British engineering magnate James Dyson last night joined the global gold rush with bold new plans to manufacture a British-built battery powered vehicle (BPV) to join in the electric car race.
Dyson – whose name has become a byword for household domestic cleaners instead of Hoover – said he has had 400 staff (including former Tesla and Aston Martin automotive engineers) working in secret on his BPV project for the past two years at his Wiltshire head office.
The Dyson BPV does not yet exist, with no prototype built, and a factory site is yet to be chosen but he declared that his re-new-able car will be launched in 2020.
Dyson is spending around £1 billion on building the first British BPV and another £1 billion on designing and manufacturing a bespoke-battery for the car.
But no information has been provided on the retail price of the car, its top speed and the range of the Dyson BPV.
Last night, Matthew Trevaskis, Head of BPVs at the Renewable Energy Association, commented: “There’s major opportunity for UK firms, including those not traditionally associated with the automotive supply chain, to be involved in the BPV industry.
“The Government can incentivise greater domestic battery and electric vehicle manufacturing by helping to make BPVs the obvious new car of choice for future consumers. Easy and accessible charging is crucial for this, and we’re calling on government develop a strategic charging infrastructure strategy.
Any BPV re-charging network should include the introduction of smart tariffs, three-phase power supply into new homes, ubiquitous access to charging where we live, work and play, and the incorporation of renewable power and energy storage systems to reduce grid stress.
“It’s excellent to see new companies entering the space, creating new competition, and driving fresh innovation in the sector. Having already acquired Sakti3, a solid state battery company, and being well-versed in developing electric motors, albeit on a smaller scale, Dyson may have the majority of the building blocks in place to be a real contender in the electric car market.”
Earlier this week, Scottish Power called for an investment in 2,000MW of wind turbine farms to generate enough electricity to meet the re-charging needs of UK-wide BPV car fleet.
The Dyson initiative – coupled with chronic lack of Scot-Govt ambition in de-carbonising transport – is likely to leave the nascent Scottish BPV supply chain struggling for market share if not commercial survival.
27 Sept 2017
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