Dyson confirms EV launch for 2020
British white goods and technology company confirms electric vehicle programMost famous for its funky vacuum cleaners and fans, high-tech British appliance maker Dyson has confirmed it is building an electric vehicle (EV).
Taking on the likes of Tesla, Faraday Future, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Nissan and a number of other established car makers will not be easy, but Dyson has committed billions of dollars to the project.
Company founder and chief engineer, Mr James Dyson, confirmed the news via Twitter after an internal email was sent to employees confirming the company's new thrust.
The car is targeted to launch in 2020. Given that the UK market is right-hand drive, there's potential for the car to come Australia in due course.
It's expected the Dyson EV will be developed and manufactured at the company's new Hullavington research facility opened in early 2017 in a disused RAF base and airfield, not far from its Malmesbury headquarters.
However a Dyson Australia spokesperson told motoring.com.au "We’ve not decided where we will make the car yet," suggesting there's scope for a third party like Magna Steyr to manufacture the vehicle.
Mr Dyson said he will invest £2 billion ($A3.4 billion) into the project, half for the vehicle and the other half for battery technology. By extension, this suggests the company is unlikely to seek a battery partner – at least initially.
Developing an electric vehicle from scratch will not be easy and will likely require far more investment if the 2020 deadline of a commercial launch is to be achieved. Dyson has been on a massive recruitment drive, poaching workers from other British car brands, and already has 400 employees working on the EV project.
Details are sketchy at this stage, but the company's current industrial design ethos has raised expectations for a schmick-looking car.
In his internal letter, James Dyson states that work has already begun on a "battery electric vehicle, due to be launched by 2020."
But it's entirely possible Dyson will throw a curve ball with its "vehicle" which may not be a traditional car.
Mr Dyson told
newspaper in London: "There's no point in doing one that's like everybody else's. You'll have to wait and see, we're trying to be radical."A three-wheeler Reliant Robin recreation, perhaps?
"The project will grow quickly from here but at this stage we will not release any information," Mr Dyson said.
"Competition for new technology in the automotive industry is fierce and we must do everything we can to keep the specifics of our vehicle confidential."
Can Dyson "do a Tesla" and break into the ultra-competitive car industry and be true disruptive force in an entrenched industry? Or is the Britsih company dreaming... Have your say in the comments below.
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