Page 91 - Technology and Innovation Journal - 19-1

TRANSPORTATION AND ENERGY 429

distances along with the critically important ability supply. Most of this energy currently comes from fos-
to provide modern society with an individualized sil fuels. Even the small numbers of vehicles powered
and reliable means of personal transportation. by batteries mostly receive their charge from a power
For these modes of transportation, the key to plant that runs on coal or natural gas. The reality is
their continuing success was, and continues to be, that it is hard to match the energy capacity per vol-
their ability to innovate, improve their efficiency, and ume and weight of petroleum-based fuels. The key
effectively become more economical. In all cases, we then is to use these fuels in the most effective ways
can see the following pattern. There is an initial break- to cut down on waste, reduce cost, and minimize the
through idea followed by continuous improvements environmental impact.
in both the technology and the implementation and Consider the automobile, of which there are well
improvements in the infrastructure that support the over 1.2 billion in use in the world today, with the
use of the technology, all of which create the societal prediction that this number will exceed 2 billion by
changes that occur as a part of the natural order of the year 2035 (1). Of this quantity, approximately
progress. 260 million are in use in the United States (2). The
With these changes and improvements, the older, global total represents a significant worldwide use
less reliable, and inefficient modes of transportation of carbon-based fuels with the associated economic
were set aside or relegated to curiosities to be featured costs and environmental impact, and those costs
in parades and exhibitions. Each older technology are more heavily weighted towards the countries
had its day and served to advance then-contem- and regions with little or no regulatory supervision
porary societal and personal transportation needs. and/or control over the efficient use of the fuel or the
What came next was, in most cases, a breakthrough cleanup after its use.
technology, often referred to as a game changer An overwhelming majority of these vehicles use
that advanced the ability to move individuals faster, petroleum-based products, and, even with the antic-
farther, and more economically. It also allowed the ipated increase in electric and hybrid vehicles, the
movement of greater volumes of goods over greater U.S. Department of Energy estimates that petroleum-
distances, again more economically and reliably. based fuel use will exceed 80% of the total mobility
It is with transportation that we get the great- energy distribution in the United States through the
est movement in our economy and our societal year 2050 and even more for the rest of the world.
developments. Currently, the transportation sec- Looking at the numbers for the U.S., it is not until
tor is evolving in almost every facet of this nation’s at least 2025 that there is even a measureable change
development. This process will continue in an almost from the current almost entirely dominant use (per-
immeasurable fashion with the goal being another centagewise) of petroleum-based fuels (Figure 1).
breakthrough that will provide a strategic and
financial advantage to one or more segments of the THE PERSONAL AUTOMOBILE
economy. This will again start the evolving process The U.S., in the recent past, sent over $1 billion
of constant improvements until the next innovative a day overseas for liquid energy sources, most of
breakthrough. which is used in the transportation sector. Since the
world seems to be destined, by necessity and not
PERSONAL TRANSPORTATION convenience, to continue the use of carbon-based
Even with highly developed public transportation, fuels, at least for the next few decades, it would seem
there is a need for personal transportation. This is reasonable to consider and expect there to be a series
particularly true for large landmasses where the pop- of technological innovations and possible break-
ulation density may not economically warrant the throughs to gain further value from these fuels while
creation of complex public transportation systems. reducing the cost per mile and the environmental
This is also evident in developing counties that need impact. All of this, of course, is in conjunction with
individualized modes of transportation prior to jus- improving vehicle safety, convenience, drivability,
tifying the need for public transportation. and sustainability.
Most current personal transportation relies on The U. S. Department of Energy has established
motive force supplied through some stored energy the energy requirements for the average personal