Dyson electric car
18.05.2020
D ie Announcement from company boss James Dyson came as a surprise in October 2019. The decision was made to discontinue the electric car project, Dyson announced on the company's website. It was not the product, but the economic feasibility. They were looking for a buyer who wanted to continue the project, but couldn't find one. Even if the project is buried with it, a lot has been learned from it. Especially in terms of battery technology, which will be used for the other Dyson products. For the employees affected by the project stop, try to find other positions in the company.
Sir James Dyson, Britain’s richest man, spent £ 500m developing an electric car to rival Tesla’s. Then he scrapped it before the first prototype took to the road. He tells John Arlidge why https://t.co/mIVmVFnN6D
- The Sunday Times Magazine (@TheSTMagazine) May 17, 2020
Nevertheless, the first pictures of the killed car have now emerged, which were taken during an interview by James Dyson with the English newspaper 'Sunday' Times. Dyson is considered the richest man in Great Britain with an estimated fortune of 18 billion euros. A whopping 540 hp and a torque of 650 Newton meters should accelerate the 2.6-ton Stromer in 4.8 seconds to 96 and further to 200 km /h. A 200 kWh motor should be installed per axle. Almost 1,000 kilometers should be possible with one load.
Dyson
The interior looks futuristic.
Dyson's e-car ambitions once sounded euphoric. It was said for a long time that the plans to build their own electric cars are making progress. According to an internal letter from the company's founder Sir James Dyson, the investment volume in the project should be 2.3 billion euros. More than 600 million euros come from his own fortune. The vehicle with the code name N526, according to Dyson, would have had to cost 170,000 euros to be profitable. However, nobody really needs to worry about James Dyson. Last year alone, he was able to earn another four billion euros on top of his now 18 billion fortune.
Dyson
The planned test site should offer 10 kilometers of test track and space for up to 2,000 employees.
Lastly 500 people were working on the car project at Dyson, and another 200 positions were to be filled. Dyson wanted to build a test site at the former Hullavington airfield near Bristol. With an investment of 200 million pounds (approx. 223 million euros), a ten-kilometer test track and 45,000 square meters of building space with offices, restaurants and leisure areas for up to 2,000 people were to be built.
The plans for the test track included an off-road area, a handling course and options for testing vehicle stability with the simulation of evasive maneuvers.
First patent drawings
Dyson
Drawings for the patent application have already revealed what the upcoming Dyson car should look like. The pictures show an elongated crossover in monospace design with extremely short overhangs at the front and rear as well as a low roof line and a long wheelbase. In the interior, three rows of seats are suggested, which presumably have seven seats ready. Lush ground clearance should offer a wide range of uses. The flat windshield seems to stretch into the roof. When it comes to the gear train, Dyson seems to be relying on huge wheels. These do not cut as much space out of the interior and are also cheaper in terms of rolling resistance. The Dyson car is five meters long, two meters wide and 1.70 meters high. The wheelbase should be around 3.30 meters.
Lithium-ion batteries as bridging technology
The rumors that Dyson wanted to build electric cars had been around since 2016. Half of them According to British media reports, of Dyson's billion investment is earmarked for vehicle development, the other half is to be invested in new battery technology. Dyson therefore relies on solid-state batteries, which are considered the next generation of high-performance batteries after lithium-ion technology. So far, no vehicle prototype has been built, but the electric motor is already ready.
Dyson is developing its own battery technology
The basic research for solid-state batteries is already well advanced. Now it is a question of putting industrial production on the keel. The new battery technology for the Dyson electric cars is to be developed on the Dyson technology campus in Wiltshire. In order to get the additionally necessary personnel faster, it was decided to make the electric car plans public now. Discussions with potential suppliers also become easier this way. Dyson refuses to work with established car manufacturers.
As the Automobilwoche reports, Dyson has already poached the head buyer David Wyer and Ian Minards, the head of product development, from the sports car manufacturer Aston Martin. In addition, Dyson hires former BMW and Infiniti manager Roland Krüger to head his electric car project.
The first of three models will run on lithium-ion batteries, will be limited to 10,000 pieces and will be more expensive. The following two models are based on solid-state batteries. In 2015, Dyson bought the start-up Sakti3, which specializes in solid-state batteries. Dyson expects the new electric car division to grow rapidly. At one possible price, Dyson said only: The vehicle will not be cheap. Dyson sees the main sales market in the Far East.
The electric cars are to be built byDyson in Singapore, not the UK. The proximity to the important Asian markets as well as the infrastructure and the availability of qualified workers speak in favor of Singapore, Dyson explained his location decision. The company's headquarters for the car project were also relocated from Great Britain to Singapore.
