Pope Francis receives first all-electric popemobile from Mercedes

Pope Francis has received the first-ever all-electric popemobile from automaker Mercedes-Benz.

The open-top vehicle, which for the last 45 years has been manufactured by the German luxury automaker, is used by Pope Francis to greet pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square during general audiences and other papal ceremonies. The company’s CEO Ola Kallenius personally handed over the new model to the pope on Wednesday at the Vatican. 

“With the new Popemobile, Pope Francis is the first pope to be traveling in a fully electric Mercedes-Benz when making public appearances,” Kallenius said in a statement. “This is a special honor for our company, and I would like to thank His Holiness for his trust.”

The vehicle, a modified version of the company’s G-class mid-size luxury SUV, is in classic pearl-white, and has been developed in close cooperation with the Vatican tailored to the needs of the pope, the company said in a statement. The engine has been particularly adapted for low speeds; the seat has been heated and elevated for better visibility; and a grab bar provides stability when the Pope is standing.

“Every detail is perfection,” Kallenius told Reuters. It took “hundreds of hours of craftsmanship … to build a one-of-a-kind popemobile,” he said.

Francis has made care for the environment a priority of his papacy and has used electric cars on some of his foreign trips, but this is the first time an all-electric vehicle will be used. In 2011, the pope opted to use a plug-in hybrid as the electric version was not yet fast enough to bring the pontiff to safety in an emergency.

The first “official” popemobile was a bespoke Mercedes-Benz Nurburg 460 Pullman given to Pope Pius XI by the company in 1930.  The luxurious model had silk carpeting and embossed doves decorating the interior. Subsequent popemobiles have included a 600 Pullman Landaulet and 300 SEL for Pope Jon XXIII; a modified G Class for Pope John Paul II; and the previous popemobile, used by both Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI, another Mercedes-Benz M Class.