But the ride was sponsored by Chevron from 1998-2012, and that company is pretty dedicated to poisoning small children anyway, so it was apt.
Thankfully, in 2012, Disney attracted a new sponsor, Honda, and in 2016, Honda upgraded the engines to small four-stroke engines, reducing noise and pollution significantly. However, the cars still create exhaust, which is still poisonous to the children riding behind these polluting engines. It’s also poisonous to employees, to the point where Disney pays hazard pay to employees who are assigned to staff the ride.
Holy fucking smokes, Batman. Was the mouse the evil one all along?
Well, much more likely after Walt Disney died.
Those are probably the same engines used in small AC generators and manual lawnmowers. Yes, the four-stroke ones are better but have you ever used a lawnmower? It is loud and stinky.
Oh man it was worst??? Was the worst faux car experience I ever had.
I don’t get why they haven’t replaced it by now. Very boring ride that takes up so much more room than its worth
A very good analog to all your car infrastructure then.
Yes, that’s literally what the ride is about: the now-failed '50s vision of car-dependent America as an “auto utopia.”
It’s in Tomorrowland, but it smells like 1979. Good to remember where we came from as long as we’re actually going somewhere else.
They should rebrand to Yesterdayland.
So, how was Disneyland?
Well, I’ve been stuck in a traffic jam, breathing exhaust gasses all day.
Oh you didn’t went?
What are you talking about? Autopia was great!
This is a thing? Wtf.
The ride predates most US freeway construction — it was meant to serve as a vision for what an automobile-heavy society could look like.
A torment nexus of sorts
Omg
Yeah i went on this in 2013 in Paris, i was stunned that PR wholesome Disney was happy to poison families as part of the ride, i distinctly recall my wife and i discussing how dumb it was. I’m equally as stunned in 2024 it’s still not been switched to electric cars, i honestly assumed (wrongly) i was seeing the last of the petrol Disney car rides a decade ago.
We’re super fucked re climate change aren’t we?
Yeah, those of us that want to live don’t have the means to fix it, and those of them that have the power won’t care as they’ll be/are rich enough to buy nuclear powered islands with air scrubbers or move to Mars.
And boomers on Facebook are crying emoji reacting, and talk about how they could tune and repair 1970’s engines on the side of the road with minimal tools.
Goddamn car enthusiasts, they need their choice of transportation to be literally evil.
Boomers: “I used to be able to fix my car myself”
Also boomers: “New cars should have heated gas pedals”
I wouldnt go as far as to call the horseless carraige evil, but you could absolutely argue that between how they isolate people in bubbles, kill pedestrians and are contributing to climate change anti-social for sure
How do you feel being out of a job? (Username joke)
ben hur is out of a job? i dont get it.
I avenged my sister and mother’s (supposed) death from leprosy by racing my Roman
boyfriendchildhood friend to the death
Which is pretty funny because modern cars are getting insanely reliable. My car is a decade old, I drive it from sea level to 14,000 ft without having to adjust anything, it gets almost 800 miles a tank on road trips, and I’ve done zero maintenance or adjustment beyond oil changes once a year and adjusting the seat heater or radio station.
But ohhh the nostalgia for the 1970s beater dying every three months while the leaded gas melts your brain and you gotta feed it a quart of oil after a long (for those cars, 300 miles) road trip.
Also, am car enthusiast. I feel the “typical” enthusiast should just be reclassified as “antique car enthusiast” at this point.
It’s important to teach children about queuing in traffic early.
This is silly, Autopia is not a significant source of pollution. This is like the plastic straw thing.
If you want less problems from cars and oil, build real car-free infrastructure and leave the charming novelty alone, it makes as much pollution as your yard care company does with it’s blowers.
Sure… But it’s a ride in Tomorrowland. It’s a travesty that those things aren’t solar powered hovercars or some shit.
Is it in Tomorrowland? lol
charming novelty alone
Noisy and smelly cars exhausting particulate matter into the lungs of children is your idea of a “charming novelty”? Yes, it’s a drop in the ocean overall but it’s a bad look and Disney should be selling a better future and not just reinforcing our disgusting past (and present for that matter).
And on your leaf blower point, frankly they should be all electric at this point, both because of their pollution but also the extremely annoying noise that people around them have to suffer.
Noisy and smelly cars exhausting particulate matter into the lungs of children is your idea of a “charming novelty”?
Ever been to a campfire? Roast some marshmallows? Should we ban that too?
There’s a huge difference between building a society dependent on dirty death machines, and a play area where death is nearly impossible and people are exposed to (the same pollutants from the vehicles all around the park) for a few minutes. Even if we get past the car era, don’t be surprised to see racetracks and car dedicated areas. This isn’t going to change overnight and concern about a Disneyland ride is a distraction from important work.
Ever been to a campfire? Roast some marshmallows? Should we ban that too?
I think California did ban campfires. At least all fire pits in residential seem to be propane now, no more wood.
This is another population thing IMO, campfires aren’t inherently bad and are a part of our evolution. They become inappropriate when you have too many people.
Race cars are going ethanol-electric hybrid and full electric. So, no.
Some will, sure, that proves nothing. Humans will race everything.
Ban campfires? Yes.
