During the 1800's, the only ways to get around was either to walk, ride a bike, or go by a horse drawn carriage. When the car was invented, most horse drawn carriages went away, except for a few. The popular attraction in New York is the horse drawn carriage ride through Central Park. It gives people both a romantic evening as well as a trip into the past. But many New Yorkers, including the newly elected mayor Bill de Blasio, are looking to outlaw the 68 current horse drawn carriages in favor of electric vehicles.
Unveiled at the New York Auto Show was the possible replacement for the horse drawn carriages: a Horseless eCarriage. It's not an actual antique car from the 1920's, but it does have a few different car models mixed in. The radiator comes from a Rolls Royce, while other parts of the body come from Pierce-Arrow and Locomobile.
It does have modern safety equipment, like seatbelts for the eight passengers, but there are also historically accurate equipment, like oil powered headlights and a squeeze horn. The main modern component is what powers this car. It's not a giant 12 cylinder engine, but a small, 47-kWh battery pack, boosting 84-hp and allowing the car to travel 30 mph for a 100 mile range.
Arguments for the ban haven't decided the carriages fate, so there may be a possibility that the horses may stay. Either way, no matter what happens, it would be nice to have something from historic NYC for people to experience for generations to come.
