Despite its 2.6-ton weight, Dyson’s aluminum car could go from zero to 62MPH in 4.8 seconds (about half a second more than the long-range Model X), with its top speed apparently reaching 125MPH (30MPH shy of the Model X’s). This is all coming from the twin 200kW electric motors rated with 536BHP and 480lb/ft of torque. And yes, Dyson himself had driven the prototype, albeit “secretly in a screened-off compound.”
Dyson
In real life, the prototype car shared a strong resemblance to a modern Range Rover — more so than the patent diagrams suggested. The sporty-looking SUV was said to come in at “five metres long, two metres wide and 1.7 metres tall,” featuring a windscreen which “rakes back more steeply than on a Ferrari,” as well as wheels that “are bigger than on any production car on the market,” according to Dyson.
The Times also got to see the electric SUV’s interior, which reminds me of some of the futuristic concepts at car shows. Most notably, the surprisingly slim seats featured segmented cushions and lollipop-shaped headrests designed in such a way that, according to Dyson, would provide better lumbar support overall. And for the driver, the dashboard was kept clean by utilizing a head-up display, such that it “floats in front of your face like a hologram.”
It goes without saying that many of these features were rather ambitious for an electric car, let alone the project itself for a company that’s more familiar with household electrical goods and, more recently, haircare products. As the owner of the company, Dyson told The Times that this project ended up costing £500 million of his own money…