Dyson travels down new path, but are customers on board?

Plans for Dyson’s “radically different” electric car have been revealed. Founder James Dyson said that the patents were deliberately light on specifics, but hinted towards unusual proportions and off-road potential.

Most famous for their vacuum cleaners and fans, this diversion into the motoring industry is a bold move.

James Dyson explained the concept in a memo to staff, saying competitors had underestimated the market. Dyson met with the Prime Minister to discuss making electric cars compulsory by 2030 instead of the suggested 2040 deadline, which Dyson felt was a “watered down” promise.

According to data from YouGov Profiles, existing Dyson customers are four per cent more likely (at 42 per cent) than the UK average to consider owning an electric car in the next 10 years, showing this new venture could be a good match for the company’s customer base – but also that there’s significant demand.

YouGov Profiles data suggests that Dyson customers support this theory; 48 per cent of customers agree that the biggest threat to civilisation is climate change.

Additionally almost two thirds (60 per cent) think that we should drive less in order to save the environment. Volkswagen also recently announced plans to create electric cars, which is a welcome move after its 2015 emissions scandal.

The VW scandal affected Dyson customers more than the UK average, with almost two thirds (59 per cent) saying they would now avoid buying from the firm (compared to 50 per cent of the UK as a whole). This suggests that the Dyson customer base cares about environmental issues, and want to be more climate-friendly.