Dyson’s First EV Coming In 2021, Patents Show Large Crossover Like Model

New details have emerged about Dyson’s first-ever electric vehicle that will take on Tesla and other automakers that are now dabbling in electrified power trains.

The premium appliance manufacturer has released patent images of one of its upcoming EVs as well as new details about its electric vehicle plans. The patent images were filed 18 months ago but have only now been released by Dyson and attached to a letter to employees, as reported by iNews.

Mind you, the patents don’t reveal Dyson’s first car, which the company founder says is on track for a launch in 2021. Instead, we get a first look at an SUV-like vehicle that will arrive later on in Dyson’s planned lineup.

“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,” Sir James Dyson wrote in the letter. He promised the car will offer “fundamentally new technologies and make some inventive leaps” and urged employees to keep key details secret. He didn’t elaborate on that, but said advances have been made in aerodynamics, efficiency, and vehicle architecture.

Also read: Apple Hires Tesla’s Senior Manager Of Design

The sketches reveal a high-riding vehicle with a long wheelbase and big wheels pushed to the extremities of the car. No dimensions are revealed but it looks like a big model with an aerodynamic shape and a roomy cabin featuring reclining seats. This looks more like a Tesla Model X rival than a competitor for the Model S.

In the letter sent to employees via e-mail, Dyson also hinted at a car with a low center of gravity that would help improve handling. Regardless of what shape Dyson’s first EV will adopt, it will be “entirely designed, manufactured and sold” by the company, Sir James Dyson said. Everything will be built in-house, including the so-called “digital” electric motor, batteries, software electronics, heating and cooling systems.

Those are very ambitious goals for a firm that has never built a car but, then again, Dyson did set aside £2.5 billion (approximately $3.25 billion) to invest in the project.

As previously announced, Dyson’s first EV will be made in Singapore at a plant that will become operational in 2020. Testing, however, will take place at Dyson’s campus at Hullavington Airfield in Wiltshire, where the company is investing £200 million ($260 million) in new facilities. You can learn more about Dyson’s automotive plans via a new dedicated section on the company’s website.