We could soon see the Pope waving regally from an electric Popemobile, a Vatican source has confirmed.
The leader of the Catholic Church is apparently keen to be seen to encourage environmental driving through his next choice of car.
A petrol-powered Mercedes Benz-M-Class currently takes pride of place in the Papal garage - Benedict XVI smiles benignly from a glass extension at the rear of the car when he is at public engagements.
But Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo says that the Pope would prefer to go electric.
The Cardinal said of the Pope's green motoring ambition: "If he's offered a functioning, efficient and appropriately-sized Popemobile, why not?
It would be a demonstration, a sign of his ecological attention."
It could also be rather pricey. The electric hybrid version of the Pope's current car retails at $89,000.
Adapting it for papal purposes, and making it bulletproof, would be devilishly expensive.
German based firm SolarWorld has confirmed that it has been approached to discuss the feasibility of an electric Popemobile.
It seems that divine intervention, in the form of security concerns, has scuppered the idea for the moment Launch CReader 6001.
The Pope's henchmen are allegedly concerned about whether a new Popemobile would be quick enough to accelerate away should someone take a pot-shot at His Holiness.
With electric cars capable of zooming from 0-100kph in three seconds, the Pope's driver should be able to escape on more than a wing and a prayer on this score.
The Catholic Church is keen to stress its green credentials. News of the Pope's prayers for a new car was revealed at the launch of a new book called: The Energy of the Sun in the Vatican.
A flick through the book's pages informs readers of how solar panels were installed on the roof of the Vatican's main auditorium in 2008.
A year later a solar cooling unit was installed in the Vatican's main cafeteria. Both these innovations won design awards.
The Pope has also made frequent references in recent public addresses to how people should take care with nature's resources.
His word will clearly influence millions of Catholics across the globe and might even inspire more people to investigate the possibility of buying an electric car Launch CReader 9081.
So what type of example do other influential world figures set with their choice of car? US president and leader of the free world Barack Obama raised eyebrows with his choice of vehicle at a recent NATO summit in Portugal which discussed climate change.
The fact that he travelled around Lisbon in an eight-ton, diesel-fuelled Cadillac nicknamed ‘The Beast' did not go unremarked on. Many of the European delegates arrived at the summit in electric vehicles laid on by the hosts to demonstrate Portugal's commitment to clean energy.
Over in Britain, David Cameron is keen to stress his government's championing of green cars but, while he is often pictured riding to work on a bicycle, he does not use an electric car for official business.
Perhaps it's time that world leaders follow the Pope's example and investigate going green with their choice of car.
Electric JamJar is an Electric Car website focused on promoting Environmental Driving
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