Editor’s note: Today, we’re pleased to launch a new content partnership with Celsias. To kick this off right, we’re featuring a wonderfully innovative feature from Celsias writer Doug Snodgrass: the JetPack Rating System™. This post was originally published on September 13, 2007.

I once again present the JetPack Rating System™, my weekly effort to help humanity cope with its collective disappointment over the broken promise of personal jetpacks, the Sean Connery-era James Bond standard of cool.

To recap, the JetPack Rating System™ is used to not only begin the healing process, but also for rating automobiles and buildings by a duel criteria:

1. How environmentally-friendly are they?
2. What would James Bond think of them?

Today, we JetPack™ the Volkswagen Chameleon.

Yahoo Autos Sez:

On the outside, the Volkswagen Chameleon Microbus looks like it rolled right out of the set of a 1960s surfer movie. But times have changed in the world of energy and technology. Volkswagen retrofitted the 1964 Deluxe Microbus for a new generation by installing an all-electric drive powered by lithium polymer batteries. Ten 30-volt batteries under the van’s floor provide a range of about 100 miles. A recharge takes about 6 hours. Surfboards mounted on the roof are lined with flexible solar panels that provide an additional source of energy. The vehicle needs all the energy it can find to power an arsenal of interactive digital cabin features, including imbedded touch-pads and speech activated controls. Don’t expect to ever see this vehicle on the road. Volkswagen is using the Chameleon strictly as a marketing tool to showcase a movie-fantasy future of automotive electronics. - Yahoo Autos

The JetPack Rating System™ sez:

Another green concept car that will never actually see the light of day. Usually this would irk James. Under normal circumstances he would be inclined to fly his jetpack to the corporate offices of Volkswagen where he would deliver well-placed karate chops to the men, and refuse to wine and dine the ladies, teaching them all a valuable lesson.

Ah, but this is different.

The 1964 design is in line with the old-school appeal of the 007 Jet Pack, yet while the rest of the world sees surf, sand and sunshine, James sees a giant bong on wheels. Not a fan of hippies. Volkswagen is actually doing society a great service by making sure that the Chameleon never sees the light of day. This vehicle has the sad smell of broken laws and free love…

Wait a minute. Did someone say free love?

Perhaps James is having a change of heart. The multi-tasking options are worth considering. The VW micro bus provides enough privacy for Bond to chase the bad guys and discreetly be attentive to the ladies. Our secret agent has been faced with a dilemma:

The hippies?

The ladies?

The hippies?

The ladies?

….the ladies win out. James ♥’s the Volkswagen Chameleon

JetPack Rating? 4 JetPacks (out of a possible 5)