Don't Worry, Dyson's Got This Electric Car Thing in the Bag

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

The maker of all things that blow is apparently sucking up some government cash to build an electric car.

Britain’s The Guardian is reporting that Dyson is receiving a public subsidy from the British government to develop an EV, a project that will no doubt draw from the company’s depth of knowledge regarding small electric motors.

The reveal is something of a slip-up by the government. When the country’s National Infrastructure Delivery Plan was published, out popped an interesting nugget:

The government is funding Dyson to develop a new battery electric vehicle at their headquarters in Malmesbury, Wiltshire. This will secure £174m of investment in the area, creating over 500 jobs, mostly in engineering

The document doesn’t say exactly how much cash is being handed to the maker of creepy, bladeless fans and bagless vacuum cleaners that make domestic life bliss, but Dyson CEO Max Conze didn’t rule out the possibility of creating an EV when asked last year.

Automakers have been on a buying tear lately, snapping up high-tech startups and signalling their EV intentions to anyone who’ll listen, meaning a non-automotive company like Dyson can fly under the radar with its plans.

The company, which sounds like a great addition to one’s investment portfolio (revenue is positively booming), has its own cash reserves to fling around on development. It bought a U.S. battery maker last year for $90 million, and has stated its intention to invest one billion pounds ($1.41 billion) in battery technology, and another 1.5 billion pounds into research and development.

The UK’s intentions to spur a futuristic car’s development via public cash might cause those who remember the DeLorean Motor Company to raise an eyebrow, but Dyson’s recent acquisitions and financial strength make this investment seem far less risky than the chance it took on the gull-winged wonder.

It’s nice to learn that the home of Roger Moore and Sting isn’t letting Germany have all the fun when it comes to EV development. Who knows, Dyson could become Britain’s Tesla (another company that’s no stranger to public subsidies).

Only this Tesla also builds a hand-drying fan that makes trips to restaurant bathrooms a pure joy.

[Image: Robert Scarth/Flickr ( CC BY-SA 2.0)]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • RHD RHD on Mar 27, 2016

    Dyson could get a head start by partnering with VW, producing hybrid drivetrains to replace all the cheating TDI diesels. It's a win all around - VW owners all get a new European engine and 50 MPG, VW can claim they engineered the fix, the air gets cleaner, and Dyson gets to alpha test their technology, so when the plastic bits break off, Volkswagen gets the blame.

  • Redav Redav on Mar 28, 2016

    Personally, I'd be more concerned about a Roomba car than a Dyson.

    • RHD RHD on Mar 28, 2016

      Google is working on those right now.

  • Lorenzo Heh. The major powers, military or economic, set up these regulators for the smaller countries - the big guys do what they want, and always have. Are the Chinese that unaware?
  • Lorenzo The original 4-Runner, by its very name, promised something different in the future. What happened?
  • Lorenzo At my age, excitement is dangerous. one thing to note: the older models being displayed are more stylish than their current versions, and the old Subaru Forester looks more utilitarian than the current version. I thought the annual model change was dead.
  • Lorenzo Well, it was never an off-roader, much less a military vehicle, so let the people with too much money play make believe.
  • EBFlex The best gift would have been a huge bonfire of all the fak mustangs in inventory and shutting down the factory that makes them.Heck, nobody would even have to risk life and limb starting the fire, just park em close together and wait for the super environmentally friendly EV fire to commence.
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