{"id":305851,"date":"2026-05-08T11:25:27","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T11:25:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/305851\/"},"modified":"2026-05-08T11:25:27","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T11:25:27","slug":"disney-makes-move-to-ditch-gas-engines-on-iconic-attraction-amid-crackdown-from-california-regulators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/305851\/","title":{"rendered":"Disney makes move to ditch gas engines on iconic attraction amid crackdown from California regulators"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Disneyland is pulling the plug on one of its most iconic gas-guzzlers.<\/p>\n<p>The <a data-ylk=\"slk:Anaheim theme park plans;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aol.com\/news\/disney-shares-jump-8-ceo-151801468.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Anaheim theme park plans<\/a> to replace the gasoline-powered cars on its classic Autopia attraction with fully electric vehicles \u2014 ending nearly 70 years of exhaust fumes in Tomorrowland as California regulators continue cracking down on emissions statewide.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"standard-img w-full w-full h-auto\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_ny_post_us_news_articles_123\/400f89c28f2c8b6cfb420d9191b4cebd.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>A high-angle view of the Autopia attraction in the Tomorrowland area of Disneyland in Anaheim, California, February 1980.  Getty Images<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"standard-img w-full w-full h-auto\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_ny_post_us_news_articles_123\/4c95494e4f719c8fe984f34e31c62c0c.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Other Disney parks around the world have already moved away from traditional gas-powered versions of the ride.  Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>Disneyland officials confirmed the park has an agreement with the California Air Resources Board to retire the current gas-powered Autopia engines in early 2027.<\/p>\n<p>The move comes as the powerful California agency \u2014 already <a data-ylk=\"slk:controversial for aggressive climate mandates;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aol.com\/news\/letter-reveals-shocking-insight-california-224110399.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">controversial for aggressive climate mandates<\/a> targeting gas cars, trucks and appliances \u2014 pushes <a data-ylk=\"slk:broader efforts to slash emissions;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aol.com\/news\/california-air-chief-hints-she-014130923.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">broader efforts to slash emissions<\/a> across the state.<\/p>\n<p>Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our 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rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Download here!<\/a>Home delivery: <a data-ylk=\"slk:Sign up here!;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" href=\"https:\/\/subscribe.californiapost.com\/defaultCAP\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Sign up here!<\/a><a data-ylk=\"slk:Page Six Hollywood;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/us\/app\/california-post\/id6751343487\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Page Six Hollywood<\/a><a data-ylk=\"slk::;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/us\/app\/california-post\/id6751343487\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">: <\/a><a data-ylk=\"slk:Sign up here!;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/hollywood-signup\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Sign up here!<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"standard-img w-full w-full h-auto\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_ny_post_us_news_articles_123\/c1539dede94dfb219ed7565cbd140e86.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>The park has an agreement with the California Air Resources Board to retire the current gas-powered engines. Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>Disneyland said it is currently working on the \u201cdesign, engineering and testing\u201d of a fully electric Autopia ride vehicle prototype. More details about the overhaul are expected soon, though closing and reopening dates for the attraction have not yet been announced.<\/p>\n<p>Disney first revealed plans in 2024 to convert Autopia to electric power by fall 2026.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"standard-img w-full w-full h-auto\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_ny_post_us_news_articles_123\/0fab99c947944f961120dcc32444bb35.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Disneyland officials said electrifying Autopia is part of the resort\u2019s broader environmental push. GC Images<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"standard-img w-full w-full h-auto\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_ny_post_us_news_articles_123\/bdf9f1c254deb2c8932351d0e8ce522f.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Previous ride sponsors included Chevron and Richfield Oil, according to Disney history site D23. Gado via Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>The beloved opening-day attraction has been running since Disneyland debuted in 1955 and has undergone several makeovers over the decades.<\/p>\n<p>The last major refurbishment came in 2016 when Honda signed on as the ride\u2019s sponsor. Previous sponsors included Chevron and Richfield Oil, according to Disney <a data-ylk=\"slk:history site D23;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" href=\"https:\/\/d23.com\/a-to-z\/autopia\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">history site D23<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Disneyland\u2019s 10-year sponsorship deal with Honda is set to expire in 2026, according to <a data-ylk=\"slk:WDW News Today;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" href=\"https:\/\/wdwnt.com\/2026\/05\/disneyland-autopia-cars-will-be-fully-electric-by-early-2027\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">WDW News Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"standard-img w-full w-full h-auto\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_ny_post_us_news_articles_123\/e14e71b506a824b20ec5e3f4d729e17b.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>The beloved opening-day attraction has been running since Disneyland debuted in 1955. San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"standard-img w-full w-full h-auto\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_ny_post_us_news_articles_123\/e7d299e185cd7b62181a311f7f732ba5.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>REUTERS<\/p>\n<p>Other Disney parks around the world have already moved away from traditional gas-powered versions of the ride. Hong Kong Disneyland\u2019s now-closed Autopia featured electric cars with onboard audio and lighting effects, while Tokyo Disneyland shut down its Grand Circuit Raceway attraction in 2017.<\/p>\n<p>Disneyland officials said electrifying Autopia is part of the resort\u2019s broader environmental push and its goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2030 through greater reliance on renewable energy sources.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Disneyland is pulling the plug on one of its most iconic gas-guzzlers. The Anaheim theme park plans to&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":305852,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[163,165,164,7,9458,66734,1341,12167,128756],"class_list":["post-305851","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-anaheim","tag-anaheim","tag-anaheim-headlines","tag-anaheim-news","tag-california","tag-california-air-resources-board","tag-california-post","tag-disneyland","tag-getty-images","tag-hong-kong-disneyland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/305851","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=305851"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/305851\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/305852"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=305851"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=305851"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=305851"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}