Dyson files first EV patents

Better known for its vacuum cleaners, appliance maker Dyson has released information about the first automotive patents it’s filing on the company’s planned electric vehicles for launch in 2021.

They illustrate a high wheeled, long wheel-base, SUV type vehicle with reclining seats which may be suitable for on and off-road purposes.

“The patents show a car with very large wheels, giving a low rolling resistance and high ground clearance,” founder Sir James Dyson says.

“This makes a vehicle suited to city life and rough terrain, but could also contribute to increased range and efficiency – vital in a vehicle where every joule of power must be used wisely.

“The patents also show the wheels to be as close to the front and the back of the vehicle as possible, making a car which is highly manoeuvrable, enabling larger approach and departure angles and improving handling on rough terrain.”

Dyson says the patents suggest some of the ways the vehicle could differ from the normal, built with range and efficiency in mind from the outset

But he warns the patents should not be interpreted like a vehicle brochure or pre-launch, as some of Dyson’s products are not always based on the patents submitted.

He adds the patents reveal the driver having a reclining seat which would allow a low cabin height and shallow windscreen angle, reducing drag and increasing driving range.

A long wheel-base could allow use of a larger battery pack, adding to range and increasing cabin capacity.

“The low centre of gravity which results could contribute to the handling and driving experience,” Dyson says. “To be clear, at this stage we are NOT talking about the car we are actually developing, people will have to wait a while longer to see the details.”

While the first vehicle is likely to be all-electric, Dyson hints it may be powered by one battery pack or “a combination of a battery pack, a hydrogen fuel cell and photovoltaic cells, or it may also be a hybrid electric vehicle”.

The company, which employs more than 500 people, is about to start construction of its Singapore EV factory and has work progressing at its Hullavington Airfield plant in the United Kingdom.