Makes › Optimal Energy › Joule (2012) · Prototype · Visionary project · 2008–2012
Optimal Energy
Joule (2012)
South African electric city car developed by Optimal Energy; prototypes were built and shown but the project stopped before series production.
Still being researched: identification guide, full specifications. Everything shown is checked against the cited sources. Know more? Send us a source.
Photo: Rutger van der Maar · CC BY 2.0
Contents
01Overview
At a glance
- Built
- Not yet verified
- Years
- 2008–2012
- Engine
- Electric motor on the front wheels, or individual motors on the rear or all four wheels (options described in 2008)
- Power
- Not yet verified
- Top speed
- 134 km/hFactory: 83 mph · converted
- Body
- Not yet verified
- Designer
- Not yet verified
- In this archive
- Not yet verified
- Surviving
- Not yet verified
Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.
Why it matters
The Joule was the first electric passenger car developed in South Africa, a locally engineered drivetrain and battery system from a start-up founded in 2005. Running cars were displayed at two international motor shows and driven by journalists, so the project got well beyond renderings. It is a record of how far a small national venture got towards a series-built electric car.
How rare is it?
Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.
Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.
Photos
Exterior, interior and detail photos with their licences.
Optimal Energy Joule (2012) (Wikimedia Commons search)
Photo: Rutger van der Maar · CC BY 2.0
Optimal Energy Joule (2012) (Wikimedia Commons search)
Photo: Rutger van der Maar · CC BY 2.0
Optimal Energy Joule (2012) (Wikimedia Commons search)
Photo: Rutger van der Maar · CC BY 2.0
02Production & history
Production
Every figure says what it counts.
No production figures recorded yet.
History
Optimal Energy was founded in 2005 in Cape Town and revealed the Joule at the Paris show in 2008, where it attracted wide attention. It was shown again at Geneva in 2010. At that time the company said it planned a factory for 50 000 cars a year, with sales starting in 2013 and a price of R240 000 to R280 000 before battery lease.
CAR magazine tested the Joule in early 2011 and was impressed by its drivetrain and packaging. Funding arrived slowly, however, and in June 2012 the board, with its shareholders the Industrial Development Corporation and the Technology Innovation Agency, decided to close the company after a proposed e-bus project could not be funded. The Joule therefore never entered series production.
Variants
How each version differs from the standard Joule (2012).
No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
03Specifications
Technical specifications
Engine
| Engine family | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Engine code | Not yet verified |
| Layout | Electric motor on the front wheels, or individual motors on the rear or all four wheels (options described in 2008)1 Independently researchedPress description of the 2008 launch car; not confirmed by the maker or a registry. |
| Displacement | Not yet verified |
| Bore | Not yet verified |
| Stroke | Not yet verified |
| Compression ratio | Not yet verified |
| Fuel system | Not yet verified |
| Power | Not yet verified |
| Power at | Not yet verified |
| Torque | Not yet verified |
Transmission & drivetrain
| Gearbox | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Gears | Not yet verified |
| Driven wheels | Not yet verified |
Chassis, body & dimensions
| Chassis | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Front suspension | Not yet verified |
| Rear suspension | Not yet verified |
| Brakes | Not yet verified |
| Steering | Not yet verified |
| Body construction | Not yet verified |
| Wheelbase | Not yet verified |
| Length | Not yet verified |
| Width | Not yet verified |
| Height | Not yet verified |
| Front track | Not yet verified |
| Rear track | Not yet verified |
| Kerb weight | Not yet verified |
| Dry weight | Not yet verified |
Performance
| Maximum speed | 134 km/hFactory: 83 mph · converted1 Independently researchedPress figure from the 2008 launch coverage; not confirmed by the maker or a registry. |
|---|---|
| 0–100 km/h | Not yet verified |
| 0–60 mph | 4.8 s1 Independently researchedSame 2008 press coverage; not confirmed by the maker or a registry. |
| Fuel tank | Not yet verified |
“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.
04Colours & options
Factory colours & interiors
Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Factory options & codes
Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
05Individual cars
Chassis register
Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Competition history
Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Auction & sale history
Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
See one in person
Museums where an example of this car can be seen.
No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
06Reference
Identification guide
How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Sources
Each number links to the exact facts it supports.
-
1
South African Electric Car the Crown Joule of Paris Auto Show Level C WIRED · 2008-10-10
- an electric motor turning the front wheels
- the car's top speed is only 83 mph
- a 0-60 time of 4.8 seconds
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