HOPE ARISING, the story of South Africa's JOULE electric vehicle, and why it still matters

251pp., b/w & colour illus., paperback, Quickfox, Cape Town, 2025

ISBN: 9781037086236

A personal account of the innovations, triumphs, missteps and systemic challenges involved in the attempt to create South Africa's first electric vehicle, the JOULE, and the pressures that brought the project to a premature end in 2012.

"Once I started reading this book, I was riveted - I couldn't put it down. I read it from start to finish in a single day." Gideon Potgieter, CEO Resolution Circle

"A truly well-written book which blends the author's personal experiences with the factual events of the time. It should be required reading for any South African entrepreneur, to understand the grit and resilience needed to start something completely new, drive it towards a tangible prototype, get access to and commitment to financial partners, and stay on course to deliver" Wim de Vos, Business Development Manager, FoxCo

Systems engineer and entrepreneur Gerhard Swart worked as the electrical and systems engineer on the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT). In 2005 he co-founded Optimal Energy, the company that developed the JOULE. He also founded Alphadot (Pty) Ltd, a consultancy specialising in innovation, product development, and systems engineering. He currently lives in the UK, leading the global engineering effort for the construction of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) MID radio telescope being constructed in the Karoo, incorporating the South African MeerKAT Telescope.