The pope will try the first hydrogen papamobile. He received a specially modified Toyota Mirai

Pope Francis has so far become famous mainly for preferring available cars for his transportation. During his visit to Ireland, he drove a Škoda Rapid Spaceback, a Fiat 500L in the USA, a Kiou Soul in Korea and even a Dacia Logan in Armenia. Last November, he received a specially modified Dacia Duster SUV for his needs as a gift. On the contrary, the supersport and for him Lamborghini Huracán ended up in a charity auction. Today it is owned by Bohemia.

The novelty in the Vatican fleet is not as cheap as Dacia, but it is very ecological. Toyota Mirai is one of the first mass-produced hydrogen cars. However, it was modified for the needs of the pope, the car is stretched to 5.1 meters and instead of the rear part of the roof and seats, it has a special construction in which the pope can stand. There are also Vatican standard holders and a retractable step for comfortable boarding.

“The car is one of a pair of Mirai models specially made by Toyota and dedicated to the Japanese Conference of Catholic Bishops on the occasion of the papal visit to Japan last November,” the press release said. Pope Francis took over the car last week from Father Domenico Makoto Wady, representing the Japanese Conference of Catholic Bishops, and the Ambassador of Japan to the Holy See Seiji Okada.

The Pope himself is an advocate of environmental protection. In his second encyclical Laudato, he criticized, among other things, the consumerist lifestyle and irresponsible development that lead to the destruction of nature and global warming.

So the hydrogen Toyota should fit his stance. The car travels over 500 kilometers per refueling and emits only water vapor while driving. But it also has a catch. According to the web mobilitah2.it there is currently no single functional hydrogen filling station in Rome. However, their expansion is being worked on, and in addition to Toyota, the Italian oil company is also involved in it Eni.

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