Dyson, the company that manufactures your beloved powerful and cordless vacuum cleaners is making an electric car. James Dyson hasn't revealed much about the project other than £2bn of funding and a 2020 release date. This car is going to fall into direct competition with Elon Musk's Tesla Motors in the premium electric vehicle market. Will people buy into one of the starkest product line diversifications we've ever seen? Dyson is obviously known for its vacuum cleaners, fans, and household cleaning products. Will that be a barrier in preventing social trust and interest in their car?
No one knows for sure. However, it is clear that it will receive huge media and online attention due to how unique the situation is. Dyson has also received £174 million in government funding from the UK government to aid in the development of " a new battery electric vehicle."
Will Dyson be a threat to Tesla?
Maybe, but most likely not. Tesla is already 10 steps ahead of the game in every field. Battery production, research, production costs and market rep are all large hurdles which Tesla has already overcome, not to mention the mammoth funding it has already received which dwarfs the £2bn Dyson has received. It's an uphill climb for not just Dyson, but any company that wants to enter the electric vehicle market and compete with Tesla toe to toe.
They will struggle due to the massive headstart Elon Musk has given himself. Tesla has been in the Electric Car game for longer than any other company, giving them the key advantage of experience and a built-up empire of battery factories, automated car production and years of research.
What can we expect?
So far there are very few leaks and rumours to work with.
However, it can be expected that there will be a key focus on the vehicle's aerodynamics which Dyson already specialises in, with the technology they use in their various products which are designed to control and manipulate air. These include Artificial intelligence (currently used in their robot 360 eye vacuum cleaner) and battery technology due to the previous acquisition of the solid-state battery company "Satki3".
The vehicle is allegedly being developed and designed in the Wiltshire (Dyson's UK headquarters), it is also clear to see that the company is aggressively hiring in this field in an attempt to scout and receive vital talent from the car industry.
According to Autocar UK, " It’s now or never for Dyson, yet he enters the car industry at a time when the opportunity and chance for success for a newcomer has never been greater".
