Mercedes-Benz delivers first electric popemobile to Pope Francis
Zero emissions vehicle for the Jubilee
The first entirely electric popemobile has been delivered to Pope Francis by Mercedes-Benz. Inspired by the principles outlined in the Encyclical, Laudato Si’, it will be used throughout the Jubilee.
The vehicle was delivered during a ceremony at Largo Giovanni Paolo II in the Vatican on Wednesday afternoon, 4 December.
The handmade vehicle is one of its kind, and was built with G Class 580 EQ technology, allowing the Pope to circulate with zero emissions. The electric transmission of the popemobile was adapted to the particularly low speed used during public appearances, like the audiences in Saint Peter’s Square. The four-wheel drive vehicle meets the strictest requirements and was developed in cooperation with the Directorate of Security and Civil Protection Services of the Governorate of Vatican City State, precisely for the Pope’s use.
A team of experts from Graz, Austria, Sindelfingen, Germany, and from Rome worked together for about one year to make the vehicle. The project was managed by the team in Rome, while the electric transmission was produced by the team in Graz. Experts from Sindelfingen built the body of the vehicle, the inside and added customized features using artisanal tradition.
During the ceremony, Ola Källenius, President of the Board of Directors of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, thanked Pope Francis and all the people involved, highlighting the sustainable business strategy of the car manufacturing company from Stuttgart. He was accompanied by Britta Seeger, member of the Board of Directors responsible for Sales and Marketing, and Marc Langenbrinck, Managing Director of Mercedes-Benz Italy. The Pontiff also met those who had developed and built the new vehicle, including employees from Design, Research and Development, Production and Sales, and Marketing
The ceremony was attended by Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, President of the Governorate of Vatican City State, Sr. Raffaella Petrini, Secretary General, Giuseppe Puglisi-Alibrandi, Deputy Secretary General, and by Gianluca Gauzzi Broccoletti and Davide Giulietti, Director and Deputy Director, respectively, of the Governorate’s Directorate of Security and Civil Protection Services.
Mercedes-Benz has been providing cars to the Vatican for 97 years. In the last 45 years, the popes have used Mercedes-Benz G Class popemobiles. The first vehicle of this kind was a Nürburg 460 Pullman sedan made for Pope Pius XI in 1930. In the 1960s, John XXIII was given a 300 Landaulet with automatic transmission and extended wheelbase. Paul VI first used a 600 Pullman and then a 300 SEL Landaulet. In the 1980s John Paul II used the first vehicle to be officially called a popemobile for events in Saint Peter’s Square. It was a model 460 modified G series. From 2002, onwards, he used a 463 G 500 series vehicle, which was also used by his successor Benedict XVI and by Francis. Some of the older popemobiles are on display in the Padiglione delle Carrozze in the Vatican Museums and in the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart.
