Custom-made by Mercedes
Pope Francis' new popemobile runs on an electric motor
This audio version was artificially generated. More info | Send feedback
Pope Francis is sending his old combustion engine into retirement. The church leader's new Popemobile is fully electric. The environmentally friendly vehicle is custom-made and comes from the Mercedes-Benz workshop.
Pope Francis is switching his Popemobile entirely to electric power. Shortly before his 88th birthday, the head of 1.4 billion Catholics received a new rolling vehicle in the Vatican: a custom-made Mercedes-Benz that, for the first time, runs completely without harmful CO2 emissions. The popes have been traveling in cars from Germany for almost 100 years. Francis is now one of the first heads of state to so demonstratively say goodbye to the combustion engine.
The Vatican also wants to be the first country in the world to have only electric cars in its fleet by 2030. The Pope also never tires of emphasizing the importance of the environment and warning about climate change. Although the German auto industry has significant problems with electric cars, another prominent company is also doing business with the Papal States: VW delivered 40 CO2-neutral vehicles there this year.
Once every week through St. Peter's Square
Francis usually drives through St. Peter's Square once every week in the Popemobile – a word created from papa (Italian for pope) and (car) mobile – to show himself to the faithful. The Popemobiles are also used when a pontiff goes on trips abroad. The term was made popular by the Polish Pope John Paul II, who died in 2005, and who did not allow an assassination attempt to dissuade him from making such trips.
The fully electric model is a further development of the G580 electric off-road vehicle. With the specially manufactured gearbox, it can also travel over longer distances at walking speed. The Pope sits practically at the back of the truck bed: on a raised chair that can be rotated. So he can point and wave in all directions. There is an attachment for bad weather.
Basic model from 140,000 euros
The base color is a papal pearl white, the bottom is red. In addition, an entry aid was made for the very old Francis, who now manages almost all appointments in a wheelchair due to problems with his knees and hips. Both sides remain silent about the costs. It certainly wasn't cheap: the basic model of the electric off-road vehicle is available for around 140,000 euros and up.
This puts Francis in a price range that is unusual for him: unlike most of his recent predecessors, he does not value luxury limousines. On the contrary: the Argentinian-born driver, for example, has had himself chauffeured in a 30-year-old Renault 4 from a distant owner – but at least in pearl white. When he had to go to the hospital again last year, he came with a small Fiat.
Previous Pope cars were larger
In contrast, the Pope cars were significantly larger in earlier decades. Mercedes-Benz first produced a limousine for the Vatican in 1930. The “Nürburg 460” of the then Pope Pius XI. even had an upholstered throne chair covered in silk brocade. Like other heads of state, his successors were also chauffeured in luxury cars. In the 1980s, John Paul II used a Popemobile for the first time. Since then there have been several dozen models from various manufacturers.
It is not known exactly how many cars the Vatican has in its fleet. With an area of just 0.44 square kilometers, the Papal States is the smallest country in the world – about the size of the Chicago cemetery. The Vatican also has no public transport – but it does have its own train station, although it is rarely used.
By the way, the license plate of the Pope's cars is almost always the same: SCV 1. The letters stand for “Status Civitatis Vaticanae” (Vatican State), the “1” for the head of state. Some people in Rome also read the abbreviation differently: “Se Cristo vedesse…”. In German: “If Christ saw this…”
