Dyson, famous for reinventing vacuum cleaners, looks to be getting serious about building electric cars.
The company announced on Tuesday it has hired former Infiniti President Roland Krueger to head its automotive operations.
Under Krueger’s tenure, Infiniti, Nissan’s luxury brand, announced that it would convert most of its models to electric or hybrid power. Nissan was the first automaker to release a mass-produced fully electric car for sale to the public in the 21st century.
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Dyson has announced plans to build three new electric cars, starting in 2021 with a low-volume, luxury-priced pilot car, similar in purpose to the first Tesla Roadster. That car is also expected to use conventional lithium-ion batteries.
Later models are expected to use solid-state batteries, although it’s not entirely clear which technology it is favoring after it reportedly abandoned technology from Michigan-based Sakti3.
READ THIS: Dyson plans to build electric-car test track in Britain
The company has announced it will set up production in Singapore, where it is also shifting its headquarters. Last August, Dyson announced that it would build a test track and vehicle development center on a former military air field in Britain.
Dyson CEO Jim Rowan said on an earnings conference call Tuesday, where Krueger’s appointment was announced, that hiring Krueger “proves how serious we really are about taking this project, and indeed this division and this category, to the next level,” referring to building electric cars, according to Automotive News (subscription required.)
Krueger is a former senior vice president at BMW, where he oversaw sales and product planning in Asia and elsewhere.
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