Dyson reveals cancelled EV
Vacuum cleaner billionaire Sir James Dyson has revealed the stunning electric vehicle he axed last October after spending around $1 billion developing it.
Shown off for the first time as part of an article in The Sunday Times, the N256 is a seven-seat EV with a claimed 966km range between charges. That’s right, nearly 1000km!
Dyson attributed the N256’s range to his company’s proprietary solid state batteries that could sustain that performance “even on a freezing February night, on the naughty side of 70MPH on the motorway, with the heater on and the radio at full blast”.
The N256’s range puts Tesla and other brand’s current range claims into the shade. Elon Musk most recently claimed the latest updates deliver a 400 mile range (644km) for the Model S.
Plenty of other figures about the N256 are impressive too. It weighs in at 2.6 tonnes, has twin 200kW electric motors and accelerates from 0-100km/h in 4.8 seconds.
It measures up at about 5.0m long, 2.0m wide and 1.7m tall. The wheels are “bigger than any production car on the market,” Dyson said.
Inside there is a head-up display that “floats in front of your face like a hologram” and slimline seats with segmented cushions and lollipop shaped headrests
Dyson revealed the N256 ended up costing him – as opposed to his company – 500 million GB pounds (AUD$937 million). He pulled the pin after failing to find a buyer for the project.
Dyson revealed each example of the N256 would have had an exorbitant 150,000 GB pound retail price (AUD$281,000) to make any money.
“I don’t have a fleet. I’ve got to make a profit on each car or I’d jeopardise the whole company. In the end it was too risky,” he said in the interview.
Dyson has retained the 500-strong team that worked on the EV for other projects. He also says he’s may allow the automotive industry to tap into his battery tech.
