Dyson, the British company best known for its vacuum cleaners, has abandoned a £2.5 billion project to build electric cars.
The company, headed by the inventor Sir James Dyson, said that its engineers had developed a “fantastic electric car” but that it would not go into production because it was not “commercially viable”. In October last year Dyson revealed plans for an electric car plant in Singapore.
In an email sent to all employees today Sir James, 72, said that the company had failed to find a buyer for the project, launched in 2017. The division employs 500 UK workers. It was expected to be completed next year, with the first vehicles due to roll off the production line in 2021. The first cars had already been developed and were being tested.
Sir James told staff that Dyson was closing electric car facilities in Britain and Singapore.