Will Dyson Vacuum Motor Drive New Solar Car?

Celebrity inventor, James Dyson, (most known for his innovative vacuum) is rumored to be working on an engine for an electric car, reports UK's Daily Mail. The British billionaire isn't satisfied with the low miles per charge for which drivers must settle.

Electric cars in the UK include the tiny G-Wiz (made in India by the Reva Electric Car Company). It costs about £9,000 (under $18,000 US), has a maximum speed of 50mph, and has a range of 48 miles before it needs recharging. Once you find a charging station, it can take 2-8 hours to "fill-up." While there are only 100 electric charging stations currently in the UK, there are plans to increase that number to nearly 1,000 before 2010. Electrified Brit's can pay a fee for access to the charging station, but receive free perks (parking & such) for having an electric vehicle. France has hundreds of such stations already, and is working on more.

The facts of driving range & charging station availability make the rumored technology applications in Dyson's version so appealing. As the story goes, in addition to being able to charge conventionally, the Dyson system will have solar panels on the top of the vehicle to help improve the range and power of the engine. A version of the Dyson Digital Motor, used in the vacuum cleaners may be the power plant. It weighs half what an engine of similar power does, yet spins at 10,000 rpm (five times faster than a Formula One racecar).

Reports are that he isn't looking at a complete car, but providing the system to be used by existing car manufacturers. He is rumored to be putting nearly one billion dollars towards the efforts. I say best wishes to Sir James and his engineers.