The Joule
This car, manufactured in South Africa, was its first locally-developed electric car in 2012. The Joule was as a result of years of research and hard work by Cape Town-based Optimal Energy in association with legendary South African-born automotive designer, Keith Helfet.
The Joule is a zero-emissions, six-seater, multi-purpose vehicle and made its debut at the Paris Motor Show. It uses just 20% of the energy used by a conventional car.
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Using a normal 220-volt home outlet and the Joule’s onboard charger, it takes approximately seven hours to recharge the car’s battery pack for a 200-kilometre driving range – with the two battery packs providing 400 kilometres in total.
