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Vacuum Maker Dyson Patents Off-Road Electric Car

The unusual vehicles may hit the market in 2021.
Dyson, the company famous for making vacuum cleaners, just filed patents for an upcoming off-road electric car, expected to hit the market in 2021.
Image: Charlie Box/Dyson/Victor Tangermann

Clean Air

Vacuum maker Dyson just unveiled early blueprints for its upcoming off-road electric car.

The vehicle seems to be designed to be maneuverable even on rough terrain or off-road driving, according to patent filings reviewed by The Guardian. Specific details on the vehicle are sparse, but Dyson expects to begin selling the car in 2021 at costs comparable to a Tesla.

New Features

The car is lower to the ground, with large, narrow wheels closer to the front and back ends of the car, all of which are expected to improve the car’s range, per The Guardian.

Dyson CEO and namesake James Dyson sent an email out to all the staff members urging secrecy around the project, but defended the decision to file these new patents, writing that the car would “include fundamentally new technologies and make some inventive leaps,” according to the Guardian.

It’s not clear how much of the patents’ designs will make it to the final product. But given that the car is supposed to go on sale within two years, Dyson is likely past the point of making major changes.

READ MORE: Dyson patents reveal plans for electric car with off-road potential [The Guardian]

More on electric vehicles: Warren Buffett: “Electric Cars Are Very Much in America’s Future”

Dan Robitzki is a senior reporter for Futurism, where he likes to cover AI, tech ethics, and medicine. He spends his extra time fencing and streaming games from Los Angeles, California.