New Tomorrowland @ Disneyland? Is this the year it finally gets announced? No, and that’s OK

[Disney Irish]

Anaheim is already using overnight coal and gas to charge up the new Tesla police cruisers they bought.

And again I say... why doesn't Bob Iger ask Elon Musk to put up a SpaceX exhibit in just one of Tomorrowland's many abandoned buildings???

Anaheim police debut Tesla patrol cars in pilot program

The Anaheim Police Department will be introducing Tesla vehicles into their patrol fleet through a pilot program. The department said they’ve purchased six Model Y SUVs directly from Tesla. The veh…

ktla.com

Anaheim will be completely off of coal by 2027 -

"Future reductions will result from completing divestiture of coal in 2027, greater reliance on renewables and energy storage investments to help integrate growing intermittent renewables, while still relying on existing cleaner natural gas (natural gas emits about half the GHGs as coal) to provide a smooth transition."

https://anaheim.net/DocumentCenter/View/7987/Greenhouse-Gas-Reduction-Plan?bidId=

 

[Disney Irish]

I have driven and ridden in friends Teslas, and they are very fun to drive! I am contemplating replacing my older SUV with a new electric Dodge Charger coupe next year when I have to take money out of my IRA for tax purposes. I will keep my newer gas powered convertible however, because it just makes me smile. So far, there are no electric convertibles, and I like to make an entrance at the valet stand.

Might want to check out these for EV convertibles -

https://www.topgear.com/car-news/electric/heres-every-electric-convertible-available-now-or-potentially-future

 

[NobodyElse]

The cars will need to be charged up overnight to be ready for the next day.

I don't claim to have any idea about what they might be planning, but...

There's a way to do inductive charging in the load/unload lanes. This Company has solutions for buses and trucks in use already.

Further, since Autopia cars are usually never more than a foot or two off of the center line, (*citation needed) They would be an ideal application for a wireless electric road, as featured HERE.

Both of these solutions would reduce the need for large battery packs, and address some of the time of day, plugging in issues you mentioned.

 

[Disney Irish]

I don't claim to have any idea about what they might be planning, but...

There's a way to do inductive charging in the load/unload lanes. This Company has solutions for buses and trucks in use already.

Further, since Autopia cars are usually never more than a foot or two off of the center line, (*citation needed) They would be an ideal application for a wireless electric road, as featured HERE.

Both of these solutions would reduce the need for large battery packs, and address some of the time of day, plugging in issues you mentioned.

All good points, they could also do some type an electrified slot car type system similar to RSR but with the ability to steer the car along the track.

 

[TP2000]

I don't claim to have any idea about what they might be planning, but...

I don't think even they know what they are planning yet. This was all an attempt to avoid bad PR in the LA Times. Much like Bob Iger suddenly announcing the Splash Mountain redo in June, 2020 for a project that had no real work done on it yet, this is going to be years before it actually happens in Anaheim. If it even happens.

There's a way to do inductive charging in the load/unload lanes. This Company has solutions for buses and trucks in use already.

Further, since Autopia cars are usually never more than a foot or two off of the center line, (*citation needed) They would be an ideal application for a wireless electric road, as featured HERE.

Both of these solutions would reduce the need for large battery packs, and address some of the time of day, plugging in issues you mentioned.

I would think adding inductive roadways to the Autopia freeway system would be prohibitively expensive. Unless of course the battery tech isn't there now to let an Autopia car operate for at least 10 or 12 hours straight. This will probably cost them a ton of money regardless, but they'll obviously go the cheapest route they can get away with operationally.

You might be able to extend the cycle time of each car by doing some charging at loading, especially because Disneyland is often open 16 hours per day now.

I would have to imagine using electric cars for Autopia would be the same as all other EV's; plug them in overnight for 12 hours and then drive them the next day for 12. Rinse and repeat.

 

[TP2000]

Might want to check out these for EV convertibles -

https://www.topgear.com/car-news/electric/heres-every-electric-convertible-available-now-or-potentially-future

What is ironic is that I'm in town this weekend for the sociables attached to the La Jolla Concours d'Elegance. The town is crawling with car geeks and their beautiful machines!

But your link is to a British website talking about cars that are not for sale in the USA.

Even so, I wouldn't be caught dead in a Fiat that ugly. Do they even sell Fiats in this country any more?

The rest of those convertibles are concept cars from the European auto show circuit that have no announced production date. You can't actually buy them. Especially in this country.

 

[TP2000]

Anaheim will be completely off of coal by 2027 -

"Future reductions will result from completing divestiture of coal in 2027, greater reliance on renewables and energy storage investments to help integrate growing intermittent renewables, while still relying on existing cleaner natural gas (natural gas emits about half the GHGs as coal) to provide a smooth transition."

https://anaheim.net/DocumentCenter/View/7987/Greenhouse-Gas-Reduction-Plan?bidId=

Okay, so if Autopia goes electric by 2027, it will be powered by Natural Gas. From the same dinosaurs, and often from Utah.

You're welcome, Anaheim!

 

[TP2000]

That is not for me to decide, that is up to Anaheim to decide. But if the whole state is requiring no coal use even from out-of-state sources by 2026 then they better do something about it soon.

But you do know that energy storage is a thing right? So that energy generated by solar, wind, and other renewables can be used when those sources aren't available.

California solar-plus-storage project with world's largest BESS fully online

The Edwards & Sanborn solar-plus-storage project in California is now fully online, with 3,287MWh of battery storage capacity.

www.energy-storage.news

This is an excellent example of how problematic these types of articles are. The current technology is so wildly incapable of handling large scale energy usage that they do a disservice to the cause by making people think we can just switch to solar and battery storage now. Might there be a day a decade or three from now when the technology finally catches up, and you could store a whole lot of electricity in batteries for more than 4 hours at a time? Perhaps.

But now? It's a tiny drop in the bucket. It's a niche project that can't be scaled up to statewide, much less a regional level.

If you add all three of those California battery storage facilities together it's 6,287 Megawatts, or 6.2 Gigawatts. California uses an average of 795 Gigawatts per day (290,000+ Gigawatts annually), so those massive battery storage facilities combined hold 0.7% of the electricity used per day in California.

I suppose you could spend a Billion dollars and build a separate battery storage facility out in the desert just for Autopia. But something tells me that Anaheim will just continue using Natural Gas for the vast majority of its electricity generation. Check back on battery storage technology in 2040.

2022 Total System Electric Generation

www.energy.ca.gov

 

[Disney Irish]

That's a British website talking about cars that are not for sale in the USA.

Even so, I wouldn't be caught dead in a Fiat that ugly. Do they even sell Fiats in this country any more?

The rest of those convertibles are concept cars from the European auto show circuit that have no announced production date. You can't actually buy them. Especially in this country.

Point is there are models available today, even if you think they are ugly. And will be models available in the US by the time you're looking to replace your current car in the next year or two.

Okay, so if Autopia goes electric by 2027, it will be powered by Natural Gas. From the same dinosaurs, and often from Utah.

You're welcome, Anaheim!

Natural gas is much cleaner and more efficient than coal. But I believe that CA will be starting to phase out natural gas for energy production starting in 2030, only a short 5 1/2 years away.

 

[Disney Irish]

This is an excellent example of how problematic these types of articles are. The current technology is so wildly incapable of handling large scale energy usage that they do a disservice to the cause by making people think we can just switch to solar and battery storage now. Might there be a day a decade or three from now when the technology finally catches up, and you could store a whole lot of electricity in batteries for more than 4 hours at a time? Perhaps.

But now? It's a tiny drop in the bucket. It's a niche project that can't be scaled up to statewide, much less a regional level.

If you add all three of those California battery storage facilities together it's 6,287 Megawatts, or 6.2 Gigawatts. California uses an average of 795 Gigawatts per day (290,000+ Gigawatts annually), so those massive battery storage facilities combined hold 0.7% of the electricity used per day in California.

I suppose you could spend a Billion dollars and build a separate battery storage facility out in the desert just for Autopia. But something tells me that Anaheim will just continue using Natural Gas for the vast majority of its electricity generation. Check back on battery storage technology in 2040.

2022 Total System Electric Generation

www.energy.ca.gov

That is the entire states daily usage, but how much of that is at night or even during just peak usage of 4p-9p which is primarily when the storage would be used? And how much is just SoCal using during that time when the storage would be used? I believe I've read that its ~30,000 MW for the entire state overnight.

And those aren't the only sites going on-line. California will have a total of 52,000MW of storage by 2045. So it should be enough to cover the nightly usage for the entire state.

California Energy Storage System Survey

www.energy.ca.gov

 

[TP2000]

Point is there are models available today, even if you think they are ugly. And will be models available in the US by the time you're looking to replace your current car in the next year or two.

There are no electric convertibles for sale in the USA now. There is only one solid EV concept planned for the US market, the Tesla roadster, but it is unknown if or when that model might ever go on sale in this country.

All of the other models in that link aren't even really convertibles (that tiny and ugly Fiat just has a fabric sunroof), or are simply concept cars that have no known production date even in Europe.

Next year I'm replacing my older SUV because I have to take money out of my IRA and I realized that I don't really need an SUV in the mild southern Utah winters with our extremely well-maintained roads. I am considering a Dodge Charger coupe that has AWD and a 670 horsepower EV motor. If I do buy an EV, it will be charged up via coal and natural gas powered electricity generation. So all I'm doing is using coal instead of gasoline to power my car.

I just like to make a splashy entrance is all, and there's a couple EV's that are on my short list right now.

Natural gas is much cleaner and more efficient than coal. But I believe that CA will be starting to phase out natural gas for energy production starting in 2030, only a short 5 1/2 years away.

Something tells me that much like California High Speed Rail, the reality in 2030 won't quite match the press releases from years prior.

Natural Gas makes up 36% of the electricity generation in California. By what magical process does California find a new source of energy that can provide 36% of its daily electricity, especially after sundown?

 

[TP2000]

California will have a total of 52,000MW of storage by 2045. So it should be enough to cover the nightly usage for the entire state.

Let's set a kitchen timer for this thread, and we can all come back here in 21 years and learn if the corporate press releases from 2023 that predicted future tech not yet invented were correct or not.

 

[Disney Irish]

There are no electric convertibles for sale in the USA now. There is only one solid EV concept planned for the US market, the Tesla roadster, but it is unknown if or when that model might ever go on sale in this country.

All of the other models in that link aren't even really convertibles (that tiny and ugly Fiat just has a fabric sunroof), or are simply concept cars that have no known production date even in Europe.

Next year I'm replacing my older SUV because I have to take money out of my IRA and I realized that I don't really need an SUV in the mild southern Utah winters with our extremely well-maintained roads. I am considering a Dodge Charger coupe that has AWD and a 670 horsepower EV motor. If I do buy an EV, it will be charged up via coal and natural gas powered electricity generation. So all I'm doing is using coal instead of gasoline to power my car.

I just like to make a splashy entrance is all, and there's a couple EV's that are on my short list right now.

You're not buying a car today so it doesn't matter if they are available right now or not. Several of those models should be available in the US for sale in 2025. So by the time you go buy a new car they may be available, that was the point.

Something tells me that much like California High Speed Rail, the reality in 2030 won't quite match the press releases from years prior.

Natural Gas makes up 36% (and rising) of the electricity generation in California. By what magical process does California find a new source of energy that can provide 36% of its daily electricity, especially after sundown?

And much like HSR it is being built out now, as shown with the storage sites being built. So yeah its a bit more than just a press release. It may not be completely 0 by 2030 but I'm sure it'll be WAY less natural gas used in 2030 than today. And one thing is for sure it'll be zero coal used by the time 2030 rolls around.

 

[Disney Irish]

Let's set a kitchen timer for this thread, and we can all come back here in 21 years and learn if the corporate press releases from 2023 that predicted future tech not yet invented were correct or not.

Go ahead and set whatever timer you'd like. But these are initiative set, and I'm sure there will be technological advancements (just like there always have been) that makes hitting those goals easier. For example storage technology has change tremendously over just the last 10-15 years. And so by the time 2045 rolls around we may well be beyond that original storage goal.

 

[Disney Irish]

I don't think even they know what they are planning yet. This was all an attempt to avoid bad PR in the LA Times. Much like Bob Iger suddenly announcing the Splash Mountain redo in June, 2020 for a project that had no real work done on it yet, this is going to be years before it actually happens in Anaheim. If it even happens.



I would think adding inductive roadways to the Autopia freeway system would be prohibitively expensive. Unless of course the battery tech isn't there now to let an Autopia car operate for at least 10 or 12 hours straight. This will probably cost them a ton of money regardless, but they'll obviously go the cheapest route they can get away with operationally.

You might be able to extend the cycle time of each car by doing some charging at loading, especially because Disneyland is often open 16 hours per day now.

I would have to imagine using electric cars for Autopia would be the same as all other EV's; plug them in overnight for 12 hours and then drive them the next day for 12. Rinse and repeat.

Assuming for a second that Honda is helping pick up the tab on it, does it really matter how much it costs to electrify Autopia? Especially now that they've set a date of 2026.

 

[TP2000]

You're not buying a car today so it doesn't matter if they are available right now or not. Several of those models should be available in the US for sale in 2025. So by the time you go buy a new car they may be available, that was the point.

You didn't even read your own link, did you? It was from 2023, from a foreign country talking about concept cars that aren't even for sale in Europe, much less the USA. A couple of those automakers don't even exist in the USA, and one of those automakers in your 2023 link is now bankrupt and out of business; Fisker.

There are no EV convertibles for sale in the USA currently. There are no announced or known plans to sell an EV convertible in the USA at any time within the next few years.

 

[Disney Irish]

You didn't even read your own link, did you? It was from 2023, from a foreign country talking about concept cars that aren't even for sale in Europe, much less the USA. A couple of those automakers don't even exist in the USA, and one of those automakers in your 2023 link is now bankrupt and out of business; Fisker.

There are no EV convertibles for sale in the USA currently. There are no announced or known plans to sell an EV convertible in the USA at any time within the next few years.

I know when its was from (not like it was that long ago, less than a year old), and who put it out. Top Gear by the way isn't just UK, they are US as well.

Anyways cool, there isn't any for sale today at least none you'd like. And there might be soon enough in the near future. For example I may look at the Mini Cooper EV convertible when it becomes available in the US. And Fisker is not out of business, at least not yet. Nor have they yet officially filed for bankruptcy, though they maybe close if they don't find some partners soon.

 

[Parteecia]

You didn't even read your own link, did you? It was from 2023, from a foreign country talking about concept cars that aren't even for sale in Europe, much less the USA. A couple of those automakers don't even exist in the USA, and one of those automakers in your 2023 link is now bankrupt and out of business; Fisker.

There are no EV convertibles for sale in the USA currently. There are no announced or known plans to sell an EV convertible in the USA at any time within the next few years.

You can have your convertible converted to electric. I considered it for mine when it was failing before mechanics finally figured out what was wrong and fixed it.

 

[MagicWDI]

Did anyone else pause for a second and notice the first announcement was redacted, first saying electric cars are coming in 2026, but then clarified to say the gas cars are leaving 2026 with no opening announcement or even time frame on when to expect the electric cars?

So we have somewhat of a timeframe for the gas cars ending their run but no idea on when the replacements will arrive?

Lots of questions fill my mind. Why end something when you don't have something ready to replace it with. Like a plan. Or do they have a plan for something else? Maybe a bigger plan? Maybe Autopia isn't the only thing clothing is 2026? ...

Nah! It's late. I'm dreaming

 

[CaptinEO]

Did anyone else pause for a second and notice the first announcement was redacted, first saying electric cars are coming in 2026, but then clarified to say the gas cars are leaving 2026 with no opening announcement or even time frame on when to expect the electric cars?

So we have somewhat of a timeframe for the gas cars ending their run but no idea on when the replacements will arrive?

Lots of questions fill my mind. Why end something when you don't have something ready to replace it with. Like a plan. Or do they have a plan for something else? Maybe a bigger plan? Maybe Autopia isn't the only thing clothing is 2026? ...

Nah! It's late. I'm dreaming

Probably will be another abandoned TL ride once we reach 2026.