German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz delivered an electric car to the Vatican on Wednesday for use by the pope, who has repeatedly called for global action on the climate crisis.
The car, a modified version of the Mercedes G-Class, has a high seat under a glass canopy from which the head of the Catholic Church can welcome crowds of well-wishers.
Mercedes said the pearl-white papal car is powered by an electric motor “adapted to the particularly low speeds required for public appearances” by the pope.
CEO Ola Källenius and engineers working on the special project presented the custom-made car to Pope Francis in person at the Vatican.
Producing cars for the papacy was “a special honor for our company,” Källenius said.
The Stuttgart-based automaker has supplied the Vatican with cars for popes for the past 45 years, according to the company.
The switch to electric papal cars was in line with Francis’ move to make the environment one of the main themes of his papacy since he became pontiff in 2013.
The Pope made an urgent call for climate action in his 2015 encyclical Laudato Si, in which he urged global solidarity to work together to protect “our common home.”
Francis updated his landmark thesis in 2023 when he criticized slow climate action, then became the first pope to attend UN climate talks in person.
The Mercedes Popemobile was not the first electric vehicle used by the Vatican. French automaker Renault provided Francis’s predecessor, Benedict XVI, with an electric people mover in 2012.