Mercedes-Benz have supplied the Vatican with vehicles for over eight decades now, and the latest addition is reportedly a hybrid. The ‘Popemobile’ is recognised worldwide as the preferred mode of transport for His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI and the latest version will be premiered on his three-day visit to Germany next September.

Mercedes have had a long relationship with the Vatican, providing cars for the last eighty years. The first Popemobile as we know it, was seen in the 1980s when Pope John Paul II requested that the vehicle was modified to allow him to have greater contact with followers, especially when making overseas visits.

To enable this, the Pope’s seat was raised quite substantially, so too was the roof. The roof was replace with a see through material, allowing visibility in and out of the vehicle. There are very few specific details about the new Popemobile for the sake of security. However, as standard we can expect that there will be substantial amounts of armour plating, reinforced glass and many other reinforcements giving the highest level of protection.

The latest Popemobile is reported to run on a 60 BHP hybrid engine along with a lithium battery allowing in excess of 18 miles of electricity only range. Although the Pope is an advocate for green alternatives, it would not be feasible to have a completely green Popemobile as this would pose a massive security threat. In the event of an emergency, the option needs to be there for a quick getaway. Running purely on battery power would not allow this. All of the modifications needed to make the vehicle secure enough to carry the pope have bumped the weight up to five tonnes.

More and more high profile figures are opting for greener alternative methods of transport and hopefully this will be replicated in everyday travel. President Obama is reportedly seeking a greener way to power his Cadillac, ‘The Beast’. As the nickname suggests, this vehicle is huge and would require rather a lot of lithium batteries to move it along!