Vacuum cleaner maker Dyson aims to bring three electric cars to market, the Financial Times reported.
The first model, due by 2021, will be produced in just a few thousand examples as the company explores the market and establishes a supply chain, the FT said, quoting sources.
Two models will follow that will be more conventional and designed to sell in larger numbers, the paper said. These will use Dyson's solid state battery technology that should be able to store more energy for a longer driving range and faster charging time than lithium ion batteries, the report said.
The solid state batteries may not be ready when the first EV goes into production, so that model might use lithium ion batteries instead, the FT said.
Inventor James Dyson, who established the company, has said the project to make EVs has been almost 30 years in the making after the auto industry dismissed his ideas to clean up diesel technology.
Dyson is investing 1.12 billion euros ($1.24 billion) in battery development and as much again in car production, the FT reported.
The company is looking at potential production sites in the UK, China and Singapore, the paper said.
Toyota is among other automakers and suppliers exploring solid state batteries. It aims to have them in its vehicles by 2025.
