Rubicon acquires two prototypes of the Optimal Energy Joule, a groundbreaking electric vehicle that once held promise for South Africa's automotive industry. One prototype will be returned to the roads, reviving a story of innovation and ambition.
E-mobility company Rubicon is acquiring two of the last remaining prototypes of South Africa ’s first modern electric vehicle (EV) and taking one of these back onto the country’s roads. The Optimal Energy Joule was once highly regarded as a cutting-edge product and presented a golden opportunity for the country to get a headstart in the global EV race. Its five-door four-seater captured international automotive headlines with its appearance at the Paris Motor Show in October 2008.
The EV was particularly impressive for its energy efficiency and range, which were supposedly miles ahead of the only competing model from a major manufacturer at the time — the Nissan Leaf. Optimal Energy said the standard battery could provide up to 200km of range while an extended range option would support up to 400km.The Optimal Energy was no ugly box either. It was designed by Keith Helfet, who previously worked as Principal Stylist at Jaguar. Among his other designs were the Jaguar XJ-220, XK-180, and the F-Type concept.The state was reluctant to invest further after Optimal Energy determined that to reach its targeted price point of R300,000, it would need to produce 50,000 cars per year.At the peak of its operations, Optimal Energy had employed 100 staff. Its work was not a total loss, however. With the funding available until its shutdown, it was able to construct four working prototypes of the Joule, alongside a “shell” model made purely for presentation.Report that all but one shell were destroyed The running prototypes were donated to the uYilo e-mobility programme at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) to research EV drivetrain development, EV charging systems, EV telematics, and data capturing., while the fourth’s 36kWh battery pack was stripped and repurposed for grid management research.the fate of the cars and surmised three had been burnt and the last model was a the shell prototype being kept at the James Hall Museum of Transport in Johannesbur
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