Conceived by Cape Town-based Optimal Energy and originally designed by South African-born Keith Helfet, South Africa's very own all-electric car, Joule, has been drawing all the right attention overseas.

TechSmart talked to Jaco van Loggerenberg, media & events manager at Optimal Energy, about what Joule's been up to.

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TechSmart: What's the international response been like for Joule? Any big

Jaco van Loggerenberg: Joule has been very well received internationally. Our display at the Geneva Motor Show was a major success and there has been plenty of interest generated from there. As we only start production in 2014 we are not currently taking orders, but we have had numerous requests, not only from buyers but also from partners and distributors who would like to be involved.

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TS: Have you made any improvements to the vehicle?

JvL: The Joule prototype and marketing fleet is now completed and these four vehicles will be used to engage with customers and to collect valuable test data. These prototype vehicles represent the third iteration of our motor, battery and drive system, each with considerable improvements. The test data to be collected from these vehicles will again provide the opportunity to improve on the current design, and this will be implemented in the production version.

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TS: When will South Africans be able to buy one?

JvL: Joule will be available for purchase from 2014.

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TS: Any cool new projects in the pipeline?

JvL: Our focus is currently on the successful commercialisation of Joule, but we do have some great ideas on the drawing boards.