Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Dyson, the British company best known for its ground-breaking vacuum cleaners, is planning to expand its electric vehicle development on a former airfield.
The company said it plans to build more than 16km of test tracks at the former RAF Hullavington base in southern England.
It also plans new office buildings for more than 2,000 staff that will eventually be employed at the site. Overall, Dyson has said it will invest more than two billion pounds (one billion dinars) in its electric car programme.
Founder James Dyson is one of Britain’s most successful entrepreneurs. Two hangars dating from 1938, have already been restored where 400 employees now work.
In the next phase of development, the company is proposing to build tracks to put battery-powered vehicles through their paces, including handling and stability, off-road driving, a skid pan and a runway for speeds of around 161 kph.
It will join an increasingly crowded field, as traditional automakers such as Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Jaguar Land Rover launch their own EVs to compete with Tesla.
Dyson has indicated it plans to incorporate in-house solid state lithium battery technology, understood to be lighter than conventional ones which hold much more energy, promising extended range for electric vehicles.
The cars are expected to launch in 2021.
