Disneyland faces a February deadline to retire Autopia’s gas-powered engines or shut the Tomorrowland attraction under a settlement agreement with the California Air Resources Board. The ride, which opened with Disneyland in 1955, now sits on a timetable that could force a closure if the gas engines are not replaced in time.
MiceChat reports the deadline falls on Feb. 1, after Climate Colored Goggles found the date through a California Public Records Act request to the California Air Resources Board. Disneyland has said it is working on a fully electric Autopia ride vehicle prototype, but it has not set closing and reopening dates for the update.
Disneyland and California Air Resources Board
Disneyland officials said the company reached an agreement with the California Air Resources Board to retire the current Autopia gas-powered engines in early 2027. That account sits alongside the Feb. 1 deadline described in other reporting, leaving Disneyland with two different timeframes attached to the same ride.
The practical choice is narrow. Disneyland can swap in fully electric vehicles and keep the attraction operating, or it can let the deadline pass and shut Autopia down. The settlement gives the ride no room to keep the gas engines in service beyond the required date.
Autopia since 1955
Autopia has run since the 1955 debut of the Anaheim theme park and has been redesigned in 1959, 1964 and 1968. The last major refurbishment came in 2016, when Honda became the ride’s sponsor, and Disneyland’s 10-year contract with Honda ends in 2026.
Disneyland paid a $56,000 settlement to the California Air Resources Board in 2024 after disclosing that the Honda engines on Autopia ride vehicles were operating without certified emission controls. Disneyland said that issue was an administrative oversight that was promptly corrected with no impact to the environment.
Disneyland’s electric prototype
Disneyland originally announced in 2024 that it planned to convert Autopia from gas to electric power by fall 2026. The company is now designing, engineering and testing a fully electric Autopia vehicle prototype, while the settlement timetable points to an earlier retirement of the gas engines.
That leaves riders facing a simple near-term question: whether Disneyland can finish the electric changeover before the February deadline without closing Autopia. If it cannot, the Tomorrowland ride shuts down under the settlement terms.
