California is forcing Disneyland’s Autopia ride to close unless it cleans up emissions by February

Do you remember the first time you sat in a motorized vehicle? For some generations of Southern Californians and Disneyphiles around the world, the first experience behind the wheel happened on Disneyland California’s Autopia ride. Autopia has been an integral part of Disneyland California’s Tomorrowland since the amusement park first opened in 1955, and is the only existing Tomorrowland attraction built from the opening day of the Disneyland park.

We knew that Disneyland planned to convert the ride’s gas-powered miniature cars to electric, but according to recently revealed government records, the state of California actually ordered Disneyland to shut down the gas-powered Autopia ride by February 1 if it hasn’t already transitioned to cleaner fuels by then. The public records discovery was first shared by climate journalist Sammy Roth x Social-media site.

We all thought Disneyland was being progressive and visionary in 2024 when it announced that Autopia would run its cars on electric power, but it turns out that “choice” was forced due to government action — and Disney’s own emissions scandal.

according to Orange County Register“Disneyland to pay $56,000 to the California Air Resources Board in 2024 after disclosing that Honda engines on Autopia ride vehicles were operating without certified emissions controls.” In fact, Disneyland told CARB that the Honda go-kart engines powering Autopia’s cars were “modified in a way that violated state regulations for small off-road engines.” Thus, Disneyland agreed to pay $56,250 to resolve the violations without voluntarily admitting liability.

Can someone say autopiaget? It turns out that these seemingly innocuous miniature vehicles had been rolling coal for a while before getting a regulatory slap on the wrist.

In 2024, Disneyland initially announced that it planned a fully electrified Autopia by the autumn of this year. oc register The report states that Disneyland began testing electric Autopia ride vehicle prototypes in early May, but the closing and reopening dates required to make the change have not yet been announced. The last major Autopia renewal occurred in 2016, when Honda took over sponsorship of the ride from Chevron, which sponsored it from 2000 to 2012.