Dyson Cancels EV Development

After much anticipation over the past year, it’s been announced that British inventor James Dyson, famous for developing high-end vacuum cleaners and other consumer goods, will no longer be pursuing electric vehicle production. According to this article in Automotive News, commercial viability is the reason:

“Dyson said the project was not being closed due to any failures in r&d.

‘The Dyson Automotive team has developed a fantastic car; they have been ingenious in their approach while remaining faithful to our philosophies,’ Dyson said in an email to staff. ‘However, though we have tried very hard throughout the development process, we simply can no longer see a way to make it commercially viable.’

The company had tried to find a buyer for the project but had not succeeded, he said.

Dyson aimed to bring three electric vehicles to market, with the first model due by 2021, building on its expertise in batteries and electric motors to develop EVs. He aimed to disrupt the auto industry in the same way that his vacuum cleaners caused a revolution in the domestic appliance market.”

The three electric vehicles in question above would’ve utilized Dyson’s solid state battery technology, unlike other major market disruptors Tesla, who use traditional lithium ion battery technology.

What do you think the reasoning behind this could be? Could they have been trying to truly create an affordable, “people’s EV”? Comment below!