Vatican City: German automaker Mercedes-Benz delivered an electric popemobile to the Vatican on Wednesday for use by Pope Francis, who has repeatedly called for global action on the climate crisis. The vehicle, a modified version of the Mercedes G-Class, has a raised seat under a glass canopy from which the head of the Catholic Church can greet crowds of well-wishers.
The pearl-white popemobile is powered by an electric motor that is "adapted to the particularly low speeds required for public appearances" by the pope, Mercedes said. Chief executive Ola Kallenius and engineers working on the special project presented Pope Francis with the custom-made vehicle in person at the Vatican.
Producing cars for the papacy was a "special honour for our company", Kallenius said. The Stuttgart-based automaker has supplied the Vatican with popemobiles for the past 45 years, according to the company.
The switch to electric popemobiles was in keeping with Francis's move to make the environment one of the main themes of his papacy since becoming pontiff in 2013. The pope made an urgent appeal for climate action in his 2015 encyclical "Laudato Si", in which he urged global solidarity to act together to protect "our common home".
Francis updated his landmark thesis in 2023 when he criticised slow climate action, and then became the first pope to attend the United Nations climate talks in person. The Mercedes popemobile is not the first electric vehicle to be used by the Vatican. French automaker Renault presented Francis's predecessor, Benedict XVI, with an electric people carrier in 2012.
Ola Kallenius, Mercedes-Benz CEO said that today is a great honour for us at the Mercedes team. "We're handing over a new Popemobile and we have almost a hundred years tradition working with the Vatican and we are very proud that they put their trust in us. The very first Popemobile was 1930 for Pope Pius XI and today we have a world premiere. It is the very first all-electric Popemobile for Pope Francis. So I think it ushers in a new era of Popemobiles," he said.
Ola Kallenius, Mercedes-Benz CEO said that they had put hundreds of hours of passion and craftsmanship into this vehicle. He said, "The basis is the electric G that has been launched this year. But as you can see it's been tailor-made for the Holy Father with the chair as a centrepiece that can swivel in both directions so he can address the people around him. But down to small details like at the back of it you see you have two little things sticking out and that's where the Swiss guard can stand."
