Could James Bond go green? Aston Martin plans to release an electric car in the next two years

The new car will be an electric version of the existing Rapide sedan

Could James Bond be saving the Earth's glaciers in his electric Aston Martin one day? (Jan Hetfleisch/Getty Images)

Aston Martin are known for making some of the most beautiful and powerful cars around, but they're not famed for their fuel efficiency.

The company's looking to change that soon, with plans to release a completely electric car based on the petrol-powered Aston Martin Rapide Sedan at some point in the next two years.

Speaking to Automotive News, Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer said that emissions and fuel economy legislation means that the company could soon find itself having to make less powerful cars to meet standards - something Aston and its customers don't want to see.

However, if they produce a zero-emissions car, they'll also be able to work on their traditional offerings. As Palmer says: "If you want to keep making V-12 engines, then you've got to do something at the opposite end of the spectrum."

The car will be an electric version of the existing Rapide S (John Stillwell - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

There's no specifics yet, but the CEO told Automotive News that the company was looking at an all-wheel drive, 800 horsepower car with a 200 mile range.

That's a challenge to Tesla, who currently lead in the high-end electric car market. However, Aston Martin look likely to go even higher.

Palmer didn't give anything away about the price when speaking to the publication, but hinted it would be in the $200,000 to $250,000 range (£128,000 to £160,000).