Spain's first electric horse carriages are now en route to Mallorca

Manufactured in Valencia, these new vehicles are now set to depart for Mallorca, where they will be unveiled during an event organised by the Alcudia town hall this Thursday. Alongside local authorities, the event will include drivers who have opted to switch to electric carriages in response to increasingly strict animal welfare regulations. Representatives from the dealership responsible for building the carriages will also be present. This dealership developed the carriages based on a prototype, enduring a lengthy bureaucratic process before gaining approval from the Directorate General of Traffic. Without this certification, the carriages would not be permitted to operate on the roads, which is a common service for tourists visiting neighbouring areas near Puerto Alcudia.

The electric carriages will begin operating in Alcudia this season, alongside some remaining horse-drawn carriages. Alcudia town hall has decided not to revoke the licences of drivers who choose not to switch, instead allowing both systems to coexist. This approach was formalised in the amended regulations introduced by the town hall in spring 2024 to accommodate the arrival of electric carriages. However, for those who opt to transition to the electric models, the change will be permanent, and they will not be permitted to revert to horse-drawn carriages.

Alcudia's new carriages maintain the traditional six-seater design, accommodating five passengers and the driver. They are painted white, with red seats and wheels, and are prohibited from displaying advertising. Their maximum speed is 25 kilometres per hour, and they are restricted to operating within the municipality of Alcudia.

When the new carriages were ordered a year ago, a spokesperson for the carriage drivers in Alcudia and Playa de Muro expressed the group's satisfaction with the updated regulations and Alcudia town hall's push for electric carriages. Although the switch requires a significant financial investment, drivers support the change to align with animal welfare standards and avoid criticism or even verbal abuse from tourists and animal rights groups over the use of animals in their trade.

With these electric carriages now arriving, Alcudia has moved ahead of Palma, which was selected by the national government in 2022 for a pilot project aimed at replacing horse-drawn carriages with electric alternatives. Meanwhile, Muro has been working for the past year to transition to electric vehicles, though this process is still ongoing. In Malaga, a recent attempt to introduce electric models was abandoned after the selected vehicles failed to receive certification.