007 James Bond’s New Electric Car

The boss of Aston Martin has announced plans for an electric car with between 800 and 1,000 horsepower, ideal for a new zero-emissions 007.

Andy Palmer said the move of all carmakers towards electric motors is inevitable and said his 102-year-old company is ready to make the switch instead of trying to meet ever-decreasing emissions targets.

“We’re a V12 engine company. Project that into the future. Do I go the way of the rest of the industry and downsize the engine? Do I see Aston Martin with a three cylinder engine? God forbid,” Palmer said. “You’ve got to do something radical. Electric power gives you that power. It gives you that torque.”

With regards to James Bond’s choice of vehicle, Palmer said an electric Aston would make “an awfully good getaway vehicle. I don’t think James really cares what the power train is as long as it’s fast and beautiful.”

Although Bond is sticking with his DB10 for now, an electric car could be making it’s way to Q-branch pretty soon.

Back in April 2015 Palmer had already hinted that an electric Aston could go on sale within two to three years and that an engineering study is already being undertaken by a UK-based engineering company to assess the feasibility of the idea.

The only differences between an electric Aston and a regular one will be the lack of noise and the amount of emissions it produces, Palmer said.

“Electric power gives us the performance we want, although you won’t have a V12 noise – you’ll have something that works just as well for a luxury car – silence. And you’ll have zero emissions,” he said.

Earlier in 2015 it was thought that the first electric Aston Martin would be a conversion of the Rapide luxury saloon that is currently on sale.

However, Palmer said that Aston Martin would not be looking to compete with Tesla in the saloon market, but rather keep the vehicles it sells in the luxury category.

Regarding the scandal with VW and their falsified emissions tests, Palmer said it would be a while before people trust car manufacturers again.

“It also means that time is up for the diesel,” he added.