Reinventing the automobile

In the years since California zero emission vehicle standard (ZEV) was proposed, automotive experts have come to a startling conclusion: the gasoline-fuels, internal combustion engine-powered automobile may finally be on the way out. Experimental low-emission cars made of advance composite materials and run on electric drive trains and electronic controls are now being developed by more than a dozen countries. The new designs may be 3 to 5 times more efficient that today`s cars and reduce emissions of regulated pollutants by at least 95% and those of carbon dioxide by 75-90%. Topics discussed in this artical include the race towards development; electric possibilies; the Hybrid-electric; new fuel possibilites; advanced storage strategies; transition; sustainability require diversity.