James Bond is set to go electric in upcoming film

James Bond will drive an electric car in his upcoming 25th outing according to reports.

The Sun has cited an 'insider' which said the move was pushed for by director Cary Joji Fukunaga.

Discover the Aston Martin Rapide E

Aston Martin's 602 bhp electric Rapide E will arrive next year

"The decision was spearheaded by the film’s new director, who’s a total tree-hugger," the source told the tabloid. "He is working directly with Aston Martin to get one of their electric cars ready for its big close-up."

"It’s going to be the centre of an incredible action sequence in the movie. James Bond is known for driving amazing cars and this one won’t disappoint either," the insider continued. "It’s going to have all the high-tech gadgets. To be clear, this is something Cary pushed for and Daniel and the producers are going along with."

"Everybody is afraid of Bond getting labelled 'too PC' but they all felt the time was right to put him in a zero emission vehicle."

Following the appearance of the custom-built DB10 concept car in the previous Bond film, Spectre, the EV set to star in the latest movie is expected to be a production model – specifically the £250,000 Rapide E (above), which is Aston Martin's first all-electric production vehicle.

The Rapide E's twin-motor drive system sends around 602 bhp to the rear wheel, propelling it to 60 mph in under four seconds and onto a limited top speed of 155mph. It will be produced at Aston Martin's new St. Athan plant in Wales, which is also handling the assembly of the brand's first SUV, the DBX.

Only 155 Rapide Es are expected to be built, and it's currently unclear as to whether any cars from that number will be used in filming or whether additional cars or replicas will be made.

Film crews typically get through multiple vehicles when filming action sequences – 10 DB10s (above) were built for Spectre, while four DBSs were used in the opening car chase of 2008's Quantum of Solace, with a further six being utilised in other aspects of the production.

An appearance from the Rapide E will also mark the first time Bond has been given the keys to a super saloon since he drove a BMW 750iL in 1997's Tomorrow Never Dies – although we did see the secret agent get his boss' government-issue Jaguar XJ sideways briefly in Skyfall.

In addition to Aston Martin, Jaguar Land Rover has also had an official involvement with the most recent Bond films, but it is currently unknown whether that relationship will continue with the new film, which is due to be released on April 8 2020.