Pope Francis Is Getting An All-Electric Popemobile Made With Recycled Materials
Images via Fisker and AM113 / Shutterstock.com
Pope Francis met up with the founders of California-based electric vehicle startup Fisker on Thursday—and, to quote the Bible, it was good.
In reverence of the pontiff’s hopeful vision for the climate, Henrik Fisker and Dr Geeta Gupta-Fisker presented him renderings of an all-electric popemobile based on the Fisker Ocean SUV, which is touted as the “world’s most sustainable vehicle.” The new customized transport is envisioned to run completely on battery power and come with an interior made with recycled materials.
Traditionally, popes have ridden in vehicles supplied by Mercedes-Benz, NBC News reports. Over time, see-through standing areas were added so they could pop out of the cars and wave to the public, a crucial design feature following the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II in 1981.
As such, the new all-electric popemobile will be customized with a bulletproof, hand-built glass cupola that ascends at the touch of a button but disappears into the roof when unused. This feature won’t be available in the retail version, which is expected to make it to market in 2022.
Fisker told NBC News that the popemobile will come with other “special details and features,” but remained tight-lipped about them.
What is known, however, is that—in place of luxury materials like leather—the interior of the car will be fitted with sustainable alternatives such as recycled soft drink bottles and plastic collected from the ocean.
The Fisker Ocean SUV is also reputed for its quick-charging abilities, so these might be included in the custom popemobile. The mass-produced model, which starts at US$37,499 before federal tax credits, is said to be able to get 80% of juice in under 30 minutes.
This isn’t the first zero-emission popemobile gifted to Pope Francis, though. Last year, Toyota sent him a customized, hydrogen-powered Mirai fuel-cell vehicle. It hasn’t been used as frequently, since it’s not as easy finding a source for the gas.
The Fisker popemobile is expected to be ready in the fourth quarter of 2022.
Image via Fisker
[via NBC News, images via various sources]
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