Yahoo Autos Dyson's Long-Awaited Electric Vehicle Revealed in Design Patent Filing
Patent filings reveal design of the upcoming electric vehicle from vacuum-cleaner giant Dyson.
The SUV-like design looks sleek and ready to take on the Tesla Model X.
The company may have new solid-state battery technology that may debut alongside the vehicle in 2020 or 2021.
British vacuum and electronics titan Dyson announced back in 2017 that it plans to develop and launch an electric vehicle. Thanks to some expert sleuthing by the U.K. publication Autocar, we can see patent images showing what the company's design team has come up with so far, and-spoiler alert-it's an SUV.
It's not too surprising that Dyson would create a high-riding crossover/SUV electric vehicle. What's more interesting is that, as company founder Sir James Dyson told Autocar, lightweight, energy-dense solid-state battery technology is being considered and could replace the lithium-ion type currently used in most electric vehicles.
If solid-state is the energy store of choice, there is a good chance it will come from C/D's neighbor Sakti3. The solid-state battery company, which has been developing thin-film batteries since it was founded in 2007, was acquired by Dyson in 2015.
The design shown in these patent illustrations is wholly subject to change, as the car is still in its development stages. This patent filing may only be showing clues to a future production model. In fact, the Bloomberg news service reported that, in an email from Dyson to his staff, the founder indicated that design changes are likely. If Dyson does move forward with an SUV-like design, we expect all-wheel drive, two electric motors, and enough battery capacity for at least 300 miles of driving range.
The steeply raked windshield and blunt, upright rear end should help the Dyson product slip through the air, which is only fair coming from a company that revolutionized vacuum cleaners. A third row if seats is depicted in the drawings, whether optional or standard, those way-back seats will help the Dyson take on the Tesla Model X; mercifully, it appears as though the British firm is shying away from dramatic gull-wing doors or other gimmicks in favor of a more simplistic design.
The Dyson car is expected to debut as a 2021 model. The company has said it intends to retail the car in global markets, but any entrance into the U.S. market may come some time after the initial launch. There's no word yet whether or not the SUV will come with an onboard vacuum cleaner, but it'd seem like a missed opportunity if it doesn't.
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