100th Birthday of the Model T - How Far Have We Really Come?

This post is from Emanuel Figueroa with the Sierra Club's campaign team in DC:

A week or so ago, NPR's Morning Edition celebrated the 100-year anniversary of the Ford Model-T, calling it the "universal car that sparked gasoline demand." (What a reason to celebrate!) The 1908 Model-T traveled 25 miles on each gallon of gas -- not much different than the average new car sold in America today! I have to wonder: How far have we really come?

The Model-T, which was made to run on ethanol from corn, is not the only example of a vehicle ahead of its time. The electric car made short-lived appearances in the 1800's, then again in the 1970's and 1990's (Who hasn't seen "Who Killed the Electric Car?")

Today, the Tesla Roadster (see the July 15 post: Test Driving Sustainability), an electric sports car that can go from zero to 60 in 3.9 seconds and runs for 220 miles per charge, is truly the first car of its class to be mass-produced.

Many auto manufacturers have plans to produce affordable plug-in electric vehicles within the next five years. The Myers Motors NmG, a single-passenger electric motorcycle that reaches speeds of over 76 mph with a 45 mile range per charge, is more affordable than the $100k Tesla at around $30k. Hybrid-electric vehicle owners can buy kits to convert their cars to plug-in electric vehicles. Maybe this has all been done before. But one day the electricity to fuel these vehicles will come from renewable sources and a clean electric grid (see July 9 post: Solutions For On the Grid Guilt). Looking forward to something new...