The news was announced a couple of weeks ago in an article in Britain’s respected Independent newspaper. England’s most famous inventor, Sir James Dyson, is developing an electric car powered by solar panels and capable of real speed and distance. Web Pundits and bloggers all over the world picked up on it right away. What an appealing idea: The man who liberated the housewife from icky vacuum cleaner bags is going to free us all from the tyranny of the internal combustion engine. The news spread across the internet with the speed of a Paris Hilton video. And then the Dyson spin machine turned on and the retractions started. Bloggers and web-pundits who had heralded the news last week have taken it all back in the past few days. The company’s Public Information office explained that Sir James, in his interview with the Independent, was talking about their cutting edge digital vacuum cleaner motor and just observed that it could possibly be used to power an electric car. The journalists misunderstood.(yeah, sure) Listen to the audio clip on Gas2.0.com.
I, for one, don’t believe a word of it. Journalists, particularly in big print media, are big on fact-checking and getting quotes right. The reclusive Dyson just wants the media off his back is what I think. Who can blame him? I wouldn’t want the pressure either if I were in his shoes. But I bet the work goes on, and I’d put my money on Dyson any day to come up with just what the world needs—a fast electric car powered by solar roof panels.
Photo by nobihaya Thank you!
What a creative way to draw attention to your project! The man is definitely a genuius.
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