Today is set to arrive at Tomorrowland at Disneyland Park in Anaheim. The Autopia attraction at Disneyland will be getting a major change sometime over the coming years.
Nothing about the race car track attraction that enables riders to drive the cars will change, but it will be far quieter and with zero emissions and no smell of air pollutants.
That is because the Walt Disney Company will be phasing out Autopia’s vehicles’ gas-powered engines for 100% battery-electric technology, according to a new report by the Los Angeles Times. The full switch will be gradual, but it is anticipated to be done over the next 30 months — by Fall 2026.
This will produce real benefits for cast members (staff) and riders. However, it is also a highly symbolic move when the ride’s historic origins in the post-war era are considered.
Autopia has seen various changes to its form at Disneyland Park in Anaheim over the decades, but it is one of the theme park’s staples. It was amongst the original attractions that were part of the theme park’s grand opening in 1955.
The attraction’s location in the theme park and track design have changed over the decades, but apart from adopting fuel efficiency improvements, the vehicle technology has remained largely the same — until now. Moreover, these vehicles safely operate at slow speeds of up to 10.5 km/hr (6.5 mph)—no matter how hard the rider steps on the gas pedal — and run on a centre guiding rail that ensures nobody ever goes off course.
Tomorrowland Speedway (Autopia) at Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)
When the car-themed ride opened at the Anaheim theme park in 1955, it was part of a number of attractions that were intended to showcase and promote the possible future of the United States interconnected by a comprehensive highway system and the personal freedom that can be gained by using a private vehicle. Within a year, US President Dwight Eisenhower signed the Interstate Highway legislation, which tremendously influenced contemporary transportation and urban planning.
Autopia at Disneyland Park has been sponsored by car and fossil fuel companies over the decades. Fast forward to 2024, and the attraction joins the growing global transition towards the full electrification of transportation.
Autopia in 1959 at Disneyland Park in Anaheim. (Disney)
The gas-powered Autopia attraction also exists in other forms — and by different names — at other Disney theme parks worldwide, including the 1971-opened Tomorrowland Speedway at Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, and the 1992-opened Autopia at Disneyland Paris Park. The 1983-opened Autopia at Tokyo Disneyland Park, where it was known as Grand Circuit Raceway, was removed in 2017 to enable an expansion of Fantasyland.
One of Hong Kong Disneyland Park’s original attractions was Autopia, which closed in 2016 for a new Avengers-themed attraction. This Autopia was different from the others as it used battery-electric vehicles.
Earlier this week, the City of Anaheim approved Disney’s Disneyland Forward master plan outlining how Disneyland Resort will undergo a massive expansion over the short- and longer-term.