Dyson Hoovers Up Talent for Electric Car

Matthew Guy
by Matthew Guy

Noted dust magnate Sir James Dyson is moving ahead at cyclonic speed with his electric car endeavors, hiring 300 new employees to work on an EV due for launch in 2020.

Apparently seeing a vacuum in the car market, Dyson intends to use its expertise and recent acquisition of a battery company to clean up the world’s air pollution. Plans are moving at such a swift rate that the EV team is moving into a new state-of-the-art 750 acre campus, Dyson’s second R&D campus in Britain.

Dyson already makes a V8; sadly, it is simply the name of their cordless stick vacuum cleaner. However, if one puts all the pieces together, a low-volume EV from Dyson is not too far-fetched.

After spending $90 million in 2015 to acquire battery company Sakti3, Dyson does now appear to possess the technology to realistically push forward with the development of an EV. Sakti3, a startup company with connections to the University of Michigan, claims to have developed solid-state lithium-ion batteries which nearly double the punch provided by those found in California’s favorite EV – Tesla.

Claims aside, if Dyson can indeed figure out the solid-state puzzle it will be a huge revolution in battery technology. Right now, lithium-ion batteries generally operate at about 95 degrees Fahrenheit, necessitating complex cooling solutions. Instead of a pressurized liquid electrolyte, solid-state batteries can incorporate a thin layer of non-flammable material to act as both the separator (keeping + and – electrodes from playing together) and electrolyte.

Back in September, the company starting making noise about its forthcoming EV, releasing a wealth of information about the product on Twitter. In the statement, Sir James references his ambition to find a solution to the global problem of air pollution, a goal that certainly aligns with the production of an EV.

James Dyson just announced to @Dyson employees that we’ve begun work on a battery electric vehicle, due to launch in 2020. pic.twitter.com/yUZNvIsYIi

— Dyson (@Dyson) September 26, 2017

At that time, Dyson stated they had “over 400” people working on the EV project, meaning the new hires bring the total number of workers toiling away at a Dyson electric car to be in the neighborhood of 700 people. This, then, sure doesn’t seem like a flash in the pan or some sort of PR stunt. It’s worth noting that James Dyson himself is reportedly investing at least £2 billion of his own money to bring this car to market.

A company seeming to suddenly appear with a ready-for-market electric vehicle is not entirely without precedent. In 2017, a company called Bollinger showed up with its B1, all-electric off-roader complete with impressive off-road creds and t-square styling cues. Dyson (both the company and the inventor) has a long history of innovation and is certainly not risk-adverse, so the thought of a low-volume EV from the company does hold water.

Dyson is based in the U.K. and is a privately-held company. Its revenue has grown to £3.5 billion in 2017 from £1.7 in 2015. Almost three-quarters of that revenue growth has come from Asia. Last year’s earnings topped $1 billion USD.

[Image: Dyson]

Matthew Guy
Matthew Guy

Matthew buys, sells, fixes, & races cars. As a human index of auto & auction knowledge, he is fond of making money and offering loud opinions.

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  • La834 La834 on Mar 01, 2018

    I actually have one of those Dyson V8 cordless vacs; it's far and away the best vacuum cleaner I've ever used. Lightweight and cordless, yet picks up as well as heavy plug-in units. Very quiet. A cinch to clean out - hold it over a trash can and press a button, it empties the collected dirt and cleans the filter in one action. Comfortable-to-hold handle. Easy to use attachments. A roller brush that's right at the front of the floor part and reaches all the way to the left & right edges, so you can get right up against walls or corners. The battery lasts long enough to clean the whole house. Can be used as just a dustbuster, or you can attach a tube and it will clean high shelves or curtains. It hangs on the wall when you're done with it. It's an exquisite piece of industrial engineering, designed by people who sweated the details and got everything right. If their EVs are anything like their vacuum cleaners, look out, automotive world.

    • Art Vandelay Art Vandelay on Mar 02, 2018

      The cinch to clean out part is where the design shines. Anywhere that a normal vacuum clogs can be popped right off and easily cleared. Mine is 12 years old so while more costly initially, It has paid for itself as we typically got 2 or 3 years out of them prior to that.

  • Rick T. Rick T. on Mar 01, 2018

    If you listen to podcasts, the recent 'How I Built This' with Dyson was worth your time if you don't know much about him beyond the commercials.

  • Funky D The problem is not exclusively the cost of the vehicle. The problem is that there are too few use cases for BEVs that couldn't be done by a plug-in hybrid, with the latter having the ability to do long-range trips without requiring lengthy recharging and being better able to function in really cold climates.In our particular case, a plug-in hybrid would run in all electric mode for the vast majority of the miles we would drive on a regular basis. It would also charge faster and the battery replacement should be less expensive than its BEV counterpart.So the answer for me is a polite, but firm NO.
  • 3SpeedAutomatic 2012 Ford Escape V6 FWD at 147k miles:Just went thru a heavy maintenance cycle: full brake job with rotors and drums, replace top & bottom radiator hoses, radiator flush, transmission flush, replace valve cover gaskets (still leaks oil, but not as bad as before), & fan belt. Also, #4 fuel injector locked up. About $4.5k spread over 19 months. Sole means of transportation, so don't mind spending the money for reliability. Was going to replace prior to the above maintenance cycle, but COVID screwed up the market ( $4k markup over sticker including $400 for nitrogen in the tires), so bit the bullet. Now serious about replacing, but waiting for used and/or new car prices to fall a bit more. Have my eye on a particular SUV. Last I checked, had a $2.5k discount with great interest rate (better than my CU) for financing. Will keep on driving Escape as long as A/C works. 🚗🚗🚗
  • Rna65689660 For such a flat surface, why not get smoke tint, Rtint or Rvynil. Starts at $8. I used to use a company called Lamin-x, but I think they are gone. Has held up great.
  • Cprescott A cheaper golf cart will not make me more inclined to screw up my life. I can go 500 plus miles on a tank of gas with my 2016 ICE car that is paid off. I get two weeks out of a tank that takes from start to finish less than 10 minutes to refill. At no point with golf cart technology as we know it can they match what my ICE vehicle can do. Hell no. Absolutely never.
  • Cprescott People do silly things to their cars.
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