Automobiles can be part of the solution:

• Powering automobiles with advanced technology and renewable energy sources is the best way to reduce dependence on oil and lower vehicle emissions.
• U.S. energy policy should enable the development of alternative fuels and promote the adoption of advanced technologies.
• A key to energy independence and a reduction in fossil fuels is energy diversity; finding the right mix of gasoline and alternative fuels along with advanced technologies like hybrids, electric automobiles and hydrogen fuel cells.

• Hybrid vehicles allow for the vehicle to shut off the combustion engine during idling or sitting in traffic, thus saving gasoline and limiting emissions. They also use a process called regenerative breaking which allows the vehicle to turn wasted energy into kinetic energy that is used to recharge the battery while driving.
• Hybrids allow for smaller, lighter and more efficient engines. Current combustion engines are sized for peak power demand, but because of the extra boost given to the vehicle by the electric motor, the engine does not need to be as large and does not face the same stress. Allowing the gasoline engine to operate in only average power conditions rather than peak improves fuel efficiency and curtails greenhouse gas emissions.
• One feature of electric motors is a flat torque curve which gives 100% of torque at zero rpm. This ensures consumers will not have to sacrifice power and towing when using a hybrid system, a very important consideration for American drivers.

• These electric vehicles use a large lithium ion battery and a small gasoline engine. When the battery is fully charged these vehicles are capable of 40 miles of electric only operation. The vehicle takes only six hours a day to charge and can be plugged into a 110-volt outlet in any garage or parking lot.
• More than half of Americans live within 20 miles of where they work, and this 40 mile round trip would allow for a completely gasoline and emissions-free commute.
• If the battery becomes depleted, a small gasoline or other alternative fuel engine is used to create electricity and replenish the battery. This system allows the vehicle to go more than 500 miles on a full tank while providing triple-digit fuel economy.

• A hydrogen fuel cell vehicle generates electricity on board when hydrogen reacts with oxygen to produce electricity; this electricity is then used to power the electric motor. The only by product of this reaction is water.
• This onboard creation of power can be utilized without using petroleum- based fuel, without harmful greenhouse gas emissions and without dependence on foreign producers.
• Unlike gasoline, hydrogen can be made from diverse energy sources such as the reformation of ethanol, propane or natural gas, solar or wind power, hydroelectric power and waste hydrogen from other industrial processes.
• Simply developing these vehicles to yield these benefits is only part of the solution. Funding must be directed to developing hydrogen pipelines and the infrastructure to fuel them. Hydrogen fueling stations are only available in a limited number of metro areas - 3 to be exact. Infrastructure development needs to keep pace with vehicle development.

• For every barrel of ethanol produced (1 barrel = 42 gallons), 1.2 barrels of petroleum are displaced at the refinery.
• U.S. energy policy should further support cellulosic ethanol which can emerge to offset great amounts of imported oil. This fuel is produced from agricultural waste products such as corn stalks and rice husks or non edible crops like switch grass and trees. Using cellulosic ethanol puts no pressure on food prices and can be created in areas that do not support the growth of food crops.
• New technology helps diversify ethanol sources - everyday trash, tires, and waste products are already being used to make ethanol.
• E85 ethanol is available now but out of 170,000 commercial fueling stations in the U.S. only 1,100 carry ethanol. The government should provide support to make more of these stations available in all areas of the country.