1:42 pm, May 9, 2019
THE FIRST details of Dyson’s first electric car have emerged, as the vacuum cleaner-maker looks to take on the likes of Tesla.
Plans for the car, which will be ‘entirely designed, manufactured and sold’ by the company, are on track for a launch in 2021, Sir James Dyson confirmed.
In a letter to staff, the entrepreneur said the car the will contain ‘fundamentally new technologies and make some inventive leaps’.
A number of patents for new cars have been issued, although the drawings ‘don’t reveal what the vehicle will really look like or what it will do’, Sir James said, as he called on staff to keep key details secret.
Advances have been made in the aerodynamics, efficiency and vehicle architecture of the car, he added.
The first patents, which were filed 18 months ago but have been made public for the first time, reveal designs for an off-road vehicle in Dyson’s planned line-up, although details of its first car still remain closely guarded.
Patents for the off-road prototype highlight an intention to use ‘very large wheels’ to suit bumpy terrain as well as to improve ‘range and efficiency’.
Sir James also highlighted new architecture and aerodynamic improvements, which include a low cabin height and shallow windscreen angle to reduce drag.
The Government announced in 2017 that it planned to phase out the sale of new petrol or diesel vehicles which do not use hybrid technology by 2040, although Sir James has called for this deadline to be brought forward.
Dyson has set aside around £2.5 billion to invest in the project, as it leaps into the highly-competitive electric car market alongside the likes of Elon Musk’s Tesla.
The car is set to be manufactured in Singapore, the new home of Dyson’s corporate headquarters.
The Brexit-supporting entrepreneur faced fierce criticism earlier this year, after he revealed plans to relocate its head office from Wiltshire to east Asia.
Testing for the vehicles is expected to take place at its campus at Hullavington Airfield in Wiltshire, where the firm is investing £200 million in new facilities.
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