Disneyland: The Happiest Place on Earth Goes Electric

Autopia and More!

One of Disneyland’s original attractions, Autopia, will see the ride’s cars go from using a 270cc, 8.5 horsepower Honda gasoline engine, with a top speed of 6.5 mph, to quiet and clean all-electric cars sometime in 2026, confirmed in press reports by Jessica Good, Disneyland spokesperson.

Disneyland in Anaheim opened on Sunday, July 17, 1955. My family (mom, dad, older sister and I) went on the second day it was open, July 18, and I have been back too many times to count. I’ve now been driving electric cars for years, but the cars at Autopia still sputter with their little gas engines, filling the surrounding air with noxious emissions. Disney now says it is going to catch up with the outside world in the not-too-distant-future.

Autopia is the last of the Tomorrowland original rides still operating since the park opened some 70 years ago. Like millions of little kids, Autopia was the first place I “drove” a car. The gas pedal, that also acts as the brake when lifting off, and a sort-of functioning steering wheel gave a sensation of doing what mom and dad did, even though the cars ran on a guide that keeps the driver from going off the track. It didn’t matter—it was a blast!

Big Goals

The Walt Disney Company is four years into its 2030 Environmental Goals plan that focuses on water, waste, materials, sustainable design and, most interesting to Clean Fleet Report, greenhouse gas emissions, which directly affects one of the oldest rides at the park.

Disneyland’s electric cars wouldn’t be a first as the Autopia cars at Hong Kong Disneyland have been all electric since 2006, a year after the park opened for business, through the ride closed in 2016 to make way for a new attraction, Marvel’s Avengers Quinjet Experience.

Expect Honda to play an important role in the Anaheim Autopia cars going green by using its considerable experience in building battery electric, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles.

The cars’ last big change was 2000, when they were completely new with three designs—a Volkswagen Beetle convertible, a sports car and an off-roader. When Honda became the ride’s sponsor in 2016, the cars were repainted in Honda colors used on their street cars, given new tires, engines and a Honda badge on the hood.

Going electric will mean no more breathing gas fumes which, combined with Anaheim’s 90+ degree summer days, could make going on the Autopia ride more like a ride on the crowded I-5 in a convertible.

Beyond Autopia

The Autopia cars aren’t the only transportation in the park being converted to zero or low-emission vehicles. Currently 14 percent of the resort’s vehicles have already been converted to zero-emission, which join these modes that are treading lighter on the environment.

• The Parking Lot Trams run on compressed natural gas (CNG), replacing 56,000 gallons of diesel each year. The tram for most Disneyland guests is the first ride they will take, and is an essential part of making a visit more convenient.

• The Disneyland Monorail, circling the park on a 2.5 mile loop, has been zero-emissions since it opened in 1959. The design is both retro and futuristic, retaining the same look as when it was first built.

• The Disneyland Railroad and Mark Twain Riverboat were converted in 2009 to biodiesel, made from recycled cooking oil. The reuse of plant material saves about 200,000 gallons of petroleum-based diesel every year.

• The Main Street Vehicles, Sailing Ship Columbia and the Jungle Cruise boats are powered by CNG, and the Radiator Springs Racers and the Luigi’s Rollick’n Roadsters are electric, powered by 1,400 solar panels.

• The Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage went through a major refurbishment in 2007. When the ride reopened in 2008 the submarines were powered by electricity, replacing diesel engines.

The next time you are at Disneyland, take a few minutes to appreciate the usually unnoticed and unrecognized part of the park operation. The vehicles are an integral element of an enjoyable visit, and as they become lighter on the environment they will help everyone breathe easier.

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