Disneyland's Autopia Will Run on an Electrified Track by Early 2027, Ride's Designer Says

For nearly seven decades, the cars at Disneyland's Autopia have run on gasoline. That ends by February 1, 2027 — and the designer of the original ride, Disney Legend Bob Gurr, has now offered the clearest public description yet of what replaces them: power drawn through the track itself, with no battery inside each car.

It will be electric, but not the conventional idea of a battery in a car. It's very different.— Bob Gurr, designer of the original Autopia cars

According to fantasylandnews.com, Disney executives brought Gurr, who turned 95 on October 25, to a facility earlier this year and showed him a model of the new Autopia, after which he shared the details with The New York Times. The track-power design has not been publicly confirmed by Disney, which turned down multiple Times requests for comment. Once the interview was complete, Gurr's representative contacted the Times to request a retraction, citing Disney's instruction that Gurr refrain from discussing the ride with journalists. The Times chose to run the story, pointing out that Gurr had never placed the conversation off the record.

The switch is not voluntary. In 2024, the California Air Resources Board issued Disney a notice of violation after finding that Autopia's engines were operating without certified emissions controls. That August, Disney reached a settlement that included a $56,250 payment and a commitment to retire the gas-powered fleet; state records indicate a February 1, 2027 deadline for doing so, according to fantasylandnews.com. The park described the original violation as an "administrative oversight" and said corrections were made without environmental impact.

Each of the current cars is powered by an 8.5-horsepower Honda four-stroke engine and can run for as many as 16 hours a day, the Times reported. Disneyland is now developing, engineering, and testing a fully electric prototype, though the park has not announced when Autopia will close for the conversion or when it will reopen, according to wdwnt.com.

Gurr has been pushing for this change for a quarter century.

For 26 years, I've been arguing, 'When are you going to do anything to get rid of that gasoline?' The dirtiest place on Earth is the Autopia attraction at Disneyland in the city of Anaheim.— Bob Gurr, designer of the original Autopia cars

The timeline has already slipped once. When Disneyland first announced the electric conversion in 2024, it targeted fall 2026. According to wdwnt.com, Disneyland subsequently negotiated a new agreement with the California Air Resources Board that pushes the gas-engine phase-out to early 2027.

Honda's role after the conversion is unresolved. According to Gurr, he was informed that Honda would stay on as sponsor, a claim Honda itself would not verify. The company's current deal runs through early 2027.

Our current sponsorship agreement with Disneyland Resort runs through early 2027. Discussions regarding the future of the partnership and sponsorship of the Autopia attraction are currently ongoing.— Honda spokesperson

Disneyland has framed the update as part of a broader commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2030 through reduced carbon output and increased use of renewable energy sources, according to wdwnt.com.

Autopia opened with Disneyland on July 17, 1955, and has been a fixture of Tomorrowland ever since. Its last major refurbishment came in 2016, when Honda took over as sponsor. The ride was previously sponsored by Richfield Oil from 1955 to 1970 and Chevron from 2000 to 2012. Other versions of the attraction operate at Magic Kingdom — where it is called Tomorrowland Speedway — and Disneyland Paris. According to fantasylandnews.com, the Times reports that the Magic Kingdom version continues to operate on gas, with no known plans to convert to electric. Hong Kong Disneyland's Autopia, which used electric cars with lighting effects and onboard audio, closed in 2016.

Why it matters — A state-mandated deadline is forcing Disneyland to retire one of its oldest mechanical systems, and the track-power design Bob Gurr describes — if confirmed — would mark a fundamental change to how a 70-year-old attraction works.

Reported by nytimes.com, nypost.com, wdwnt.com, fantasylandnews.com