important implications for the country in building intellectual property.

The Joule is built for urban transport — it can reach speeds of 130km/h, has a 200km range on a single battery pack, a tight turning circle and exceptional handling. The price has not yet been set, but there have been assurances that it will be competitive. “There is nothing in the midtier market,” says Optimal Energy CEO Kobus Meiring “SA has a reputation for frontier science projects — we can build telescopes, nuclear weapons and attack helicopters — but we also build export-quality premium cars.

“We’ve combined those skills and plan to establish an electric-vehicle industry in SA and expand globally.”

Optimal Energy was founded in 2005 by Meiring, Mike Lombard, Gerhardt Swardt and Jan Swieglers. The team had worked together previously — on the design of the Rooivalk attack helicopter, where Meiring was the chief designer, and on the development of the SA Large Telescope, which was completed in 2005.

In 2004 Meiring was contemplating future projects. After investigating energy generation — solar and wind — he explored energy conservation.

“I could see that the world was set to change dramatically. What with climate change and declining oil reserves, I believed there was an opportunity for electric cars.”

It was a lonely place to be. At the time the hype was around biofuels, and hydrogen fuel cells, which rely on the conversion of hydrogen and oxygen into water and don’t have harmful emissions. “Both have a place in the mix,” says Meiring. “But we see more potential in electric motors and batteries.”

Hybrid vehicles, which have both a conventional internal combustion engine and an electric motor and battery, are already popular. Toyota has sold 1,5m Prius hybrids since 1997 and is aiming for hybrids to reach one tenth of its total sales by 2011. But with oil prices around $100/barrel, motorists are starting to look seriously at electric vehicles as an alternative to combustion engines.

Battery technology and the cost of lithium ion batteries are the largest obstacles to mass-produced and viable electric vehicles.

“We went to China and satisfied ourselves that the Chinese will be able to supply quality batteries to the market,” says Meiring. Research in SA, which developed some of the world’s first lithium batteries, continues.

The electric-vehicle concept seized the imagination of the department of science & technology, which has provided about R55m in funding to date.

“At face value this may seem a fool hardy venture,” said former minister of science & technology Mosibudi Mangena at the launch. “But it will be valuable; new intellectual property and technological competence are being developed.”

The car’s prototype has been in testing for about a year. The production vehicle will be launched in SA in 2010.

But before then Optimal Energy has to raise about R1bn in funding to set up a plant and secure global distribution.

The Industrial Development Corp is willing to provide up to half the required funding, says Meiring, but Optimal Energy is looking for partners in the industry. It shouldn’t be impossible. There are 1bn CO²-producing cars in the world, and the market has been growing at 20%/year.

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