wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

I do believe we will see some viable alt-energy vehicles for the general market in a few short years. In a way $100 per bbl. oil has finally done what 40 years of complaining could not.

and electric volvo - safe! I do like the idea of a robot chauffeur so you have the option of driving or not. Driving is more stress!

I know if I wanted to get a car* and had a spare $100K, I would get myself a fully electric Tesla Roadster:

http://www.teslamotors.com/

Who said green couldn't be fun and sexy!

*Gotta love living in Manhattan - I've been happily car-free for more than 10 years!

please ask about unintended consequences of the corvair (a small car) becoming the poster child for auto safety problems?

Don't forget the role of government policy in shaping consumer demand (e.g. - low taxes on fuel in the U.S. vs. high taxes on fuel in western Europe).

What does your guest think about plug in electric cars? It would take 50 electric cars to equal the emissions of 1 fossil fuel car. Why not put an electric motor in Hummers?

I would love a car that is assisted in its steering by road-based magnetic strips or some other mechanism, to help keep cars on the road without 100% responsibility on the driver. (Yes I prefer trains!)

In addition to making long trips a bit easier, this feature would also make me feel slightly safer around the multitudes of witless drivers I come across on the roads, especially SUV drivers who seem offended by road rules.

Which reminds me, another cool feature would be automatic turn signals, and automatic speed limits for roads under 40mph.

I'd guess the last two are technically possible at present.

How about a car that runs on cow dung and gives the driver continuous solar powered liposuction?