The Problem: Getting around wastes lots of energy, and produces toxins.
The Fix: Move to lower impact vehicles. First to hybrids, then electric.
Summary: The car's here, and it's not going anywhere soon. What will change is the fuel that powers our cars, trucks, buses and tractors.
Right now, most cars run on gasoline or natural gas. As we move forward, they'll run on a combination of gas and stored electricity, and eventually electricity only. Combined with better ways of making electricity, we will drastically reduce the pollution it takes to get groceries or visit grandma.
Of course, not everyone can use a small car in their work. For those cases, the move to biodiesel can dramatically reduce our transportation impact.
This link looks at the present and near future of how we get ourselves and our stuff (big and small) around.
This section describes the variety of electric vehicles currently on the market and on the market in the near future. It also discusses where the American market stands on important metrics such as miles traveled, miles per gallon, and the number of hybrids on American roads.
Explore Go Electric
The largest stumbling block for electric cars for decades has been battery technology. Batteries are heavy and expensive, with short lifespans historically. This section describes the progress that has been made on a number of fronts with different battery technologies.
Explore Better Batteries
The next problem with electric cars, once batteries are small enough and inexpensive enough, is extending the ranges on the vehicles. As Americans, we like to drive and need to drive, relying on our cars for everything from getting to work to taking cross-country road trips. This section describes how to deal with the need to charge batteries quickly all over the country. In essence, this section describes what will replace gas stations in an electric world.
Explore Portable Power
While electricity is the way of the future for the light vehicle fleet, it is unlikely that you will see electric 18-wheelers driving by anytime in the near future. The heavy vehicle fleet relies on diesel, which can be replaced by biodiesel for greenhouse gas reductions.
Explore Biodiesel