- The Mercedes G 580 with EQ Technology is the first electric Popemobile
- Fisker was to offer the Ocean as the first electric Popemobile
- Although the electric G-Class is the first electric Popemobile, it is not the first EV in the Vatican fleet.
Mercedes-Benz G-Class Popemobiles have been the vehicle of the Vatican for decades, so with the off-roader now going electric, it's only fitting that the latest Popemobile does the same.
Mercedes on Wednesday presented Pope Francis with a medal the first official electric Popemobilebased on the all-electric G 580 with EQ Technology that also hits US showrooms this year as a 2025 model.
As Mercedes says, the automaker has a long history of supplying vehicles to the Vatican, starting with the Nürburg 460 Pullman sedan for Pope Pius XI in 1930. The name Popemobile was given to a series of modified G-Class SUVs, starting with the 460. -a series model first used by John Paul II in the 1980s and used by successors Benedict XVI and Francis, with high seating platforms and armored glass shutters for the pope.
Mercedes-Benz G-Class electric Popemobile
That makes the designation of the electric G-Class as the first electric Popemobile historically appropriate, but also result of Fisker's failure to bring the Popemobile based on the Ocean electric SUV, something the now-defunct automaker proposed in 2021.
Mercedes is also scheduled to provide the M-Class (predecessor to today's GLE-Class) plug-in hybrid Popemobile for Benedict XVI in 2011. t be a concern with the modern G-Class EV.
The private version of the electric G-Wagen has a productive quad-motor powertrain it's 579hp and 859 lb-ft of torque, which Mercedes estimates will get it from 0-62 mph in 4.7 seconds and on to a top speed of 112 mph. The quad motors also power the G-Turn feature that initiates 360-degree turns in bumpy terrain, but it's unclear if Pope will use that feature.
Mercedes-Benz G-Class electric Popemobile
The powertrain was returned to low-speed driving during the pope's appearance, as 2025 Jubilee in Rome where the Popemobile will make its debut, according to Mercedes. The roof was also cut to create an open living space, with a hip where the back door used to be for entry and exit. The left rear door was also removed, the right rear door was given a rear hinge to act as an alternative entry point, and the car was given a pearl white paint job with matching upholstery.
Although it is the first electric Popemobile, the G-Class is not the first EV in Vatican ships. General Motors gave Pope Francis an Opel Ampera-e (the European offspring of the Chevrolet Bolt EV) in 2017, and Benedict XVI received a pair of electric cars from Renault in 2012. But Mercedes will be the first to use official power from the public.