|
As it is with so many other things, the key to efficiency is combining the right technologies in the right ways. Existing vehicle engines aren't purely petroleum-based, remember, they combine IC engines with batteries, manually-manipulated pieces and electric motors for some functions (like starting the IC engine).
A future car should encompass more efficient less polluting drive engines... those should be electric. It needs to store cleaner fuel... that should be batteries, not fuel tanks. It needs to replenish that energy... there are charging stations, wide-spectrum solar cells embedded in the vehicle's body, regenerative braking, even SMALL fuel-burning engines that only run in their most efficient mode to charge the drive engine's batteries.
A combination of these technologies could make for much more efficient and cleaner-running vehicles. Much of this technology is available today, and the rest is already well under development.
|