Pope to whizz around Vatican in electric car

French automaker Renault has given Pope Benedict XVI an electric car to whizz around in within the grounds of the Vatican and his summer home of Castel Gandolfo, the Holy See announced over the weekend. The new white pope-carrier, a Kangoo Maxi Z.E. model bearing the pontifical crest of arms on its side, may also be used to shuttle the pope between churches outside the Vatican, spokesman Federico Lombardi said. Benedict XVI has been dubbed "the green pope" for his environmental concerns. According to the BBC, since he became Pope, "The Vatican has installed photovoltaic cells in its main auditorium and joined a project to offset carbon dioxide emissions. The electric pope-mobile (Photos: AFP) The Holy See aims to have 20% of its electricity provided by renewable energy by 2020. Benedict, who is a vocal defender of the environment, backed the project, set up two years ago to "promote a form of clean energy," Lombardi said. Renault has also customized a second car, which is blue, will be used by the Vatican's police force. The vehicles were presented to the pope on Wednesday at Castel Gandolfo by Renault Chairman Carlos Ghosn, before being unveiled to the press on Thursday. The 'green pope.' Benedict XVI When asked whether the automaker is considering producing an electric pope-mobile to be used during the pontiff's trips abroad or for long distances, Renault's head in Italy, Jacques Bousquet, said it would present a security risk. "There's a problem in terms of power and security, because a completely electric car would not have sufficient acceleration power in the case of a security problem" such as an attempted attack on the pope, he said. The new cars, which are 100% electric, are silent and emit no pollutants whatsoever, Renault said in a statement. Roy Zukerman contributed to this report Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter