New fuels in the marketplace give consumers new choices and could decrease our dependence on imported oil. Power plants that produce electricity do pollute. But these plants are often in rural areas where the emissions do not drive pollution levels above health standards. Also, efficient emission controls can be installed and maintained more easily on individual power plants than on millions of vehicles. The driving range of today's electric cars is limited by the amount of power the battery can provide.
Current batteries take hours to recharge and the cost of electric vehicles is high.
Recent developments in electric vehicle technology show much promise for the future. Pure ethanol fuel offers excellent performance, plus low hydrocarbon and toxic emissions. With current technology and price structures, ethanol is more expensive than gasoline. New technologies offer the hope of significantly reduced costs. It can be produced at prices comparable to gasoline from natural gas and can also be produced from coal and wood.