Pope Benedict Goes Green With Renault Electric Car

If the electric car industry was looking for a high endorsement from a pretty popular individual, they definitely got their wish. This month, Pope Benedict XVI made international news for making another contribution to the welfare of our environment, by way of an eco-friendly gift. He was given a Renault Kangoo. This is reportedly his very first electric car.

What’s quite inspiring about this world leader who is “85 years young” is that he has quite the reputation for being “green savvy”. As a man who has made it a public declaration that it is God who wants us to take care of our environment, many have referred to him as being “the green pope”. Some of his efforts have included having photovoltaic cells installed in the main auditorium of the Vatican as well as being a part of the reforestation project—a project that works to offset carbon dioxide emissions.

Now, he is able to take his eco-friendly moves one step further, thanks to his ozone-preserving automobile. As a matter of fact, he has already taken a few trips in the car as he runs errands and returns back to his place of residence. One of his “electric journeys” included returning to his house in the Alban Hills south of Rome after presiding over his audience at the Vatican.

While this is the pope’s first electric car, this is not the first one that the Vatican has received. Actually, earlier this year, the Italian carmaker, NWG donated an electric car, but it was for press purposes only.

And while the pope’s Renault Kangoo is all white and does have papal seals on the car doors, it’s not considered a “pope car” per se. So, what makes it extraordinary enough that the manufacturer felt confident enough to give it to the pope as well as make the pope comfortable enough to drive it? Well, there are certain features that it has a good reputation for. It provides a lot of room (although it appears remarkably compact), it’s an environmentally-friendly made engine that is also pretty powerful and it also has several enhanced safety features including cruise control that has a speed limiter and automatic headlights. Plus, its running costs are about 20 percent less than most standard vehicles, the price of maintenance is 50 percent less than most fuel-operated vehicles and, unlike a lot of other electric cars, the retail price is very close to the amount of most other fuel-operated automobiles as well.

Yes, it would appear that the pope is not just driving a car that is “good enough for him”, but for the people who he presides over too. Perhaps, that is one of the car’s greatest selling points; that people from all kinds of walks of life can (afford to) drive it.

So, if you’re looking for a new car and you’ve been considering purchasing an electric vehicle (make sure to check the insurance prices on them as well at autoinsurancequotes.net), if the Renault Kangaroo is on the list of contenders, look at it this way: If you buy one, you’ll be in company with the pope. Technically speaking, anyway.