Disneyland’s gas-powered Autopia cars are now on a hard deadline. Under a settlement with the California Air Resources Board (CARB), the park must retire or convert the gas engines by February 1, 2027, or close the ride.
The 2024 “going electric” announcement sounded like a green upgrade, but records later showed regulators were behind it. Disneyland told CARB that the Honda go-kart engines used in the cars had been modified in a way that violated state rules for small off-road engines.
Disney Imagineering is now building and testing a fully electric ride vehicle, with prototype testing reported from early May. Closing and reopening dates have not been announced, and the ride is still running on gas for now. Autopia opened in 1955, its cars top out at about 6 mph, and the current Honda sponsorship runs through 2026.
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Why it matters: it shows how emissions rules, not just brand image, are pushing even theme-park cars toward electric.