A birthday gift from the German group Wermuth Asset Management GmbH and the Italian startup DriWe srl, specialising in sustainable and electric mobility. A zero-emission Nissan Leaf, fitted with a photovoltaic panel to keep the cabin cool while parked and rechargeable via a smart charging point. The batteries are fully charged in just over an hour.

"The stated objective of producing a feasibility study to make the Vatican the first state in the world powered entirely by renewable energy and using 100 per cent electric mobility seems truly achievable in the short term," declared Luca Secco, chief executive of DriWe. "We are honoured to have been able to contribute to this brilliant initiative, which could be followed by the electric conversion of the Holy See's vehicle fleet."

Pope Francis and the environment

The Japanese electric car fits perfectly into the vision of the world expressed in the Encyclical "Laudato Sì", in which Pope Francis writes: "it has become urgent and pressing to develop policies so that, in the coming years, the emission of carbon dioxide and other highly polluting gases is drastically reduced, for example by replacing fossil fuels and developing renewable energy sources."

This is why Pope Bergoglio had 2,400 photovoltaic modules installed on the roof of the audience hall, producing enough energy to meet the needs of around a hundred families. "We know," Bergoglio's text also reads, "that technology based on highly polluting fossil fuels — especially coal, but also oil and, to a lesser extent, gas — must be progressively and without delay replaced. Pending the broad development of renewable energies, which should already have begun, it is legitimate to opt for the lesser evil or to resort to transitional solutions."

Nissan Leaf: the best-selling electric car

It is the best-selling electric car in the world (with more than 200,000 units sold globally), and the first to have won the Green Gold Award, a prize conferred by Uiga (Unione italiana giornalisti dell'automotive) together with LifeGate, as part of the 31st edition of the Premio Auto Europa 2017. Last year the Japanese manufacturer upgraded its models, adopting new 30 kWh batteries — a move that increased the vehicle's range to around 250 km, well above the average daily distances covered in large urban centres.