Finally, it will be a fume-free utopia.
Disneyland opened on Sunday, July 17, 1955. My family (my mom, dad, older sister, and I) went on the second day it opened, July 18. I’ve been driving electric cars for years now, but the cars at Autopia still slog through their tiny gasoline engines, filling the surrounding air with harmful emissions. Disney now says it will eventually catch up with the outside world.
The Walt Disney Company is entering the fourth year of its 2030 Environmental Goals plan, which focuses on water, waste, sustainable materials and design, and most interestingly in the Clean Fleet Report, greenhouse gas emissions, which are the focus of attention on one of the park’s oldest rides.
Autopia, one of Disneyland’s original attractions, will go from using a 270cc, 8.5-horsepower Honda gasoline engine, with a top speed of 6.5 mph, to some form of electric. Disneyland hasn’t specified whether the two-passenger Autopia cars will be hybrid or fully electric, but our guess is that they will be battery electric, making the popular ride emissions-free. And quiet!
This wouldn’t be the first time Disney has done this globally, as the Autopia cars at Hong Kong Disneyland have been fully electric since 2006, a year after the park opened, though the ride was closed in 2016 to make way for a new attraction, Marvel’s Avengers Quinjet Experience.
What’s next for Honda?
Honda is expected to play a significant role in transforming Autopia into an environmentally friendly vehicle by leveraging the company’s extensive experience in building battery electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, and hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles.
The cars themselves were all-new in 2000 with three designs based on a Volkswagen Beetle convertible, a sports car and an off-roader. When Honda became the official sponsor of the trip in 2016, the cars were repainted in Honda liveries, given new tires, new engines and even a Honda logo on the hood.
Autopia is the last of the original Tomorrowland rides still in operation since the park opened. Like millions of young children, Autopia was the first place I ever “drove” a car. The gas pedal that doubled as a brake when you started and the steering wheel that worked well gave me the feeling of doing what Mom and Dad did, even though the cars were driven by a steering system that kept the driver from going off course. It didn’t matter—it was cool!
Switching to electricity
Going electric means no more inhaling gas fumes, which when combined with Anaheim’s 90-plus degree summer days can make riding in the Autopia less than ideal.
Autopia isn’t the only mode of transportation in the park that’s being converted to zero- or low-emission vehicles. Already, 14% of the resort’s vehicles have been converted to zero-emission vehicles, so Autopia will join the ranks of other vehicles that are behaving less harmful to the environment.
The trams in the parking lot run on compressed natural gas (CNG), displacing 56,000 gallons of diesel each year. The tram is the first ride most Disneyland guests take, and it’s a key part of making a visit more convenient. The Disneyland Monorail, which loops around the park in a 2.5-mile loop, has been emissions-free since it opened in 1959. The design is both retro and futuristic, retaining the same look as when it was first built. The Disneyland Railroad and Mark Twain Riverboat were converted to biofuel made from recycled cooking oil in 2009. Reusing plant materials saves about 200,000 gallons of petroleum-based diesel each year. The main streetcars, the Columbia sailing ship, and the Jungle Cruise boats run on CNG, while the Radiator Springs Racers and Luigi’s Rollick’n Roadsters are electric, powered by 1,400 solar panels. The Finding Nemo submarine cruise underwent a major renovation in 2007. When the cruise reopened in 2008, the submarines were powered by electricity, replacing diesel engines.
The next time you visit Disneyland, take a few minutes to enjoy this often unnoticed and unrecognized part of park operations. The rides are an integral part of a fun visit. And while they add to the environmental impact, they help everyone breathe easier.
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