Could Dy son cleanup?
FAMeD for his plug-in household appliances, Sir James Dyson could be the next big thing in electric cars.
His high-tech firm, best known for vacuum cleaners, has been hoovering up top car industry talent and experts from the world of autonomous technology.
And I’ll bet when the design arrives, it’ll be sleek, radical — and definitely won’t suck.
Dyson has remained coy about its secret project, but never once denied the intensifying speculation, with bosses simply saying they’re ‘ruling nothing out’.
A Dyson spokesman said teasingly this week: ‘ We have historically recruited from a wide range of backgrounds, and are developing a multitude of technologies. We plan to recruit an extra 3,000 engineers and scientists by 2020 and are working with more than 40 universities globally.’
And all this just as Mini reveals its own all-electric vehicle ahead of this month’s Frankfurt Motor Show, and as Jaguar Land Rover and Aston Martin — among many — prepare to launch new all-electric and hybrid cars.
Industry experts believe Dyson aims to create a British version of the U.S.’s Tesla — a non-traditional ‘disruptor’ to take on existing car-makers. Computer giant Apple is also said to be developing a self-driving car.
Last year, Aston Martin’s product development director Ian Minards — who created several Bond cars — was poached by Dyson. He was followed last month by Aston’s long- serving head of purchasing David Wyer.
The Government, which says all cars must have an electric element by 2040, let the cat out of the bag last year.
It announced that it was funding Dyson to develop a new battery electric vehicle at its HQ in Malmesbury, Wilts, to ‘secure £174m of investment in the area, creating over 500 new jobs, mostly in engineering’.
Dyson has bought a solid-state battery company and recruited computer experts from Silicon Valley and also people with knowledge of self-driving cars.
Aston Martin chief executive Dr Andy Palmer jokingly told me he wouldn’t set up a household appliance division in retaliation, and added he wasn’t concerned by the competition.