2023-11-19 12:20:00
It’s not really a surprise. “The Vatican City State has been committed for many years to promoting sustainable development through ecological policies aimed at safeguarding the environment and proposing energy saving strategies,” recalled L’Osservatore Romano by revealing the Vatican’s decision to convert its entire fleet of vehicles to electric cars by 2030 as part of the State’s “Ecological Conversion 2030”.
The Vatican State’s partner is the German manufacturer Volkswagen, which delivered the first examples – two ID.3s – a few days ago, in the presence of Pope Francis. These are Pro Performance versions, with ranges of around 430 kilometers, so you don’t have to worry about running out of fuel when traveling outside the smallest state in the world. Some 40 vehicles in total are now due to be delivered from the beginning of 2024, under a long-term loan agreement. These could be different electric models, including other brands from the VW group.
Some may be surprised that the Vatican did not favor Italian manufacturers. Alfa Romeo and Lancia do not yet have one in their range, and the Fiat 500 is undoubtedly a little narrow to cope with all needs. The Pope had previously received a gift of a white Fiat Panda, which was then the first prize in a raffle for the homeless. The Fiat 500L used during the Sovereign Pontiff’s trip to New York in 2015 was also subsequently auctioned, again for the benefit of good works. It was sold for $300,000.
However, this is not the first time that there have been zero-emission cars in the Vatican car fleet: smart, then in the exclusive hands of Mercedes, lent it two EQ fortwos in 2019. More recently, Toyota delivered a Mirai car, running on hydrogen.
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