Things may appear to have fallen silent on this in the months that have elapsed since the initial excitement died down, but in the background those involved in the Joule’s manufacture have been very busy.
While it’s one thing to create a proto-type for initial release, mass-producing a product like this is a whole different game – one that takes time, and of course, money.
Cape-based Optimal Energy, the company behind Joule, has been hard at work securing the funding needed for mass production.
The good news, according to a report on SA Good News, is that “South Africans can look forward to pilot fleets of Joule on our roads and around the globe from 2010 onwards.”
Financial backing has become available from the Department of Science and Technology’s Innovation Fund and the Industrial Development Corporation. Further capital is still required but Optimal Energy is confident that this will be raised by the end of this year.
For more information on the Joule, refer to our previous article, or go directly to the Optimal Energy website.
