Fisker to Build an Ocean Popemobile
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Pope Francis will make good on his climate change agenda, giving flesh to his progressive nature, and will probably beat every head of state to an all-electric jalopy to move him about his official functions in St. Peter’s.
This will happen when he receives the Fisker version of the Popemobile — which aside from running atop a modified Fisker Ocean will have carpets made from recycled plastic bottles from the ocean.
In a news release published on May 21, Fisker Inc. said that Fisker co-founders Henrik Fisker and Dr. Geeta Gupta-Fisker had a private audience with Pope Francis and presented a vision for the design of the all-electric papal transport.
According to the news release, the spacious interior of the Fisker Ocean SUV supports “a large, modern, all-glass cupola, offering accessibility and visibility for Pope Francis to greet the faithful. This specially created Fisker Ocean will be the first all-electric papal transport — adding to a long line of iconic designs from the pen of Henrik Fisker.”
Delivery time for the one-off Fisker Ocean Popemobile is scheduled sometime next year.
CleanTechnica wonders if the Popemobile’s delivery will be just in time or a little ahead of the official start of production of the Fisker Ocean on November 17, 2022. Over 16,000 people are in queue for the ultra-modern and immensely innovative EV, which is filled with so many goodies. The Ocean is the perfect name to hold all of it.
The vehicle “will offer incredible value and features that compare favorably to competitive EVs across the entire price range,” says the press release.
A quick value comparison confirms the claim. The Fisker Ocean starts at $37,499 in the U.S. (excluding applicable subsidies) and €32,000 in Germany (including VAT and applicable subsidies) but come with compelling features such as Ultra High Range (approximately 350 miles), all-wheel drive, and many more yet to be announced.
In the past, Pope Francis already chose a converted hydrogen-powered Toyota Mirai as his official roundabout in the Vatican. Before that, the Pope was known for riding around Italy in a flexible fuel Renault 4.
But did he not know that Pope Benedict had an all-electric Kangoo he could have borrowed or even sequestered? CleanTechnica will reach out to the Vatican media center for an answer. Pope Francis is known for dispensing of the long cordon sanitaire since he took office, but as of this writing, we need to wait for the blessing of a response.
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