Smart Transportation Solutions
We need smart transportation solutions that reduce our oil consumption, decrease global warming emissions, and improve air quality. To accomplish this, UCS advocates for a diverse transportation strategy focused on three primary goals:
- Increase fuel efficiency
- Produce clean biofuels
- Invest in advanced vehicle technologies that no longer rely exclusively on oil
Together these strategies provide the foundation for a realistic, practical national oil savings plan that would cut projected U.S. oil consumption in half within the next 20 years.
Increase Fuel Efficiency
Improving the fuel economy of our nation’s vehicles offers the single greatest opportunity for reducing oil consumption and global warming pollution—and federal policy provides the most powerful tool to accomplish it.
Strong fuel efficiency and emissions standards can help drive technological innovation, dramatically increase the number of fuel-efficient vehicles, and encourage consumer demand.
Produce Clean Biofuels
Petroleum accounts for the vast majority of our nation’s fuel. Biofuels offer a better, cleaner alternative that could provide more than 10 percent of U.S. fuel needs.
Corn-based ethanol currently dominates the U.S. market, but has a minimal effect on reducing overall emissions while negatively impacting food supplies and the environment. Better options exist, such as cellulosic biofuels made from wood, grass, and even garbage. To help make such biofuels a commercial reality, UCS recently launched the Billion Gallon Challenge.
Invest in Advanced Vehicle Technologies
Hybrid, electric, and fuel-cell technologies are increasingly coming to market and offer long-term solutions to reduce U.S. oil consumption and global warming emissions.
UCS demonstrates the potential with its Model E electric vehicle plans, which use existing technologies to illustrate the feasibility of a low-carbon vehicle future. More advanced technologies have the potential to provide even greater efficiency gains.
Support Smart Policy
Clean vehicle technology provides us with solutions to significantly reduce U.S. oil consumption—but only smart government policy can make it happen.
To help accomplish this, UCS advocates on state and federal levels to implement a strong national fuel efficiency and global warming pollution standard, fund the development of advanced biofuels and next-generation vehicles, and move America toward an ultimately oil-free future.
