California Forcing The Closure Of Disneyland's Autopia Ride Unless It Cleans Up Emissions By February

Do you remember the first time you ever sat behind the wheel in a motorized vehicle? For a few generations of Southern Californians and Disneyphiles from around the world, that first behind-the-wheel experience took place 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 it's the only existing Tomorrowland attraction that dates back to Disneyland Park's opening day.

We knew Disneyland planned to change the ride's gas-powered miniature cars to electricity, but according to recently uncovered 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 record discovery was first shared by climate journalist Sammy Roth on the X social-media site.

We all thought Disneyland was being progressive and forward-thinking in 2024 when it announced Autopia would be running its cars on electric power, but it turns out that "choice" was forced by government crackdowns — and Disney's own emissions scandal.

According to the Orange County Register, "Disneyland paid a $56,000 settlement to the California Air Resources Board in 2024 after disclosing the Honda engines on Autopia ride vehicles were operating without certified emission controls." In fact, Disneyland disclosed to CARB that the Honda go-kart engines that power Autopia's cars "had been modified in a way that violated state regulations for small off-road engines." As such, Disneyland voluntarily agreed to pay a $56,250 settlement to resolve the violations without admitting liability.

Can anyone say Autopiagate? Turns out these seemingly innocuous miniature vehicles were rolling coal for some time before getting a regulatory slap on the wrist.

In 2024, Disneyland initially announced it planned to have a fully electrified Autopia by the autumn of this year. The OC Register reports that Disneyland began testing electric Autopia ride vehicle prototypes in early May, but the closing and reopening dates necessary for performing the change have not been announced yet. The last major Autopia refurbishment took place in 2016, when Honda took over sponsorship of the ride from Chevron, which sponsored it from 2000 to 2012.