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FORTUNE.COM // NOVEMBER 2019
site for his future EV factory. The company
already made its other products in neighbor-
ing Malaysia, and it saw the region as a key
potential market for the car. Then, earlier
this year, Dyson announced it would shift its
global corporate headquarters to Singapore
too. The founder bought a $54 million pent-
house apartment in the city-state. Tabloids
leveled accusations of betrayal at the entre-
preneur, who had called for a revival of British
industrial prowess and is a prominent propo-
nent of Brexit, the U.K.’s decision to leave the
European Union. Dyson notes he continues to
employ 5,000 people in the U.K.A
LL ALONG, James Dyson knew this proj-
ect was likely to be harder than any
he’d attempted previously. And that
was before automakers like General
Motors, Volkswagen, and others committed
wholeheartedly to EVs. He knew that he’d have
to spend a lot of money and that without a
dealer network, he would have to rely on direct
sales through digital channels, much like Tesla,
and find a way to support and service the cars
in the aftermarket. But he was unprepared for
just how tough the task would prove to be.
Most daunting was the competition.windscreen, according to patent filings made
public in May. Dyson says now the long
wheelbase was necessary to accommodate a
very large battery pack that would have given
the car more range than any EV currently on
the market. The tires were taller and narrower
than usual too. That reduced rolling resis-
tance as well as accommodating more interior
space and, by allowing for lower tire pressure,
provided a more comfortable ride. “We were
after aerodynamic efficiency, rolling resistance
efficiency, electric motor efficiency, and bat-
tery efficiency,” Dyson says.
Every EV on the road today uses “wet”
lithium-ion batteries, in which a cathode
made of lithium mixed with other metals
(usually nickel, manganese, and cobalt) is sep-
arated from a graphite anode by an electrolyte
solution. These cells are efficient but take
time to charge and are prone to catching fire.
Dyson thought he could gain an edge by using
solid-state batteries instead. Such batteries,
which replace the liquid electrolyte with a
ceramic material and use a pure lithium metal
anode, are the Holy Grail for EVs. They pack
more power for their weight, meaning they
would vastly extend the car’s range. They also
charge far faster and are much safer.
Last year, Dyson selected Singapore as theA NO T- S O-
SIMPLE PLAN
Patent appli-
cations hint at
what a Dyson
car might have
looked like.“It’s a
tragedy,
re ally,
because
our
engineers
have
done a
brilliant
job.”COURTESY OF DYSON