If you’ve seen the latest James Bond flick, Quantum of Solace, then you know that the climactic final battle takes place amidst a backdrop of exploding hydrogen fuel cells. In fact, foreshadowing that impending doom, one of the bad guys comments on the fuel source as “unstable”. This label, while great for a dramatic movie moment, does little to help introduce the new, renewable technology to the public. Who wants to drive a hydrogen-powered car if it’s just going to explode while you’re fighting to save the world?

A professor at Salford University, Keith Ross, who is studying hydrogen and its viability as an alternative to oil says Bond’s depiction of the technology is “disturbing”. From the article,

“I was perturbed to watch the James Bond film’s climax,” says Professor Ross. “It was unrealistic and may perpetuate the fear that hydrogen should be avoided. Although potentially explosive in a confined space, the fuel can be handled quite safely. If released into the open air, hydrogen would only burn with a blue flame – a fact obviously of no interest to a film-maker! Like the famous photographs of the Hindenburg disaster, the scene’s images could well stick in the public’s consciousness.”

Personally, I thought Bond’s plot was a little too convoluted for anyone to really care much about (or be impressionable by) its eco-themes. Nevertheless, if producers are looking to create a more “realistic” bond, the world he lives in should get the same treatment. Next time, how about some exploding wind turbines instead?

“I always saw the villain as someone from next door,’ Forster explains. “There’s this ambiguity about Amalric that he could be anybody. Where Greene comes from isn’t explained. I thought it was more unexpected to cast an innocent-looking man for a character who is really creepy and dangerous. Greene has decent impulses: he cares about the environment, but at the same time wants to get rich through that. A lot of corporations do the same thing.”

–Director Marc Forster talking about Dominic Greene, the lead villain in Quantum of Solace played by Mathieu Amalric.

We reported last week that 007’s leading lady was set to appear in the Ka — and at that time, all that was revealed about the vehicle was its fuel-friendly mileage and size. However, with these new pics, we now see that the front of the gold-colored Ka is emblazoned with stickers proclaiming that it’s running on hydrogen. On the side are also little decals that say “Greener Planet”.

Our take? Since the bad guy in the film is supposedly an eco-entrepreneur with an evil agenda, we wouldn’t be surprised if this car is somehow connected to his empire. Perhaps Bond’s gal Camille (by actress Olga Kurylenko) works for the bad green guys — and as a result cruises around in a hydrogen-powered Ka.

We could speculate all day, but we’ll save you the pain. Take a look at additional shots of the Ka here.

via autobloggreen