After going around Singapore in a Hyundai Ioniq 5, Pope Francis has a new car back at the Vatican. His Holiness’ new ‘Popemobile’ was made by Mercedes-Benz and features an all-electric drivetrain, based on the Mercedes-Benz G-Class. More specifically, the all-electric G580e.
The Pope has been a staunch advocate of environmental protection and stewardship since his papacy began in 2013. So it’s no surprise that his new ride creates no carbon emissions, aligning with his advocacy.
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Mercedes-Benz has been making pope-tailored vehicles since 1930. The German brand’s first Popemobile was made for Pope Pius XI and made use of a Nürburg 460 Pullman Saloon. Cut to almost a century later, and the latest papal vehicle is an electric powerhouse that is just right for the modern era.
Built from a Mercedes-Benz G-Class EV, the pearl white body had its roof removed to give Pope Francis an unobstructed view of the great crowds he usually draws. Although a mountable roof with clear glass is always ready just in case it rains.
The pope’s usual route throughout Vatican City is a slow and waving fanfare that doesn’t include any off-road trails or quarter-mile sprints, hence Mercedes-Benz modified the drivetrain to make it more efficient for slow moving drives. But, this is a G-Class nevertheless.
A standard Mercedes-Benz G-Class EV can accelerate from 0-100kph in absurd 4.6 sec while making 579hp and 1,163Nm of torque. Now, we’d like to believe Mercedes-Benz didn’t completely strip down the Popemobile... What if the pope needs to run back to St Peter’s Square in a pinch? It should also keep its 385km driving range, right?
Powerful or not, it’s still a worthy vehicle with a storied history of transporting the leaders of the Catholic Church. In fact, Pope Francis is the third papal leader to be officially driven around in a G-Class.
