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Joule was an electric five seat passenger car by Optimal Energy, a South African company based in Cape Town. According to the company, it was to have a nominal driving range of 150 km and a top speed of 135 km/h. Designed to achieve a Euro NCAP 4 star safety rating, it complied with the stringent EU standards. It was never released commercially; production ceased in April 2012, and in June 2012 Optimal Energy announced its intention to close down.

The Joule was the first electric car to be produced by Optimal Energy, the Cape Town based company has been working on the concept since 2004. The design of the car was done by Jaguar car designer Keith Helfet. Keith is best known for the XJ220, and the concept car. The Joule showed the same 'flowing lines' as his previous designs.