It’s been a nice 69 years for Disneyland’s car attraction Autopia, but it’s finally getting an upgrade worthy of its neighbors. Situated in the futuristic area called Tomorrowland, nestled next to Space Mountain and Star Tours, the ride has used gas-powered cars since its debut in 1955. Now though, Disney has announced that the ride will soon make the pivot to electric cars.
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“Since opening with Disneyland park in 1955, Autopia has remained a guest-favorite most popular with young kids experiencing driving for the first time,” Disneyland spokesperson Jessica Good said to the Los Angeles Times. “As the industry moves toward alternative fuel sources, we have developed a roadmap to electrify this attraction and are evaluating technology that will enable us to convert from gas engines in the next few years.”
That statement, of course, doesn’t give any specific timeline, nor answer whether the new vehicles will be fully electric or hybrid, but it’s a start.
As other sections of Disneyland continue to be renovated, improved, or removed, it’s always seemed a bit odd that Autopia has remained unchanged. Not just because of the smell of gasoline and exhaust that overpowers the area, or because it’s a seemingly dated technology surrounded by a futuristic themed land. Mostly, it’s because it takes up so much real estate that could potentially be used for almost anything else. Anytime fans speculate about how Disneyland could change, removing Autopia is almost always part of the equation.
And yet, dated as it might be, Autopia lets children of all ages do something they really can’t do almost anywhere else in the world: drive a car. Which is pretty special. So that the ride will finally stop polluting the environment at the same time, is even more special.
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