Early details about Dyson’s first foray into the electric car market have been revealed by newly published patents for the firm’s upcoming EV.
The three technical drawings of the vehicle suggest the electric car will be similar to an SUV in design, with an “ultra-long wheelbase” and “unprecedentedly large and thin wheels”, Autocar reports. Given the pitch-limiting advantages of the long wheelbase, “height-adjustable and self-levelling suspension seems likely”, the motoring magazine adds.
The EV’s battery will be mounted underneath the passenger compartment, judging by the patents, which were filed 18 months ago and approved this week.
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However, in a word of caution to commentators, a spokesperson for the vacuum pioneer told Auto Express that the patents “don’t reveal what our vehicle will really look like”.
But they do “provide a glimpse of some of the inventive steps that we are considering”, the spokesperson continued, in an emailed statement. “They suggest some of the ways in which this vehicle could differ from the status quo and depict a vehicle which has been developed, from the bottom up, with range and efficiency in mind from the outset.”
The company has already shown that it is committed to moving into the EV world.
In August, Dyson announced that it would be investing around £200m into its Wiltshire engineering base, located on a former WWII airfield in Hullavington, Wiltshire, says The Guardian.
The upgrades will include a ten-mile test at the expanded site, which will accommodate more than 2,000 staff.
As more details emerge about Dyson’s plans, here’s everything we know about the highly anticipated EV:
Release date
According to The Daily Telegraph, company founder Sir James Dyson claims that the electric car is on track for a 2021 release.
Price
Although a price has yet to be announced, Sir James has previously mentioned Range Rovers and Teslas when discussing the EV - suggesting that “in a money sense at least, they were rivals”, says Autocar.
If that is the case, buyers can expect the EV to cost around £100,000.
Battery and performance
Dyson is reported to be pursuing cutting-edge battery technology for its EV.
The vacuum-cleaner maker is “currently researching” solid state batteries, which are more compact and offer greater range than the lithium-ion packs used to power most of today’s electric cars, says Pocket-lint.
“With that said, it’s still likely to run lithium-ion batteries in the early runs of its first car”, before the firm moves to solid state versions at a later date, the tech news site adds.
How many cars will Dyson make?
Dyson has yet to confirm whether it will produce only one EV or whether the electric car will spawn a host of new vehicles.
However, company insiders told the Financial Times last February that Dyson was aiming to produce a total of three models.
The sources said that the first model was only expected to have a production run “in the single-digit thousands”, while the following two would be built at a “substantially higher volume”.
Will the EV feature driverless tech?
It’s on the cards, according to the company’s founder.
Appearing on the BBC’s The Andrew Marr Show in 2017, Dyson said that the EV would have “some driverless [features] in it” and would be produced without the assistance of other car manufacturers.
“We’re going to make it ourselves, whether we make it here or somewhere in the Far East or wherever. We haven’t decided yet,” the Norfolk-born inventor said.
He added: “It’s really about component supply and skills. We will go where it's best to make the car from the point of view of getting the supply chain - which is crucial - and the skills necessary to build it.”
When did Dyson start planning the upcoming car?
Although the company only revealed its production plans last year, the firm's founder says he first made proposals to develop an EV back in the late 1990s.
Speaking to Auto Express in 2017, Dyson said: “I was interested in an all-electric car back in 1998 but the industry wasn’t interested. It wasn’t a fashionable thought in 1998... it wasn’t fashionable three years ago.”
