The East London Industrial Development Zone (Elidz)has won the bid to manufacture the country's first consumer electric car, the Joule.
While, the Elidz declined to even confirm it had been awarded the contract, sources in the organisation say East London has won the highly contested bid.
The Elidz did however confirm that the bid had been finalised and that a formal announcement would be made in January.
East London and the Coega Industrial Development Corporation in Port Elizabeth were the front runners after the Eastern Cape was highlighted as a desired location for the manufacturing plant.
The Joule will require capital of around R5.5 billion over the next three years to bring to market. The car was conceptualised and developed by Cape-based Optimal Energy.
Government is a shareholder in Optimal Energy, and the Department of Science and Technology has previously given R50 million in funding towards the Joule's production, with a further R50 million coming from the Industrial Development Corporation.
Zero-emissions
The Joule is a five-seater consumer model, powered by a lithium-ion battery pack, with each battery module offering 200km range under specified conditions, according to Optimal Energy.
It made its debut at the Paris Motor Show, in October last year, and was exhibited at the recent South African Automotive Week, in Port Elizabeth.
The battery charges using a standard 220V home outlet, with seven hours of charge time required for 200km range. The batteries will have to be leased separately, however, and are not included in the purchase price. The zero-emissions battery-powered electric vehicle has a range of 300km and a top speed of 135km/h.
In 2009 terms, the Joule is expected to sell from about R240 000 for the base model, with monthly battery leasing equating to about two tanks of fuel for a conventional car.
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