VATICAN CITY (AFP) — German automaker Mercedes-Benz delivered an electric popemobile to the Vatican for use by the pontiff, who has repeatedly called for global action on the climate crisis.

The vehicle, a modified version of the Mercedes G-Class, has a raised seat under a glass canopy from which the head of the Catholic Church can greet crowds of well-wishers.

The pearl-white popemobile is powered by an electric motor that is "adapted to the particularly low speeds required for public appearances" by the pope, Mercedes said.

Chief executive Ola Kallenius and engineers working on the special project presented Pope Francis with the custom-made vehicle in person at the Vatican.

Producing cars for the papacy was a "special honor for our company," Kallenius said.

The Stuttgart-based automaker has supplied the Vatican with popemobiles for the past 45 years, according to the company.

The switch to electric popemobiles was in keeping with Francis' move to make the environment one of the main themes of his papacy since becoming pontiff in 2013.

The pope made an urgent appeal for climate action in his 2015 encyclical "Laudato Si," in which he urged global solidarity to act together to protect "our common home."

Francis updated his landmark thesis in 2023 when he criticised slow climate action, and then became the first pope to attend the United Nations climate talks in person.

The Mercedes popemobile is not the first electric vehicle to be used by the Vatican. French automaker Renault presented Francis' predecessor, Benedict XVI, with an electric people carrier in 2012.