Advertisement

Dyson patents and memo offer a cryptic tease of its first EV

Its patent has diagrams, though they don't necessarily show what the vehicle would look like.

Sir James Dyson has revealed some early details about the company's electric car in a memo sent to employees and seen by Bloomberg and The Telegraph. A set of patents that recently became public also includes diagrams that make it seem like the vehicle will look like a Range Rover. However, Dyson said they "certainly don't reveal what [its] vehicle will really look like or give any specifics around what it will do." Instead, they "show an androgynous vehicle and provide a glimpse of some of the inventive steps [the company is] considering." The company aims to use it as a platform to introduce advances in aerodynamics and efficiency.

Whatever the vehicle ends up looking like, it will likely be a normal-sized car. Dyson wrote in his memo that the company isn't following other brands' design for smaller EVs. He said the ride comfort of those vehicles "tends to limit their attractiveness and utility." The EV might also have large wheels close to the front and the back, making it efficient and easy to maneuver in both city and rough terrains. "I've long been fascinated by wheels," Dyson noted in his email.

While we might have to wait a bit before seeing a prototype, the company has reportedly sunk billions into the project, which already has 500 personnel. It's designed in house, after all, and will be manufactured -- in a facility in Singapore -- and sold by Dyson itself. Details unfortunately remain scant despite the sketches, but the billionaire's memo said testing will ramp up in June and that the EV is on track for launch in 2021.