Job Spectrum

Grahamstown - not merely will the Joule, South Africa's first electrical car, be made in the country and create about ten 000 job opportunities, it's going to be available as fast as the middle of 2013.Annie Bekker, an engineer at Perfect Energy, the company accountable for developing the automobile, said at the science expo Sci-fest Africa that they are going to be producing the vehicle on a small scale this year already, to prove the technology works and so it can be further developed.

She said the mass production of the auto in South Africa should start by the end of 2012, but she wouldn't say exactly where this may occur yet.

The plan is to build fifty 000 units a year, of which about ten percent will be sold in SA, with the rest being exported.

The Joule was well received at vehicle shows in Paris and Geneva, and a statement is anticipated this year a German automobile manufacturer will become concerned in the Joule's producing. During the past few months, the Joule has changed from a six-seat to a five-seat vehicle, in order to leave more space in the boot. The inside was also given a serious degree of attention.

The car does not make a sound when it's lazy or driving slowly and otherwise it makes little noise. The design is also different in respect of the air and road noise which has got to be blocked out to a far larger degree, as it does not as is the case with other vehicles, have the sound of the engine to hide the wind and road noise.

The Joule's entry-level model should cost about R245 000 and it'll need a service each 2 years. Since the battery is charged every time one brakes, the Joule will be terribly cheap in the town. The prototype can cover 300km in the town before its battery wants recharging. On the open road, the battery lasts for 250km.