DYSON has announced plans to submit a planning application to Wiltshire Council outlining the next phase of its electric vehicle development at Hullavington Airfield.

The £200m expansion investment is for extensive vehicle testing facilities, and together with Sterling Prize winning architect Chris Wilkinson, Dyson is already restoring and enhancing the airfield to create state-of-the-art engineering work spaces.

To date, £84 million has been invested into the new technology centre, and 300 members of Dyson's automotive team have now moved into the advanced automotive space. An additional three buildings are on course for delivery over the coming months, providing an additional 15,000 square metres of testing space.

The plans to be submitted to Wiltshire Council for phase two outline the next stage of the airfield's development, and would take Dyson's investment to £200 million.

The planning application includes over ten miles of vehicle test tracks for vehicle development and verification. It also outlines 45,000 square metres of new development space which could accommodate over 2,000 people as well as a cafe, sports centre, recreation space and supporting technical facilities.

The testing track proposals include:

  • Dynamic Handling Track – a specialised track to assess and tune all aspects of ride, handling, steering and brakes

  • Vehicle Stability Dynamic Platform – a large asphalt covered area for testing vehicle manoeuvrability

  • Off Road Route – a mixed driving route that simulates the challenges of driving off road through soft and varied terrain

  • Hill and Handling Road Route – a simulation of a challenging fast road route incorporating corners of differing severity and changes in altitude

  • Fast Road Route –a track to test a vehicle up to its maximum speed as well as the functionality of advanced driver assistance systems

  • Test Slopes – differing gradients for testing powertrain functionality.

Alongside the plans for the campus, Dyson has also outlined road improvements to improve safety and traffic flow on the A429, the main road that runs past Hullavington to the M4.

The proposal would see a three-arm roundabout from the C1 Hullavington road in the north eastern part of the site, which would then connect to the roundabout on the A429 via a new realigned road.

Jim Rowan, CEO, said: “Our growing automotive team is now working from Dyson’s state-of-the-art hangars at Hullavington Airfield. It will quickly become a world-class vehicle testing campus where we hope to invest £200m, creating more high-skilled jobs for Britain. We are now firmly focused on the next stage of our automotive project strengthening our credentials as a global research and development organisation.”