Energy Vision

Mission

Energy Vision’s mission is to analyze and promote ways to make a swift transition to pollution-free renewable energy sources and to the clean, petroleum-free transportation fuels of the future.

Addressing the Challenge of US Oil Dependency

With about 5% of the world’s population, the US consumes 20.8 million barrels of oil a day — 25% of worldwide consumption. While gasoline and diesel enabled the growth of this country’s transportation systems in the 20th century, continued reliance on these fuels poses many threats to the future:

  • Our National Security: Our dangerous reliance on foreign oil is due to the more than 220 million vehicles which use 69% of oil consumed in the US. We rely on precarious foreign supplies for 2/3rds of all the oil we use; more than 30% comes from the unstable Middle East, and competition for dwindling global supplies is increasing from industrializing Asia.
  • Our Economic Strength: Oil imports drained $309.1 billion from the US economy in 2006, and untold billions are now spent defending foreign supplies and infrastructure.
  • Our Children’s Health: Vehicle emissions cause 60-90% of the air pollution in cities, damaging the health of millions of our children and is a key reason why 156 million Americans live in areas where air quality is labeled unhealthy by the US EPA
  • Our Global Climate’s Stability: Vehicle emissions constitute 25 percent of the greenhouse gases produced in the US, which have made this country the #1 contributor to global climate change.

Getting on the Path to Sustainable Fuels

Clean alternative fuels are available that can free us from oil dependency and put us on the path to sustainable fuels. The challenge is to act now.


Energy Vision particularly focuses on identifying and promoting the fuel and technology alternatives that offer the greatest near and long term benefits:


  • minimal vehicle emissions, greenhouse gas reductions and greater energy security today
  • the technology learning curves that will facilitate a longer term transition to the era of secure as well as pollution and carbon-free fuels.
  • The end goal of this transition, according to more and more world authorities, is hydrogen fuel cell powered transportation –with hydrogen made first from natural gas, then from water using renewable energy.

Energy Vision’s Strategy

  • To educate government and business leaders, students, and a broader citizenry in the US about the risks of our heavy reliance on petroleum-based fuels
  • To analyze and report on the domestic alternative fuels that can best reduce air pollution, cut greenhouse gases, and replace use of oil
  • To work with municipal and state governments, businesses, vehicle fleet operators, communities and universities in designing programs moving toward a long term sustainable hydrogen future

EV’s 2007-8 Focus: Greening Garbage Trucks

EV research has identified the 140,000 diesel refuse trucks rumbling through the streets of virtually every US city as a top priority for a shift to alternative fuels. They are a key source of health-threatening urban air pollution as well as heavy fuel users (getting less than 3 miles per gallon). Today’s new natural gas trucks are cleaner than the cleanest diesel trucks, much quieter, generate 10-20% fewer greenhouse gases, and are free of their risky reliance on a fuel made from foreign oil. Shifting just half of these trucks to domestic natural gas would displace 600 million gallons of expensive foreign oil a year, bringing fuel security and price control to a public service that is essential to every community.


Overall, EV research has also identified natural gas as the cleanest and most plentiful alternative fuel today, and this fuel will soon be supplemented by a potentially huge supply of biomethane – a renewable fuel produced from the biogases now escaping from landfills, sewage plants, agricultural and other organic wastes. The materials, vehicles, and refueling stations developed today for use of these gaseous fuels pave the way to tomorrow’s use of hydrogen.


To reduce greenhouse gases, create healthier air for millions of Americans, increase US fuel security and put transportation on the path to hydrogen, EV’s goal is to share its expertise and work with government and business partners to see dozens of major cities across the US shift from diesel to natural gas refuse trucks, making these fleets real pioneers in the transportation revolution ahead.