Incentives tied to axed Dyson electric car project will not be granted

Singapore

GIVEN that Dyson scrapped plans to build electric vehicles in Singapore, any government incentives tied to that project will not be granted, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Chee Hong Tat said in Parliament on Tuesday.

"Because the project has not taken place and the investments have not been made, the incentives have not been given," he replied to Member of Parliament Seah Kian Peng.

As for other projects which Dyson may have started or is planning to expand, "that is something which we will look at separately," he added.

Replying to MP Liang Eng Hwa, Mr Chee noted that other companies have expressed interest in developing smart mobility solutions here.

"They value our highly skilled workforce, our strengths in advanced technologies such as robotics and automation, and our strong intellectual property protection regime, and if I may add, our strong tripartite relationship," he said.

"We will continue to work with these companies to harness new opportunities for Singapore, for our companies, for our workers."

He reiterated that Dyson's decision will not affect its presence and operations in Singapore. Only 20 employees out of 1,200 were working on electric vehicles, and they will be redeployed within the firm.

Dyson will continue to grow its core business here, including developing battery technology for consumer products and expanding research and development in areas such as sensors, robotics and artificial intelligence, "which will also support the development of a smart mobility ecosystem", he noted.

Dyson's decision not to manufacture electric vehicles was a business decision, and not because Singapore lacked capabilities, he added.