​James Bond is Going Electric With New ASton Martin

In the sixties, moviegoers fell in love with the sexy British secret agent James Bond. Part of the public’s infatuation with the spy came from his charm, wit, and sex appeal. At the time, film merchandising and sponsorship was almost no existent. However that all changed with the classic Goldfinger film where James Bond first drove the Aston Martin DB5. It was the beginning of film merchandising, a way for films to boost revenue before they even hit theaters. 

Since Goldfinger, Aston Martin has become ubiquitous with the 007 movie franchise. Bond has since then had an abundance of endorsement deals from Omega watches, to Tom Ford, to Heineken, just to name a few. 

Bond’s first All-Electric Vehicle

Now, nearly 60 years later, James Bond is adopting an eco-friendly approach to his spy car with the Aston Martin Rapide E which has been designed to enhance and build on the classic V12 Aston Martin. Essentially it will be an electric version of the trademark car Bond first drove in the 1963 classic film. The Aston Martin Rapide E is one of only 155 zero-emission electric cars being built by the British manufacturer. In-line with Bond’s life of luxury, the supercar is expected to retail for a cool $400, 000.

Although it’s electric, the car still packs very impressive performance specs under the hood. The Rapide E’s twin-motor drive system channels about 600 horsepower to the rear wheels, getting it from 0 to 100 km/h in about four seconds. With a top speed of 250 km/h, Bond shouldn’t have trouble escaping from any of his enemies. 

The first Aston Martin Rapide E is expected to be released to the public the same year as the 25th Bond instalment, which is set to star Daniel Craig which is scheduled to premiere on April 8th, 2020. Aston Martin confirmed that the partnership with Williams Advanced Engineering resulted in a new  800V battery with 65kWh installed capacity using over 5600 lithium-ion, and powered by two rear-mounted electric motors producing a combined target output of just over 610PS and a colossal 950Nm of torque. It is also equipped with an on-board charger. While Aston Martin didn’t specify the charge rate, it should be fully charged the battery pack in as little as 3 hours.

A newly designed underfloor streamlines airflow from the front splitter right the way through to Rapide E’s new larger rear diffuser, a feature that is now wholly dedicated to efficiency due to the removal of the exhaust system required before. The model’s forged aluminum aerodynamic wheels have also been redesigned to give greater efficiency, without compromising brake cooling capability. 

Conclusion 
Inside and out, Rapide E is equipped with the materials and technology befitting of the marque’s first EV model. Gone are the analogue displays of the past. In true James Bond fashion, the driver will have a 10” digital display now sits in their place, delivering all key information to the driver while on the move, including the battery’s state of charge, current motor power levels, regenerative performance and a real-time energy consumption meter. Swathes of carbon fibre have been deployed throughout, assisting in delivering the strict weight targets set by Aston Martin’s engineering team from the outset. The vehicle is now available to order and pricing is only available on application but unless you’re as sneaky on Bond, good luck with that.