JUN 27

I love go-go-gadget thinking and multimillionaire vacuum cleaner king James Dyson has it coming out his ears with his hopes to use his vacuum cleaner engine technology to run a solar powered car.

Skreeeeeech.....no he isn't. I like talking about what is happening, rather than what isn't. But this is too good to pass up.

The inventor made his millions with his light-weight bagless vacuums and high-powered hand dryer. And he believes that this same technology can help electric vehicles go faster, farther, and on solar charges. “Electric cars are seen as city cars and to go 30mph is quite enough, but in the future that will change. An electric motor can go to very high speeds,” he said. This much is true.

However, reporters got a little carried away by jumping to the conclusion that it means he IS developing a motor for cars.

Dyson has a green lining to his thought process, knowing that clean running electric vehicles are critical to decreasing our impact on the climate, and his team of developers are working on a version of their vacuum motor strong enough to power a car in their UK home base. But it does NOT mean he is looking towards big name car makers such as Honda to partner with in the development of the vehicles, as reported in several places.

Perhaps the future of alternative fuel is pairing up solar power with sucking up street debris and converting it to fuel while you drive. Er, maybe not. But Dyson's vision for how EV motors could be made more light weight and more efficient are realistic, and I for one would look forward to a prototype should he decide to go on this phantom venture.

Via Gas2, DailyMail, AutoblogGreen, Autocar; Photo via Laust

Comments (4)

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written by Clinch, June 27, 2008

Personally, I can't see why a Dyson engine would be significantly better than any other electric motor, as it's the cyclone system that made Dyson a success, not any improvement to electric motors.

And the non-vacuum cleaner Dyson products have seen little success (both the washing machine and wheel barrow have both been discontinued.

If he was working on some kind of flying car, that worked with cyclones or something, now that I could see becoming successful.

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Steve Jobs said this.
written by B, June 28, 2008

I remember several years ago when Steve Jobs was asked whether he was developing a portable video iPod. He denied it. Now, they have the best thing out there for portable video. Really good, forward-thinking businesspeople do not divulge their plans.

Even if this is not the case with Mr. Dyson, someone could still buy the right to use the design from him, or he could just sell the motors. Either way, this is a good thing.

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invent
written by A Sprague, August 11, 2008

Am interested a true vacuum operated engine. Am developing vacuum produced from low level renewable energy sources. Have model motivating toys for amusing grandchildren using rebuilt old vacuum operated windshield wiper motors with recip motion converted to rotary. Ideas and leads would be welcome

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Do you know ........
written by B. Stuart, November 24, 2008

..... how much the atmosphere weighs?

Five thousand million million tons! Dyson knows this all too well, so do I. I hope I beat him to the Patent Office!

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