Reducing Global Warming with Innovative Transportation Technology

This paper discusses the use of the energy conversion chain as a useful tool for analyzing future transportation energy alternatives. A review of the literature indicates that some form of hybrid vehicle propulsion system is likely to be the best choice to reduce fossil fuel consumption, and therefore CO₂ emissions. The success of grid-independent hybrid vehicles will likely be followed by a new generation of “plug-in hybrid” vehicles in which it is possible to travel for up to 100 km in an all-electric mode. A comparison is made of several different configurations of the plug-in hybrid vehicle, and some discussion is presented on how these vehicles can be used in conjunction with a sustainable primary energy supply to provide a substantial reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases from the transportation sector.