Caroline the Electric Carriage of Huntingdon Valley made her debut in Philadelphia last year as the first e-carriage to be introduced in any major American city.
Since then, she has appeared in local events, been filmed for an MSNBC docudrama, kicked off a tour series, transported guests at WHYY’s Masterpiece Masquerade Ball at Cairnwood Estate, was featured in Philadelphia’s Independence Day Parade, and transported “General Lafayette” down Broadway in the Lafayette200 Kickoff Tour in New York City.
On Monday, Caroline appeared at the Touch A Truck event at the Philmont Country Club. Upcoming events include appearances in the 6ABC Dunkin’ Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Philadelphia Holiday Parade.
According to Janet White (pictured above), a Hatboro resident and director of Carriage Horse Freedom in Philadelphia, Caroline is a humane and eco-friendly alternative to horse-drawn carriages.
“It all started when I got into animal activism with the carriage horse situation. I remember as a kid in Philadelphia, the horses always looked despondent. I thought maybe I could do something to make my voice heard. I got involved, and two years later, in 2017, I started Carriage Horse Freedom,” White said.
In 2022, White launched a startup called FREe-CARRIAGES, LLC, through which she was able to find some funding assistance from the UnTours Foundation. White prefers not to discuss Caroline’s finances, but said she “cost less than it would have been if I’d have purchased it from another country. It was a reasonable price.”
The carriage is stored in Huntingdon Valley for safekeeping. According to White, there aren’t many U.S. cities which offer e-carriages, but she’s hoping to help change that.
“Philadelphia is the first major U.S. city to introduce an electric carriage. It’s less a novelty or a form of entertainment than a practical solution to a problem,” she said. “I base my advocacy on veterinarians’ input on the matter. I looked for alternatives and came across horseless carriages in Mexico and other countries. I wanted to bring something to Philadelphia.”
Moving forward, Carriage Horse Freedom hopes to acquire investors in order to acquire more carriages for the parades, festivals, and various events Caroline takes part in.
“Ultimately, the hope is that this will become the new normal for Philadelphia’s tourist scene. It’s a lot of fun, especially for the kids, and I’ve been told it’s a very comfortable ride,” she said.
You can check out CBS News’ video coverage below:
For more on Caroline the Electric Carriage and Carriage Horse Freedom, you can visit their website and Facebook page.
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Photos: Janet White