American Energy Policy and Alternatives to the Internal Combustion Engine

With gasoline at a record $2.50 a gallon in the United States, and with the passage of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, now is a good time to see where the United States has been and where it might be heading in the near future, in regard to automobiles and government policies to regulate their efficiency. In this paper, I will first look at the recent history of American energy policy as applied to the transportation sector. Particular focus will be on the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 and the automobile industry’s response to this legislation. Second, two new automobile engine technologies—the hybrid and the hydrogen fuel cell automobile—will be briefly described and then analyzed in terms of their technological, economic, environmental, and energy efficiency potentials. Finally, I will speculate on the automobile and American energy policy of 2025.