The iconic Tomorrowland attraction will retire its gasoline engines in early 2027 following a California emissions settlement.
One of Disneyland’s oldest attractions is preparing for a major transformation. Autopia, the miniature driving experience that opened alongside the California theme park in 1955, is finally saying goodbye to gasoline.
Disneyland has agreed to retire the attraction’s existing gas-powered engines by early 2027 and is developing a fully electric replacement. The transition follows an agreement with the California Air Resources Board, the state agency responsible for regulating air pollution.
The change comes after Disneyland disclosed that modifications to the attraction’s Honda engines had violated California emissions regulations. The company subsequently agreed to a $56,250 settlement without admitting liability.
For decades, Autopia has allowed children to experience driving miniature cars along a guided roadway. But the gasoline engines have also produced exhaust fumes and noise, an increasingly awkward feature for an attraction located in Tomorrowland, a section of the park dedicated to imagining the future.
Disney Imagineer Bob Gurr, who helped design the original attraction, has long advocated replacing the gasoline engines. In recent comments reported by The New York Times, Gurr suggested that the redesigned attraction could use an electrified track rather than conventional battery-powered vehicles.
Disney has confirmed that engineering and testing are underway but has not announced an official closure or reopening date.
The transformation marks a symbolic moment for Disneyland. When Autopia opened in 1955, highways and gasoline-powered automobiles represented technological progress. More than seven decades later, the same attraction is preparing to introduce a different vision of transportation’s future.
