Herbert Hoover promised Americans a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage, but another man with a vacuum-associated name, James Dyson, wants to put electric cars in every parking spot.
Dyson, maker of strangely desirable vacuum cleaners and unsettlingly futuristic fans shaped like an elongated oval, wants to build you a car. Of course, we told you this last year, after the British government let slip that it was “funding Dyson to develop a new battery electric vehicle at their headquarters in Malmesbury, Wiltshire.”
The secretive UK-based company now claims you’ll see its new car in just three years.
Anyone who’s ever handled a bagless, cordless Dyson vacuum knows the company isn’t resting on its technological laurels. Available in funky colors and powered by a detachable lithium-ion battery, the suction units come as close as a vacuum cleaner can to being described as “sexy.” You’ll want to set aside part of your Saturday to use it, possibly with music blaring.
But Dyson doesn’t want to waste years of electric motor and battery development solely on helping you suck up those chips from under the couch. Flush with vacuum and fan-generated cash (as well as the aforementioned government green), the company reportedly has 400 staff members working on an electric vehicle at its UK headquarters.
According to the Financial Times (subscription required), Dyson’s plan carries a price tag of £2 billion ($2.68B) — one billion going towards the development of the battery, another billion for design and initial construction. (Dyson has help in the energy storage area — it bought an American battery maker for $90 million in 2015.)
Founder James Dyson anticipates a line of EV models, as well as future profitability. Recognizing that it faces a “crowded market,” Dyson nonetheless expects the EV arm to become the dominant area of the company.
And a crowded market it will be. The company patriarch told the BBC that the first Dyson car, scheduled for a 2020 debut, won’t come cheap. While the exact price range — as well as the driving range — remains a carefully guarded secret, Dyson admits it is going after the premium market. That leaves the company facing Tesla’s upper echelon models, as well as promised Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, and Porsche EVs that should exist by 2020. Still, it’s not the worst plan. Not only are wealthy buyers more likely to consider an EV, it’s also easier to generate a profit off big-ticket electric luxo barges.
Dyson claims development staff will move to a nearby abandoned RAF airbase to continue work on the car in February. What form will the first Dyson model take? That’s another for-your-eyes-only detail. The Vacuum King does admit it will appear “radical and different.”
[Images: Dyson]
“We’ve decided to make something that doesn’t suck.”
-Dyson Car
You had to be first with that one…
Hit ’em early, hit ’em often.
Checked this thread just to make sure a sucky comment was posted and its the first one!
I had that handheld Dyson. It lasted about a year before the battery wouldn’t hold a charge anymore and it became worthless. New batteries were prohibitively expensive. I switched to a Dustbuster-style that ran off the same Li-ion Craftsman batteries as my cordless tools, MUCH better but not as sexy and fancy.
No thanks on a Dyson car.
I have a Dyson vacuum (it’s the purplish one, it’s older, probably not the latest version). It works well but the carpet attachment doesn’t always spin like it’s supposed to. Their uniquely designed fans, I think, are all hype and no performance. I’ve tried them but don’t own one. Mostly I’m happy with the vacuum. Better, for many years, than anything else I’ve used. But, in a close second place is my $59 Kenmore canister vacuum. Which sometimes makes me wonder about the $400 plus I spent on the other.
Their ‘Airblade’ hand dryers are pretty awesome, though.
If you are trying to spread bacteria at least.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04/13/dyson-airblades-spread-germs-1300-times-more-than-paper-towels/
The Dyson vacuum is undoubtedly sexy looking and expensive. Many users and “consumer testing organizations” also report it doesn’t work all that well. I’m not holding my breath.
After using a Dyson and several of its copies, I would never buy one of these bagless pieces of junk. It’s more messy and you have to frequently empty it. I bought a commercial Oreck and have never looked back. I can fill a bag and then just throw it out.
I actually prefer the bagless ones…you can just dump the gunk into the toilet and flush it.
Careful on what you throw in the toilet. Anything stringy can clog up pipes…. dental floss for example.
Didn’t know that…
I meant to say this RE: stringy things like floss, hair, etc. Definitely throw it out with the trash. Vacuum contents will fit into a handy plastic grocery bag, if you don’t want to dirty up your kitchen can, etc.
I’ll second this one… I know this through experience (and it wasn’t dental floss)
Every vacuum rear guy I’ve read or met uses a bagged vacuum in their own home.
“Vacuum rear”? Sounds like a personal problem to me…
I’ve got a Dyson vacuum and it’s great, especially for the car. YMMV with the value, considering the price tag.
The real interest here is that Chris Bangle is rumored to be the head of design, so they have a leg up there.
“The real interest here is that Chris Bangle is rumored to be the head of design, so they have a leg up there.”
Just like a dog getting ready to relieve itself.
Modern turbozzzz sound like vacuums already so might as well go all the way.
I have tried out a Dyson, work well enough but not quite amazing enough to justify the price. Bought a Kenmore Elite which works wonderfully for a third of the price.
In any event, not sure Dyson is the company you really want tackling this project, maybe just the only company England had to turn to. If their other consumer products are any indication, they will probably be costly, low on value and rely on snob appeal and a smooth talking British spokesman with a thick accent to convince people it is better ….well….because it costs more. Lot of “luxury” consumer products seem to work that way. You should feel special because you can afford this product, not because its better lol.
It will definitely either suck or blow ” Rim Shot “
So…two suck and/or blow comments thus far.
Since we can’t do images here.
https://twitter.com/CoreyLewis86/status/913082208738582528
Yep, it sucks AND blows.
She gone from suck to blow!
A British designed and built electric car. Given the history of British electronics, what could possibly go wrong?
Am I the only one that thinks Dysons look ridiculous? Definitely not sexy.
Dyson also designed and manufactured a ‘revolutionary’ washing machine that was something of a commercial failure and which they no longer support.
Dysons work well but are very flimsy and thus are not worth the purchase price in my eyes. Sanitaire commercial vacuums are bulletproof and I think they do at least a slightly better job than any Dyson. You can hear and feel the suction and it vibrates the carpet to remove any deep dirt particles.
My wife doesn’t like the dowdy, old fashioned look of the Sanitaire and the fact that there are no attachments so she came home one day with a Dyson anyways. We don’t necessarily see eye to eye when it comes to product preferences, from cars to shampoo and just about everything in between.
A Dyson car may perform well but will probably break or malfunction like crazy. If Apple ends up producing a car, it will be 0% user serviceable.
Today on The Truth About Home Appliances…
Bacon Express. 5 stars.
Y’all need better joke writers. Especially Corey.
I am proud to only use my own material!
Johann is pretty good at producing jokes, according to some :D
+1 ATS gauge cluster
Yeah, but you can’t hang that on Johann.
Dyson vacs are just a trendy fad thing. They are messy, flimsy, and dont last. I finally got fed up one day and threw the Dyson (that my wife bought) into the trash and spent $500 on a German made Miele vacuum. The Miele is better in every measurable way….quiet, more suction that is adjustable, clean when changing bags, and the carpet attachment beater bar runs off suction so there are no belts to change when they jam and burn up. Expensive but well worth it IMHO.
I just can’t get Lucas out of my mind.
Have you told Lucas about your feelings?
I just can’t get you out of my head
Lucas your loving is all I think about
I just can’t get you out of my head
Lucas it’s more than I dare to think about
La la la
La la la la la
Truly, the mere thought of a British electric car………..
Dyson’s big claim, which isn’t in most of the articles, is on finally perfecting a solid state battery (by buying a Michigan based company). Smaller, safer, less expensive, more cycles, blah, blah, blah.
That’s harder to do than build an electric car. I’ll believe it when I see it.
Next, the Popeil driverless car: just set it and forget it!
Dyson’s stuff is nifty & upfront… but pricey. I find there’s eventually a competitor who does hand-dryers & vacuums cheaper and better.
Geez, a day has gone by and no one has said he can name it the Chapparal 2J? (look it up!)