Vacuum-maker Dyson is reportedly working on an electric car

UK-based vacuum maker Dyson is possibly working on an electric car, according to government documents that may have accidentally disclosed this information. According to The Guardian, the UK government says it will shell out £174 million — or $246 million —€” in taxpayer funding to Dyson to develop “a new battery electric vehicle at their headquarters in Malmesbury, Wiltshire.” The company would create 500 jobs, mostly in engineering, but more importantly it would join of the ranks other untraditional automakers like Apple and Google in building a new generation of clean-powered cars.

It makes sense that the high-priced vacuum makers would be interested in developing an electric vehicle. After all, the company’s commercials are rife with references to Dyson’s technology and design. Last year, Dyson CEO Max Conze said he was “ruling nothing out” when asked if he was interested in making electric cars.

It wouldn’t be hard to picture company’s silver fox founder and inventor, Sir James Dyson, saying with his impeccable British accent: “While I was driving home one weekend in what I thought was a pretty good car, I was really amazed at all the petrol I was using. So I thought I’d try to design something better.”

The section in the government report referencing Dyson’s EV program was later removed. The only remaining reference to Dyson says a grant of £16 million will be provided to the company “to support research and development for battery technology at their site in Malmesbury.” A Dyson spokesperson refused to confirm whether the company had an EV under development. “We never comment on products that are in development,” the spokesperson told The Verge.