Dyson has halted the development of plug-in vacuum cleaners in order to focus on improving and expanding its range of cordless battery-powered machines.

Sir James Dyson, the company’s founder and inventor who revolutionised the vacuum cleaner, announced the change of tack on Tuesday as he unveiled a new cordless model, the Dyson Cyclone V10.

In a move that could signal the end of consumers becoming tangled in vacuum cleaner cord, Dyson said the company is now investing in making its cordless range smaller, lighter and more efficient.

The Cyclone V10’s charge time – a common consumer gripe about cordless devices – has been increased to 60 minutes from 45 minutes compared to the current V8 model.

“A strong performing machine starts with an efficient motor,” Sir James Dyson said. “The Dyson digital motor V10 is Dyson’s most advanced … It is the reason why I’ve stopped developing full-size vacuums.”

In Dyson’s current full-size range there are seven core machines – three cylinders and four uprights. A Dyson spokesman said: “We are no longer developing new full-size [plug-in] technology but we will continue to sell those high performing full-size machines.”

Dyson sold its first cord-free vacuum, the handheld DC16 machine, in 2006. It reached a manufacturing record of 100m machines in 2017, when it also produced its 40 millionth digital motor.