Philly woman hopes to unveil the city’s first electric horseless carriage on July 4th

For years, Janet White has advocated banning horse-drawn carriages in Philadelphia and replacing them with electric horseless carriages.

Recently, White, 58, director of Carriage Horse Freedom in Philadelphia, put her money where her heart is, and bought one of her own.

Now, with support from Councilmember Mark Squilla, who represents Old City, she plans to showcase her new electric carriage for riders on July Fourth in Old City. If all goes well, White hopes the carriage, purchased from a Florida company, could be street ready for a trial period beginning in August.

“This is finally the right time,” she said. “Everything is coming together.

Indeed, White’s new electric ride comes as other Philly efforts to ban and replace horse-drawn carriages gain steam. Last week, the Brady Hunter Foundation, a New York nonprofit working to end animal cruelty, committed to purchase electric horseless carriages for Philly, including two to three prototypes that could also hit streets this summer.

“The more carriages the better,” said Tiffany Stair, of Revolution Philadelphia, a nonprofit animal rights organization.

Earlier this year, Philadelphia’s last carriage company pulled its horses from the street and cleared out the stables. Squilla has promised to introduce legislation for a ban if the electric replacements are deemed street-worthy.

“I support her efforts,” Squilla said of White. “I see it as another great opportunity.”

New York City is also moving toward transitioning to electric carriages. Either city could soon be the first major city in the United States to use electric carriages.

In February, White, who lives in Montgomery County, went on a scouting trip to Mount Dora, Fla., the first U.S. city to use electric horseless carriages. (Cities in Mexico and India have deployed electric carriages in recent years.) She liked what she saw.

“It was a game changer,” she said. “Finally, we had ones in the states. It was amazing.”

While the New York-funded effort is spending hundreds of thousands to bring prototype carriages to Philly, White spent significantly less purchasing the carriage from an existing tour company. (It was such a great deal, she said, she didn’t want to name the price on the record.) .

White has received support from The UnTours Foundation, which provides funding for small businesses.

Vance Lehmkuhl, director of Old City’s American Vegan Center, says he plans on using White’s carriage for his Veg History Tours.

“We are hoping to do some of the first tours on it,” he said. The July Fourth demo would be a celebration “of another Philly first,” he said.

For now, White has started her own electric carriage company, FREe-Carriages, the first solely woman-owned electric carriage company in America, she says (the Florida company is co-owned by a woman). She has hired an engineer. And just as he did with the New York-funded group, Squilla has connected White with PennDot to ensure the carriage is right for Philly streets.

“The eventual goal would be to manufacture them here,” Squilla said, though there are no current plans for a Philly factory.

The China-made carriage she purchased needs some work, White said. But it’s no jalopy. It’s equipped for onboard dining and White plans on sprucing the carriage up before it hits the streets in Philly.

“It’s basic but beautiful,” she said. “We think it will work well here.”