Why not?

Clean, electric transportation can be a reality now! We have the know-how and the technology to implement it at affordable prices. The most straightforward and verified technology is the plug-in hybrid, or better, the all-electric car. NiMH long-life rechargeable battery packs for a 2-300 miles range for a medium car can be manufactured at about 10,000 dollars, with further reductions with scaling up the production.

What is still needed? – To satisfy the wish of the people for long-distance trips. And the only feasible way of doing this, due to the long recharging time of batteries (at least some hours), is to replace the discharged battery pack with a charged one at special “recharge stations” on the way. As a side effect, the price of electric cars will drop, as the customer will only rent, not buy the battery packs. Two key elements are needed for this: a standard for battery packs and battery pack chassis, and the recharge points/stations.

For the standard, a small effort from the automakers would be enough. For the recharge stations, about $15 billions, to furnish 10,000 stations with 50-100 battery packs each. This will be a base, start infrastructure that would increase many-fold the demand for electric vehicles. The sum might seem large, but it’s less than 1% the US early budget, and would be the necessary spark for a green revolution in the transportation system that could reduce 20-40% greenhouse gas emissions, apart from creating new jobs and raising living standards.