Dyson - known worldwide for its bladeless fans, bagless vacuum cleaners and other home appliances - has begun work on a battery electric vehicle, due to be launched by 2020. In an email to his staff, James Dyson highlighted his 'ambition to find a solution to the global problem of air pollution', the company's commitment to developing new battery technologies, as well as his belief 'that electrically powered vehicles would solve the vehicle pollution problem'.

He also cited a previously discontinued project to develop a cyclonic filter that could be fitted on a vehicle's exhaust system to trap particulates. Despite that failure, the company continued to develop new battery technologies. "At this moment, we finally have the opportunity to bring all our technologies together into a single product. Rather than filtering emissions at the exhaust pipe, today we have the ability to solve it at the source," said Dyson.

He adds, "We've started building an exceptional team that combines top Dyson engineers with talented individuals from the automotive industry. The team is already over 400 strong, and we are recruiting aggressively. I'm committed to investing £2 billion ($3.6 billion) on this endeavour." Dyson will be entering a crowded market that Tesla, BMW and many more car manufacturers are striving for dominance in. The company has not released any specific details of the vehicle.