Disneyland’s Autopia Drops Gas Engines After $56,250 State Settlement

Autopia, the Disneyland ride where children steer small cars around a track, will lose its gasoline engines. Disney agreed in a settlement with the state of California to retire the gas-powered fleet by early 2027 and paid $56,250, according to The New York Times in a report carried by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

The cars are expected to run on electric power sometime next year. Disney declined multiple requests for comment, so the company has not said whether the ride will close while the change is made.

Why California stepped in

The California Air Resources Board, the state’s air quality regulator, issued Disney a notice of violation in 2024. The board said the company had not obtained the emissions certification the Autopia cars needed.

Each car now runs on an 8.5 horsepower Honda four-stroke engine, the kind more often found on generators and industrial pressure washers. The engines are loud and give off exhaust for up to 16 hours a day. The Times reported that this creates a pocket of smog over Tomorrowland, the area of the park that is also home to Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters.

A ride that dates to opening day

Autopia opened with the park in 1955 with 40 brightly colored cars, and it is the last original Tomorrowland attraction still running. Sponsors have included Honda, Chevron and Richfield Oil. By 1971, Disney counted 47,756,550 riders. The Times estimated that, at that rate, total ridership may now be past 210 million.

The cars top out at 6 mph at Disneyland.

What the new version may look like

Bob Gurr, 94, who designed Autopia for Walt Disney, told the Times that Disney executives showed him a model of the new ride earlier this year. He said the track itself will be electrified, so each car will not need its own battery. “It will be electric, but not the conventional idea of a battery in a car,” Gurr said.

Gurr said he has pushed for 26 years to remove the gasoline engines. After the interview, his representative asked to retract it, saying Disney wanted Gurr to stop giving interviews about the ride.

Gurr also said he was told Honda would remain the sponsor. Honda spokesperson Matt Howells said its current sponsorship deal with Disneyland Resort runs through early 2027 and that talks about the future of the partnership are ongoing.

What it means for families visiting Disney parks

Families planning a Disneyland trip in the coming year will find the gas version of Autopia still running for now, with the switch to electric cars due by early 2027. Disney has not announced a closure period or an opening date for the electric ride.

At Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., the similar Tomorrowland Speedway still uses gas-powered engines, and there are no known plans to convert it. Gas versions have also run in Tokyo and Paris. Hong Kong Disneyland had an electric version that closed in 2016.

Some longtime fans are attached to the old cars. Peter Menotti, a 59-year-old Los Angeles fan, bought a retired Autopia car in 2001 and spent $65,000 restoring it. He told the Times he would prefer the ride stay as it is, but he will remain a fan of the electric version.

Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette