British company Dyson is known for inventing new vacuum cleaner technology and producing other devices for the home.
Now the company has entered new territory by announcing plans to launch an electric vehicle by 2020.
In a recent announcement to employees, company founder James Dyson said about 400 engineers are working with other teams on the project.
In this photo taken by AP Images for Dyson, inventor James Dyson launches the Dyson DC41 Ball vacuum and the Dyson Hot heater fan on Wednesday, Sept, 14, 2011 in New York. (Rob Bennett/AP Images for Dyson)
The company – based in Malmesbury, England - is known for creating innovative product designs started by Dyson himself. Dyson is seen by many as having revolutionized the industry by engineering products that are powerful and easy to use. For example, the company makes fans and heating devices that do not use blades like most other products on the market.
Dyson has been working on vehicle technology since 1990, when its engineers invented a way to trap diesel engine pollutants. In recent years, the company has increased its research and development efforts for electric vehicles.
According to Dyson, the company will invest at least $2.6 billion in the project. He said he looks forward to offering the world “a solution to the world’s largest single environmental risk.”
In his message, Dyson said the company is now ready to use all of its technologies to produce an electric car. He said he has always believed that electrically-powered vehicles would help solve the world’s pollution problems. He added that this is why the company has developed battery technologies for many years.
The vehicles will not run on the same kind of lithium ion batteries currently used in electric cars. Instead, Dyson said the company chose solid-state technology in an effort to make the batteries smaller and easier to charge.
The company has not yet released specific details about the design of the vehicle. “Competition for new technology in the automotive industry is fierce and we must do everything we can to keep the specifics of our vehicle confidential,” Dyson wrote in his company message.
However, he did tell Britain’s The Guardian newspaper the vehicle “would not be a sports car.” He said the design was “all about the technology” and warned it would be an expensive vehicle to own.
I’m Bryan Lynn.
Bryan Lynn wrote this story based on AP and Reuters news reports from. Hai Do was the editor.
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Words in This Story
vacuum – n. electrical device used to clean floors by sucking up dust, dirt, etc.
innovative – adj. using new methods or ideas
blade – n. a flat spinning part used on some machines to push air or water
fierce – adj. strong, powerful
confidential – adj. secret or private
expensive – adj. costing a lot of money