Autopia is the only remaining Tomorrowland attraction that dates back to the park’s opening day in 1955
Credit: Richard Harbaugh/Disneyland Resort
NEED TO KNOW
- Disneyland will replace Autopia’s gas-powered vehicles with fully electric cars by 2027
- The change comes after electric vehicle activists pushed Disney to abandon hybrid plans
- Autopia is the only remaining Tomorrowland attraction that dates back to Disneyland’s 1955 opening day
One of Disneyland’s oldest attractions is about to get a lot greener.
Disneyland Park is moving forward with plans to retire the gas-powered engines used on Autopia and replace them with fully electric vehicles.
The change follows reporting from the Los Angeles Times in 2024 that Disney was considering replacing the ride’s gas-powered cars, though it was initially unclear whether the company would move toward hybrid or fully electric vehicles.
After the report was published, a coalition of electric vehicle activists launched a campaign urging Disney to fully eliminate gasoline-powered engines rather than adopt hybrids. Disney has since confirmed the attraction will transition to fully electric vehicles.
Credit: Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG
In a written statement to the L.A. Times, Disneyland spokesperson Jessica Good said the update “means fully electric — it does not mean hybrid or any other version of a gasoline combustion engine.”
Good also told the outlet that Disneyland “will no longer be using the current engines within the next 30 months.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Disneyland officials separately confirmed to KTLA that the resort has reached an agreement with the California Air Resources Board to retire Autopia’s gas-powered engines in early 2027.
Credit: Walter Leporati/Getty
A timeline for the attraction’s transformation has not yet been made public.
According to Disneyland’s official website, Autopia is the only remaining Tomorrowland attraction that dates back to the park’s opening day in 1955.
PEOPLE has reached out to Disneyland for additional information.
Read the full article here