James Bond 007 goes EV

The new James Bond adventure Quantum of Solace features several cameo appearances from Eco friendly Fords. The film's leading lady Camille makes her entrance driving a Gold 2009 Ford Ka while James Bond gets behind the wheel of a hydrogen-powered Ford Edge in pivotal scenes of the new action film.

The opening car chase features the familiar Bond mobile an Aston Martin DBS that comes standard with 510 horsepower, tops out at 191 mph and gets 13 mpg. The V12 note is unmistakable and the gas guzzling undeniable. It continues a fine tradition for Astons that began with the awesome DB5 in Goldfinger and continued through some of the best Bond films, including Casino Royale.

Ford Ka EV

The film's leading lady Camille, played by Olga Kurylenko, makes her entrance is the new for 2009 model Ford Ka. The film premier coincided with the 2008 Paris motor show where Ford officially launched the Ka. The 2009 Ka is based on the Fiat 500 platform and built in the same joint venture Polish factory. In Quantum of Solace the Ka is shown with a unique metallic gold paint job and an exclusive exterior graphics and interior trim combination. The Ka goes on sale with a choice of a 1.2-litre 69 HP and 1.4-litre 100 HP petrol or 1.3-litre 75 HP diesel unit but the movie sound effects track strongly suggests this Ka is electrically powered. There are a few other hints such as great acceleration off the line (to dive in front of and just miss being flattened by a truck), the lack of gear changing and total silence when not in motion, all classic EV features. Although there is no confirmation from Ford or any publicly announced production plans for a Ka EV, given the recent bail out hearings and Fords pledge to speed up their EV program it does seem a perfect city car candidate.

Ford Edge Fuel-Cell EV

The Official Ford EVs in the film are the Fleet of Ford Edges owned by environmentalist villain Dominic Greene. The Edge is based on the Ford Edge hybrid concept shown to the press in 2007, the world’s first drivable fuel cell hybrid electric plug-in which combined an onboard hydrogen fuel cell generator with lithium ion batteries. Using a flexible hybrid system that combines a 336-volt lithium-ion battery pack with a hydrogen fuel cell, the Edge is capable of delivering enough power for highway speeds up to 136km/h (85mph), and a range of 362km/h (225 miles) with zero emissions. There is no official word on production of the Ford Edge HySeries Drive at this stage either.

The Edge models featured in Quantum of Solace are merely made up to look like hydrogen-powered vehicles and again the sounds effects are pretty much the only clue the audience is offered. Ford are reputed to have paid about € 22.5 million (USD$28.3 million) to be featured in three Bond movies, Quantum of Solace being the third and final of the deal.

Paul Evans