The public may not yet know who the next actor will be to fill the polished, often knife-equipped, shoes of M16’s top 00 agent – James Bond, but we do have a better idea of what type of vehicle he may be driving to evade the baddies when he makes his on-screen debut. Following an existing supply agreement with Aston Martin, Lucid Motors’ CEO and CTO Peter Rawlinson hinted that James Bond’s next vehicle could be 100% electric.
Ian Fleming’s James Bond franchise has long outlived the UK writer and become one of the most successful franchises of all time. Since the first film adaption of Fleming’s 1958 novel, Dr. No, we’ve seen five different actors (and George Lazenby) portray 007.
The most recent chapters in the Bond saga were a lot grittier and action-packed, led by Daniel Craig, whose 15-year tenure as the British spy ended with a literal bang. While Eon Productions, responsible for a large majority of the Bond films, and distributor MGM have not yet publicly revealed who the next James Bond will be, the role will most certainly live on, as the franchise’s most recent entries garnered some of the highest-grossing box office numbers, even with inflation.
When 007 finally returns to the silver screen, you can expect Martinis, cheeky yet borderline cheesy one-liners, and plenty of chase scenes. As an M16 agent under Her Majesty’s Secret Service, you can also expect 007 to be driving a UK-made vehicle.
Fleming himself wrote that Bond’s character had “once dabbled on the fringe of the racing world,” so the spy has always had an eye for flashy cars (even BMWs in the 90s). While 007 drove an Aston Martin DB Mark III in Fleming’s first three novels, the series’ first film adaptation featured a DB5, which made a return to the screen in 2021’s No Time to Die.
As the vehicle of choice in more than half of the 25 existing Bond films, Aston Martin is undoubtedly the brand associated with the international super spy. It appears that trend will continue with the next James Bond, and according to Lucid CEO and CTO Peter Rawlinson, it could be an electric Aston Martin powered by Sapphire.
The Aston Martin RapidE concept, rumored to appear in the James Bond films, but it never happened / Source: Aston Martin
CEO hints James Bond’s next car may be Lucid powered
During a ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the opening of Phase 2 at its AMP-1 production facility in Arizona, Lucid Motors CEO and CTO Peter Rawlinson was in great spirits in front of a crowd that included plant employees, media, and local politicians.
Through the deal, Lucid Motors will supply its proprietary electric powertrain technology present in the Air Sapphire, including its high-performance twin motor unit, battery tech (not the cells), and Wunderbox charging system. The components will all be built at AMP-1 and shipped overseas to the UK automaker via supply contracts worth over $450 million.
Following the partnership, Aston Martin said it would use Lucid’s technology to help launch its first 100% electric model in 2025. With Lucid-powered Aston Martin EVs on the way, could we see James Bond behind the wheel of one on screen? Peter Rawlinson seems to think so. He shared the following in front of the crowd in AZ when discussing bringing powertrain manufacturing into AMP-1:
It is little wonder that Aston Martin chose our Sapphire technology, and certainly, Lucid will be powering the Aston Martins of the future, and a little bird tells me that maybe Mr. Bond will be powered by Lucid as a consequence. Wouldn’t that be cool?
007 driving an EV? We’ve heard this one before. Aston Martin promised to do it in 2019 with its RapidE concept, but it never came to fruition. Now, with the help of Lucid and its Sapphire powertrain technology, we could very well see James Bond in an all-electric Aston Martin taking on a real-life villain – climate change.
What do you think? Will the studio finally put Bond in an EV? Would that sort of acceleration even be fair to the cronies chasing him through the streets of Morocco or the Furka Pass is Switzerland? Having no engine noise is probably ideal for stealth missions though.
We still need to learn who the next James Bond will be, but when that new 007 dons his first tuxedo, he may be stepping out and into an electric Aston Martin powered by Lucid.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.
The long-promised “more affordable” Tesla model has been spied on Chinese social media, and it’s disappointingly about what we expected: a slightly decontented version of the Model Y.
For many years, Tesla had planned to build a much more affordable vehicle, starting around $25k. This vehicle was nicknamed the “Model 2,” and would have offered the most affordable entry point into the EV market, at least in the West.
In its place, Tesla started offering vague promises about “more affordable models, starting in its Q1 report in April 2024. Tesla later specified that these would enter production in the first half of 2025.
Advertisement – scroll for more content
The language Tesla used suggested that the cheaper vehicles would be “new models,” which means more than one model, and not just based on a current Tesla model. But we reported that this was unlikely to be the case, and that the “new models” would just be a stripped-down Model Y.
So, we’ve got confirmation that actual new models aren’t coming – but it does seem like something cheaper is coming down the pipe. And now, from Chinese social media pics of these “first builds,” we know just what kind of decontenting Tesla will do in order to get the cost savings.
Two videos were posted this weekend, on bilibili and weibo. The first was an exterior video by account “极客小猪” (machine translated as “Geek Piglet”). You’ll have to click through if you want to see the whole thing.
Parked side by side with a Juniper Model Y, the two models seem similar in length
It shows the new Model Y as similar in size to the Juniper refreshed model it’s parked next to, though the front and rear are covered by camouflage and it’s hard to tell with perspective of the camera.
As best we can tell from the captions (which isn’t very well), the account seems to think this might be the upcoming larger Model Y L, and the camera perspective in the particular screeenshot above does make it look like the car in the forefront could be slightly longer than the one in the back. But other perspectives show them looking similar in length, and seeing the various missing parts later in the video, we think it’s likely the “more affordable” model.
There are a few holes in the camouflage that give som indication of what might be different, like that the rear light bar from the Juniper might be cut off rather than running across the whole rear of the car. The new one is also missing the “T E S L A” logo across the rear, as can be seen in a little window showing the rear camera.
The video gets a look at the interior of the vehicle, where the seats are covered up. I originally suspected the vehicle might have cloth seats, but the cover seems to have dropped down in the rear, and something leather-like is showing through, so Tesla may still be using its fake leather product to cover the seats.
It also shows that the center console is cut off between the armrest and the screen, using up less material and giving an open space there. This is somewhat similar to the original design of the Model S, which had a large space in front of the center console. We can’t tell from the video if the 2 phone charging mats are still present or not – it looks like the space they’d normally go is there, but the pattern looks different than the current NFC phone chargers.
For another look at the interior, we saw a couple more photos from another Chinese social media account, 42号车库, or “Garage No. 42” on Weibo. These show the steering wheel, front seats, rear and roof a little more clearly. It seems to be of the same car, given the status of the seat covers in the rear.
More changes become apparent here: there is no panoramic glass roof on the car, and the rear screen which was added in the Juniper refresh is once again eliminated. But the turn signal stalk, which was eliminated in the Model 3 Highland refresh and returned in a vestigial manner in the Juniper refresh, is (thankfully) still there.
The balance of these changes suggest that a lot of them are just rollbacks of the content which was added to the cars in the Juniper refresh. Interestingly, though, the Juniper refresh did not increase the price of the car significantly. So, rolling back those changes shouldn’t decrease the price of the car all that much either.
But these just show us some of the interior and exterior changes – the model might have other changes as well. From time to time, Tesla has offered cheaper versions of its vehicles either with rear-wheel drive only, to save on the cost of the front motor, or with a smaller or cheaper (e.g. LFP) battery. The new “affordable” Model Y might incorporate those changes too, and be able to get cost down more because of it, but we’ll have to wait for more information on that.
Further, there’s been no indication of a cheaper Model 3 or any actual “new models” yet. Model 3 is a smaller car than the Model Y, and thus could be cheaper – if Tesla is saving a significant amount of money by cutting a little plastic out of a center console, surely cutting hundreds of pounds of aluminum would save even more. We had expected the “more affordable models” to include both a stripped-down Model 3 and Model Y, but per Musk’s comments on the call, we might only be getting a Model Y.
Maybe it would be nice to have someone in charge who takes the mission of sustainable transport seriously. Which Musk does not, and has in fact acted against with his recent actions.
The 30% federal solar tax credit is ending this year. If you’ve ever considered going solar, now’s the time to act. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.
It may be small in size, but Honda promises the new N-ONE e is fit for a “daily partner” with a flexible interior, ample range to navigate the city, and it can even power up your home..
Honda reveals the new N-ONE e electric car
The N-ONE e is Honda’s second light EV, or “kei car” as they are called in Japan. It’s Honda’s second electric kei car, following the N-VAN e, launched in October 2024.
Although the N-VAN e was mainly for business use, the new N-ONE e is specifically designed as an everyday driver.
Honda said the new EV was “developed in pursuit of the ideal EV” with a unique design, spacious interior layout, and enough driving range for daily travels. The N-ONE e is the electric version of Honda’s retro kei car, the N-ONE, which has been on sale in Japan since 2012.
Advertisement – scroll for more content
It looks about the same as the gas-powered model, but the new EV has a new face with a smoothed-out black grille and two additional charge ports up front.
Honda N-ONE e electric car (Source: Honda)
Honda boasted that the electric city car has “added the cleanliness that only an EV can offer” with smoothed edges and a new rounded bumper design.
The interior, on the other hand, has been completely revamped from the gas model to maximize space. It includes a decent-sized infotainment screen and a push-button gear selector.
Honda N-ONE e electric car (Source: Honda)
There’s also plenty of physical buttons for climate control functions and more. To maximize interior space, Honda kept it simple with smart storage options and flexible seating.
Although Honda has yet to reveal specifics, it did say the N-ONE e has achieved a WLTP cruising range of over 270 km (167 miles).
It will likely share parts with the N-VAN e, hinting at a single electric powertrain with up to 63 hp, the limit for kei cars in Japan.
With Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) capabilities, Honda’s new EV can be used as a mobile power source during a natural disaster or power outage. You can also use it to power electronics, a campsite, a worksite, and more on the go.
Honda is opening advanced reservations for the new electric car on Friday, August 31. It’s scheduled to launch in September, around the same time Honda’s “Super EV” for Europe is set to debut.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.
A view of Cheniere’s Sabine Pass LNG facility located in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, as seen from Port Arthur, Texas, on June 23, 2025.
Joel Angel Juarez | Reuters
Shares of liquified natural gas, or LNG, companies jumped Monday after the European Union agreed to purchase $750 billion of energy from the U.S.
LNG exporters Cheniere and Venture Global were up about 3% and more than 4%, respectively. NextDecade and New Fortress Energy, which build LNG infrastructure, jumped more than 2% and about 3%, respectively.
EU President Ursula von der Leyen said the purchases would help reduce the bloc’s dependence on Russia for natural gas.
“Purchases of US energy products will diversify our sources of supply and contribute to Europe’s energy security,” Von der Leyen said in a statement over the weekend. “We will replace Russian gas and oil with significant purchases of US LNG, oil and nuclear fuels.”
The energy purchases are part of a broader trade deal struck between the EU and the U.S. over the weekend. The deal imposes 15% tariffs on EU exports to the U.S. In addition to the energy purchases, Brussels has agreed to invest $600 billion in the U.S. above current levels.
President Donald Trump said “energy is a very important component” of the deal during a meeting with von der Leyen on Sunday.