An update to Dyson’s planned venture into car manufacturing, where the company announced last year it would be introducing three purely electric cars, with the first due by 2020. According to the Financial Times, Dyson’s first car will show the company how to make a vehicle and establish relationships with suppliers, while the second and third cars will enter the market with higher production volumes to further establish the brand among mass-market competition.
Dyson will inject £2 billion (RM10.9 billion) in funds to develop its first EV car, and the project has received support from the British government. A team of 400 people is working on the project at Dyson’s Wiltshire headquarters.
However, specific details such as performance and range remain a company secret, but the first model won’t be a mass-market car like the Renault Zoe and Nissan Leaf. Instead, it will be aimed at a more tech-oriented market, with a production run of under 10,000 units.
Founder Sir James Dyson also confirmed that the car will carry a premium price tag, but went on to say that it won’t be a sports car. Another source added that the company chose not to use solid-state batteries for its first model as previously planned, instead saving the technology for the second and third models.
Apparently, Dyson’s solid-state battery executive, Ann Marie Sastry, left the company late last year, but it’s unclear if the two decisions are linked. A spokesman told Autocar that “Ann Marie Sastry is no longer with Dyson” but refrained from explaining why, and added that the company doesn’t “get into specifics on personnel matters.”
Sastry joined Dyson when it purchased her battery company, Sakti3, for £67.4 million (RM350 million) three years ago. During her tenure, Sastry said the company was close to bringing solid-state batteries to production. If so, the feat could give Dyson an advantage in the global race for more energy efficient EVs.
Solid-state batteries are known to have a higher energy density and are quicker to charge than liquid cells. Its operating temperature is also cooler and is potentially more powerful as well. Toyota is the only car manufacturer with firm plans to introduce the battery technology in the coming decade.
Carmakers such as Porsche has already hinted that it will use solid-state batteries in its future EVs, whereas BMW recently partnered up with US-based company Solid Power in its effort to adopt the technology.
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Dyson will do well. Just like Geely. Geely only started in 1997. Before that, they were a fridge maker only.
Amazing how hard work pays off. I am certain Dyson will do very well because they know what the market wants. You see, they know, the future is EV and they are concentrating on it.
Our Proton and Perodua? EV will be in 2070.
If it is true that Dyson plans to build their EV models in Malaysia, then the federal government and MITI should do their best to accommodate Dyson. They are a major global brand, and it would be a shame to lose them, like everyone else, to Thailand or elsewhere. Dyson already exports their Malaysian-made vacuum cleaners worldwide. Think of what something like that could do for our automotive industry.
If staffed by MY pipu then they would be welcomed. But if staffed by foreign workers then better dun come here. We dun need money repatriated and left with their foreigner problems. Lets make MY great again.
Yet, Dyson treated Malaysia like shit.
Their products are stupidly expensive here, even more expensive than in UK by a long shot. I know they’re premium, but there’s a limit when u found out they sell it cheaper elsewhere.
I once fired away on their fb, asking why so, they replied with typical diplomatic robotic style at first. Then i asked again, why despite shipping, logistics, 20% VAT, weak ringgit, high labour cost, rental, etc can their products still be sold cheaper in UK than in the country they’re being made? Are you treating Malaysians as fools?
They never replied.
Elsewhere i read, a JB guy asked dyson salesman in JB why so expensive, even salesman also said their company bodoh. Many rather cross to Singapore and cheaper to buy there than buy in JB, topkek.
I read your comment and what hits out on me is some comfort. I think many true bred Malaysians is asking the right question. The winds of change is coming?Why did we have to pay more for Proton cars while the Brits and the rest of the world was paying less with International spec. (that was in the 80’s) 30 years on, we lost everything in the name of the Game. And we still pay more for a vacuum cleaner than rest of the world.Its true when one Singaporean man many years ago told me on my face while looking over the cause way. You don’t have much else to say boy. Malaysia has everything. Yet we don’t. Still our currency is stronger than yours. Finally the blinders came off. After all these years.
no doubt that their cars would SUCK
Dyson making ev cars will be Dyson making vacuum cleaners… Ridiculously overpriced. If that’s the case which I’m 100% sure, then it defeats the purpose of reducing pollution by producing an environmentally friendly car for the masses. Only for the rich.
I read your comment and what hits out on me is some comfort. I think many true bred Malaysians is asking the right question. The winds of change is coming?Why did we have to pay more for Proton cars while the Brits and the rest of the world was paying less with International spec. (that was in the 80’s) 30 years on, we lost everything in the name of the Game. And we still pay more for a vacuum cleaner than rest of the world.Its true when one Singaporean man many years ago told me on my face while looking over the cause way. You don’t have much else to say boy. Malaysia has everything. Yet we don’t. Still our currency is stronger than yours. Finally the blinders came off. After all these years.