Disney’s Autopia ride has been making headlines recently, after a park spokesperson told the LA Times that the park is “evaluating technology that will enable us to convert from gas engines in the next few years.” But activists want to put the pressure on to ensure that Disney goes all-EV with the ride, and fast.

The news was reported in many outlets suggesting that Disney is going all-electric with Autopia, but unfortunately, Disney’s statement is a little noncommittal and open on that front. We’ve seen a lot of automakers call 100% gas-powered hybrids as “electrified,” and given that Disney was nonspecific about both its timeline and powertrain source, there’s still room for pressure to ensure that Disney goes with an all-electric choice.

Autopia is a classic ride in Disneyland’s “Tomorrowland” area, but given the EV world we’re living in, its stinky gas-powered cars certainly don’t seem too futuristic.

Until 2016, Autopia vehicles were noisy, polluting two-stroke engines. Two-stroke engines differ from four-stroke in that they can create more power in small formats, but are much dirtier because the combustion process is less complete in a two-stroke engine, and thus exhaust contains ~30x higher levels of particulate emissions (for example, running a two-stroke gas leafblower for one hour can make as many poisonous emissions as driving a passenger car 1,100 miles).

The emissions from these engines cause smog and harm the health of those who breathe them – so putting them directly in front of small children isn’t the best idea. 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.

2016 was also notably after EVs had proven themselves in the automotive realm. So upgrading to an old technology seems a little inappropriate for “Tomorrowland.” But Honda themselves have been behind the ball on the EV transition as well.

Tomorrowland is the section within Disneyland which was meant to show visions of the future. It first opened in 1955, and offers a time capsule of what a 1950s vision of the future might have looked like.

Needless to say, in the seven decades hence, things have changed somewhat. To the point where the original designer of the Autopia cars, Bob Gurr, who is now 92 and was interviewed by the LA Times, said “get rid of those God-awful gasoline fumes.”

It’s certainly ironic that in California, where EVs keep setting sales records and where you can’t even buy gas-powered “small off-road engines” anymore, a Disneyland parkgoer might drive to the park in a clean EV, only to show their children a vision of the past with a poisonous, low-performing gas engine on one of the admittedly more-fun rides in the park. Just imagine how much more fun the ride could be if it were electric.

And Disney could do a lot more to update Tomorrowland with actual visions of the future, rather than an old-timey time capsule. The original Tomorrowland featured a “Carousel of Progress” show of futuristic efficient home appliances, and the Monorail and PeopleMover which both still exist. Disney could showcase more public transport or other post-car mobility options, ideas for futuristic city planning, induction cooktops and more.

But for now, making Autopia electric seems like incredibly low-hanging fruit. Electric go-karts are nothing new, and while Disney’s commitment to move away from gas in the “next few years” is good to hear, it’s been a long time coming, and now isn’t the time to wait.

To this end, local EV advocates and Plug In America are hosting a “Dump the Pump” rally this Sunday, April 21 at 10am at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank. Not a bad way to spend Earth Day weekend, perhaps after attending one of the LA-area Drive Electric Earth Month events the day before (and one of the founders of Drive Electric Week, Zan Dubin-Scott, is organizing the Burbank rally).

Given Disney’s 2030 net-zero pledge (which is ambitious compared to many companies), it’s about time they ditch gas at Autopia – and not just in the “next few years,” but maybe before next Earth Day rolls around. How about it?

Another affordable electric car is set to be unveiled later this year as Nissan looks to boost EV sales. Nissan will unveil a new Micra EV as its newest low-cost electric car.

Nissan has been teasing an electric Micra successor for several years now. The new EV was previewed as part of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance.

Over two years ago, the company claimed, “This all-new model will be designed by Nissan and engineered and manufactured by Renault using our new common platform.”

The entry-level EV was part of the Alliance’s plans to invest 23 billion euros ($24.5 billion) over a five-year period to kick off its EV offensive. Nissan unveiled its own business update last month as it looks to cut costs and introduce affordable EVs.

Nissan’s new “Arc” business plan aims for “significant next-generation EV cost reduction” through its partnerships and technology.

The automaker is preparing to launch five new electric cars soon. In November, Nissan revealed an up to £3bn ($3.8B) investment to build three new EVs at its Sunderland factory, including an electric Juke, Qashqai, and its LEAF successor.

Nissan Micra EV to arrive as a new low-cost option

However, Nissan will kick things off with the Micra EV, which will be unveiled later this year. It will be Nissan’s latest low-cost electric car as it looks to satisfy growing demand.

Although Nissan has yet to reveal full details, it’s expected to ride on the same AmpR Small Platform used to power the Renault 5. The Renault features up to 249 miles range from a 52 kWh battery, and the Nissan Micra EV is expected to boast similar numbers.

It could also offer smaller battery options, like 40 kWh, good for 186 miles range, at a lower price point.

According to Auto Express, the Micra EV will be the first of Nissan’s new electric car lineup. The new low-cost EVs’ design is expected to be closer to that of the Ariya, as sources have also indicated with the new LEAF.

Nissan said it aims to reduce the costs of its new electric models by 30% by developing “EVs in families, integrating powertrains, utilizing next-gen manufacturing, group sourcing, and battery innovations.”

The automaker expects that by focusing on these areas, its electric cars will achieve price parity with gas-power vehicles by 2030 (if not sooner).

Nissan also plans to introduce new EV batteries, such as all-solid-state, to gain a competitive advantage. It kicked off construction on its new all-solid-state EV battery pilot line this week.

Washington State’s energy board cut the size of what would have been the state’s largest wind farm in half yesterday – here’s why.

Wind farm controversy in Washington State

The $1.7 billion, 1,150-megawatt (MW) Horse Heaven Clean Energy Center combines wind, solar, and battery storage. The original plan was for the project to feature 244 wind turbines across 24 miles of hills, and three solar farms over 5,447 acres south of the Tri-Cities, near the Oregon border.

But Horse Heaven has been stuck at the permitting stage with the seven-person Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC) for the last three years. Yesterday, the EFSEC voted 5-2 in favor of a rule stating that new wind turbines could not be located within two miles of the nests of endangered ferruginous hawks.

The ferruginous hawk is classified as a Priority Species whose habitats need protection, and its nests can be found throughout the planning area. The nests often sit empty, but North America’s largest hawk is known to return to its nests after years pass.

The Audubon Society – which states on its website that it “strongly supports wind energy that is sited and operated properly to avoid, minimize, and mitigate effectively for the impacts on birds, other wildlife, and the places they need now and in the future” – supports the EFSEC’s decision.

So that decision effectively cuts the number of Horse Heaven’s wind turbines in half. Understandably, Horse Heaven’s developer, Colorado-based Scout Clean Energy, isn’t happy. But the company can appeal the decision to the EFSEC. If that fails, then the case goes to Governor Jay Inslee (D-WA), who will make the final decision.

With 3.4 GW of capacity, wind power is the second-largest contributor to the state’s renewable electricity generation, behind hydroelectricity, which supplies 60% of Washington’s total electricity net generation. In 2023, wind provided almost 8% of the state’s power.

Washington State is No 3 in the US for renewable generation overall, behind California and Texas. But natural gas is the second-largest in-state source of net generation, fueling about 18% of Washington’s total electricity generation in 2023, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).

By 2045, 100% of all electricity sold to Washington State customers must come from renewable or non-emitting sources.

Electrek’s Take

The EFSEC wanting the number of turbines reduced to protect an endangered hawk seems like a fair decision. The Audubon Society is very pro-wind power – they know that wind turbines aren’t the things that kill the most birds. No 1 is cats, No 2 is windows, and ultimately it’s climate change. So its support of the Horse Heaven decision carries weight.

The Yakama Nation isn’t in favor of the wind farm, either, citing damage to the hills’ cultural and historical significance. So it will be interesting to see what Inslee ultimately decides.

Washington is legally committed to achieving net zero by 2045, so they’ll ultimately have to figure it out.

Read more: Washington passes bill to target all EV sales by 2030 – for real this time

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