Dreame’s dream of a rocket-powered car is dead

<figure> <img alt="" data-caption="The Dreame NEXT event during the Silicon Valley Summit at the Palace of Fine Arts on April 29, 2026 in San Francisco, CA. | Photo by Kelsey McClellan / The Verge" data-portal-copyright="Photo by Kelsey McClellan / The Verge" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/268500_Dreame_NEXT_2026_KMcClellan_0065.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> The Dreame NEXT event during the Silicon Valley Summit at the Palace of Fine Arts on April 29, 2026 in San Francisco, CA. | Photo by Kelsey McClellan / The Verge </figcaption> </figure> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Dreame, the Chinese vacuum company that <a href="https://www.theverge.com/report/914244/dreame-china-vacuums-hypercars-elon-musk">aspires to be a global technology giant</a>, is reportedly shutting down <a href="https://www.theverge.com/transportation/921204/dreame-ev-car-rocket-boosted-zero-sixty-reality">its automotive project</a> after funding from the government dried up. </p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://carnewschina.com/2026/08/25/dreame-abandons-car-business-the-0-9s-0-100-km-h-and-450-wh-kg-solid-battery-model-turns-out-to-be-a-dream/">According to <em>CarNewsChina</em></a>, the company's automotive division called "Project Starry Sky" once employed over 1,000 people, but now only a handful legal and HR staffers remain, charged with winding down the operation. <a href="https://m.jiemian.com/article/14984811.html">In a statement</a>, Dreame said it "recently adjusted certain operations that were in the exploratory phase," and that going forward, it would focus on four key business areas: "smart home, outdoor/garden, smart mobility, and embodied AI." (A spokesperson for …</p> <p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/transportation/984485/dreame-rocket-car-shut-down">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>