James Bond's penchant for wanton destruction, international travel, and tricked out, overpowered cars leads to an oversized carbon footprint.  But the latest 007 film, Quantum of Solace, shows at least some effort on the part of the super-spy to clean up his climate act.

Though the film opens with the obligatory shoot-em-up sports car chase through narrow, Mediterranean roads, when Bond finally meets up with the female lead, it's in a sporty Ford Ka on the streets of Haiti. Though I'm pretty sure the real Ka isn't produced in a zero messions vehicle (ZEV) model just yet, the movie version sounds decidedly electric, and the Ka's standard muffler and tailpipe are conspicuously lacking.

A different ZEV makes an appearance toward the end of the film, as Bond' s final confrontation with the film's villain occurs just outside the rear tailgate of Hydrogen-powered Ford Edge. Sadly, it seems this vehicle is for Bond's eyes only as well—though later version of the SUV-crossover is planned to run of Ford's much-anticipated HySeries Drive.

While having Bond inside some carbon-friendly machines definitely raises their desirability, the fact that none of the models he drives is available to the mass market dulls the appeal somewhat. It'd be nice to see Ford put as much effort into producing their vehicles as they do into product placement, so we could all drive Bond's toys when the next movie comes out. That is, of course, assuming Ford still exists.

Photo by flickr user 37Hz.