Disney has confirmed that The Autopia at Disneyland will say farewell to old combustion engine gas-powered cars and introduce new electric vehicles in the next few years.
A Disney spokesperson confirmed to the LA Times that the changes are coming, saying "Since opening with Disneyland park in 1955, Autopia has remained a guest-favorite most popular with young kids experiencing driving for the first time. 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."
Although Disney specifically refers to the driving attraction at Disneyland, it would seem to make sense for Disney to develop new vehicles that can be used at both Autopia in Disneyland and the Tomorrowland Speedway at Walt Disney World.
Tomorrowland Speedway is one of the original Walt Disney World attractions, dating back to the opening of the Magic Kingdom theme park on October 1, 1971. The attraction features 146 authentic Autopia Mark VII race cars that travel around a 4/10 mile track. The cars reach a top speed of 7 ½ miles per hour. The engines are built by Briggs and Stratton, but are very loud, generate a lot of emissions, and significantly impact the Tomorrowland environment.
It was previously hoped that new electric vehicles would join the Tomorrowland Speedway as part of the TRON Lightcycle Run addition to Magic Kingdom, but Disney chose to leave the Speedway in its original form, at least for now.
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