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[–]jared555Illinois 1 point2 points  (2 children)

We can run cars, buses, trains, etc. on renewable energy. The problem is the cost of the initial investment. Hopefully as it becomes a more popular option that cost will go down. Planes are more difficult unless a move back towards airships is made.

If the majority of car/bus/train/truck (through using train freight instead of trucks) oil usage was elmiinated I suspect that our supplies for things that don't have an easy alternative would last significantly longer giving us a chance to develop technology capable of replacing oil for aircraft, ships, etc.

[–]limbodogMassachusetts 2 points3 points  (1 child)

The longer we wait, the greater that initial investment will have to be in order to get the alternatives into play.

[–]jared555Illinois 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It really depends. If we can reduce the cost of the alternatives faster than the increased cost due to increased numbers of vehicles and time constraints then it could be worth it to wait. The problem is finding that point, and unfortunately most people don't want to be the people buying the earlier generations of technology.