For those that haven’t yet had the pleasure of learning about it, the popemobile is a special car with a glass enclosure in back designed for ferrying around the Pope in public so crowds of people can see him when he makes state visits. To be honest, the real thing is actually about as weird looking as our unofficial popemobile here.
I’m guessing that today’s find isn’t quite up to the same standards as a real popemobile, though that might be because it’s not technically a popemobile at all. I think its meant to be an old-fashioned horse-drawn hearse, yet brought into the modern times with an electric drivetrain.
But the sheer amount of visible space in back definitely gives this thing more of a popemobile vibe. Plus, that’s a lot happier of an image than the vehicle’s true use, which the vendor’s page bluntly describes as meant to “ferry a corpse to a cemetery”.
The Chinese vendor seems to have spared no expense here, using galvanized tube construction for rust-proofing, non-collapsing “high precision sponge” for the seats, and “high quality leather” for the upholstery.
The entire contraption is said to weigh around 500 kg (1,100 lb) and rolls on special customized large bearings.
Power is provided by a modest 2 kW brushless motor, and braking is accomplished with either a hydraulic hand brake or foot brake.
The spec sheet lists the speed at between 80-100 km/h (50-62 mph), but that has to be a mistake. Or at least, I really hope that’s a mistake. This thing seems like pieces of the spray-painted gold trim would start blowing off at those speeds, and I can’t imagine the ride would be very comfortable for any Popes that are along for the adventure.
Priced at between US $2,980 to $8,950, it seems that the level of glamor and outfitting might contribute quite significantly to the price.
If it were me though, I’d deck this thing out completely. How often do you get a chance to own your own popemobile?!
It may not be the most practical vehicle we’ve ever found (though it’s hardly the least). But I still think there’s definite charm here. Who knows, it may even make a great part of your next Halloween costume!
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Logo of Aramco, officially the Saudi Arabian Oil Group, Saudi petroleum and natural gas company, seen on the second day of the 24th World Petroleum Congress at the Big 4 Building at Stampede Park, on September 18, 2023, in Calgary, Canada.
Artur Widak | Nurphoto | Getty Images
Saudi state oil giant Aramco commenced its secondary public offering on Sunday as the company looks to raise in the region of $12 billion.
Books opened early Sunday morning offering a price range between 26.70 ($7.12) and 29 Saudi riyals per share. Aramco on Thursday announced its plan to sell 1.545 billion shares — a stake of around 0.64%. At the midpoint of that range, the sale would total around $11.5 billion but could eventually reach up to $13.1 billion.
Four more banks were added to the share offering, Reuters reported on Sunday, including Credit Suisse Saudi Arabia and BNP Paribas.
The share sale is the company’s second, after Aramco first entered public markets in 2019 and offered 1.5% of the company to investors. That sale raised a record $29.4 billion, history’s largest IPO to date. Aramco is the world’s largest oil company in terms of both daily crude production and market cap.
The latest offering comes at an opportune time for the kingdom, which in early May chalked its sixth consecutive quarterly budget deficit amid high spending on multitrillion-dollar megaprojects and simultaneous lower oil revenues.
But economists note that even a financial windfall from another Aramco stock sale will barely scratch the surface of the costs of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 diversification plans, which — including giga projects like entirely new cities and all of the infrastructure that entails — are projected to cost more than a trillion dollars.
— CNBC’s Ruxandra Iordache contributed to this report.
American truck brand Peterbilt has announced its biggest electric semi sale to date – with Swedish transport company Einride AB ordering 150 of the company’s 579EV BEV trucks.
Einride is known for its “Freight Capacity as a Service” offerings that transport customers with a managed, low-risk way to transition to zero-emission transportation. Integrating electric and autonomous vehicles, charging depot infrastructure, and their proprietary digital freight platform, Einride Saga.
Einride has been operating large-scale semi fleets internationally since 2020, setting the standard for sustainable logistics along the way. This fleet of new Peterbilt electric vehicles will service Einride’s North America customers.
“We are proud to announce this partnership with Peterbilt and Rush Peterbilt Truck Centers as we combine our technology platform with their premium hardware to provide a market leading offering as we collaborate on the future of electric freight,” said Niklas Reinedahl, general manager North America at Einride. “Bringing new technology to market is imperative to enabling the switch to electric freight operations and we look forward to seeing this further scale Einride’s footprint in the market.”
“Peterbilt is a leader in commercial vehicle electrification and offers the industry’s most complete lineup of electric vehicles. Our focus on creating reliable zero emissions solutions enable Einride to electrify end-user fleets and support reducing tailpipe emissions in the transportation industry,” said Jason Skoog, Peterbilt general manager and PACCAR vice president. “The Model 579EV is an example of that focus and is the flagship of the Peterbilt electric vehicle lineup.”
Electrek’s Take
Einride is making big moves on the international scene, so seeing them ramp up their US business is great news for the American trucking business. And, while I’m admittedly surprised that a Swedish company like Einride would opt for a Peterbilt instead of a Volvo fleet, Petes are great trucks, and PACCAR won’t let them down.
In a bid to help the city of Kingston, Ontario achieve its sustainability goals, town leaders ordered two Mack LR Electric refuse models – the first two BEVs in its refuse fleet.
The City of Kingston developed a strategic plan for 2023-26 on its way to net-zero emissions by 2040. Part of that plan “to lead environmental stewardship” involve reducing carbon emissions from city operations with a comprehensive zero-emission fleet transition plan.
“We are excited for the opportunity to utilize the electric refuse trucks as some of our first ASL vehicles,” explains Karen Santucci, director, Public Works and Solid waste for the City of Kingston. “Increased safety for staff combined with a more environmentally friendly truck, offer benefits to both our staff and our residents.”
The city’s current refuse fleet currently includes 14 garbage trucks, seven recyclers, and two medium-duty packers. But while the Mack LR Electric models will be the first BEVs in the refuse fleet, Kingston also has two electric transit buses, six electric ice re-surfacers, and 35 light-duty BEVs and PHEVs in operation – so it’s well on its way towards full fleet electrification.
Look, there is absolutely zero chance that I’ll be able to remain objective about anything that’s putting down more than four thousand lb-ft of torque. Make that thing quieter, cleaner, and generally better for me and my community, and there’s even less of a chance of me saying anything critical about it.