The Contribution of Energy Suppliers:

Providing Alternative Fuels

Development of new low-carbon fuels and electricity is important for Sustainable Mobility. Alternative fuels are one pathway forward to sustainability, and automakers support a widely available, diverse range of low carbon and renewable energy sources that include biofuels, CNG, LPG, clean diesel, electricity and hydrogen. For a sustainable supply of biofuels, for example, investments are needed in developing and marketing, as well as more R&D for low-carbon biofuels such as cellulosic ethanol.

Access to alternative fuels will affect the successful introduction of new vehicles. Vehicles and fuels form a system. The auto industry’s best efforts to develop and deploy new, alternative fuel vehicles will succeed only if high quality fuels to support these vehicles are widely available. Consumer acceptance of alternative fuel vehicles and their fuels will depend on adequate fuel infrastructure and competitive fuel pricing, in addition to affordable vehicles. Thus, alternative fuel autos and the fuels that power them need to be developed and introduced in harmony.

The electricity infrastructure for vehicles needs to be ready. While electricity is not new, the infrastructure needed to power large numbers of electric vehicles is in its infancy. Consumers will soon need charging stations to be widely available, and over time, the electrical grid will need to be adapted and extended to accommodate a large volume of electric vehicles and new recharging systems. Transportation will become increasingly dependent on other sectors (e.g., electric utilities) and other technologies (e.g., wind and solar power) to enable lower carbon fuels.