How is that taking away from peoples' choices? We have gasoline cars today that flood the market. I don't see any other type of car. So if you have a problem with having green energy transportation consume the markets, then you have the same issue with gasoline cars. Only way to be consistent. So I guess cars are a form of coercion?
If the only products that are sold on the market are electric cars, maglev, fuel cell, what have you, then those products would compete in the market.
The only way to to make the only products sold in the market green, is to regulate the others out of existence.
That is expressly taking away peoples choices!
You are right, that is a problem. I know they can make space planes using compressed air air planes and are then laser ignited. But that's for like providing a payload to the ISS.
This is Science fiction, and not available yet.
With ships you could put your payload under a sheet of solar cells. All equipment and payload have solar cells on top of them. Once the circuit is complete the pumping energy from the solar panels will power the engines. The key is area. The more area you got the more electricity that will be generated. Something to be explored at least.
Let's look at the math,
Emma Maersk - Container vessel
1300 feet long, by 183 feet wide. say 237,000 sq feet.
80,080 kW engine
SolarWorld SW 315 Pro XL
315 watt panel is 21 sq feet
237,000/21=11285 panels *315 watts=3,554,775 watts= 3,555kW
So 3,555 Kw available, 80,080 needed!
Those big ass tractors man I have no idea. Which makes me nervous. I know everyone will say "but we have this many years left," but seriously, how are we going to power our current transportation? Are we going to have to redesign the process of doing things?
I am not sure you have been listening, we can make our own carbon neutral hydrocarbon fuels.
I know space X has a kickin new train. There were ideas for maglev trains. Maglev trains have a huge potential with solar energy. Just power the magnets and off you go.
I've seen ideas of totally automating the transportation system, at least for citizens. Everything is powered by sun, and no one would own a car. The units are public.
Again taking away peoples freedom to choose how they want to live!
But you have a very good point. How are we going to supply energy to our great huge forms of transportation? We don't have hydrocarbons forever. Apparently you can make flammable hydrocarbons, but I do hope we move past that to something less intrusive to the environment. Time will tell.
PS - Fuell cells?
Because we can make our own hydrocarbon fuels, we do have them forever, think of them as nature's
almost perfect energy storage container.
Fuel cells have the best potential because they are not heat engines,
(I.E. they do not have to follow Carnot's rules.). The only problem with fuels cells is hydrogen
is difficult to carry around, and the infrastructure is almost non existent.
An interim option would be to run the fuel cells with hydrogen evolved from conventional fuels.
Diesel to Hydrogen Fuel Processor | Power + Energy
The trick is to allow the market, and peoples choices a path to evolve.