This would tie into the MIT article you posted.

Increasing the fuel economy of our vehicles can not be overstated. It is, perhaps, the single most important thing we can do to prepare for the end of oil and the transition to alternative fuels.

I say this because none of the Alternative Fuel solutions I’ve seen to date can compare with the ease and speed of refueling, the extreme energy density, and robust operation that petroleum fuels have offered us. Oil and it’s distillates are the a near-perfect energy source: easy to harvest, easy to distribute, inexpensive to produce, and very, very dense in terms of energy content. Both Diesel and Gasoline engines are magnificent in terms of durability and performance. Nothing I’ve seen to date can compete.

But, when the petroleum reserves are inevitably depleted, the U.S. will be affected greatly. In fact, we’ll be affected more than any other nation. This is because the United States has enjoyed a wonderful way of life and a vast expanse of land and we have developed our infrastructure to take full advantage of that. Our superior systems of roads and highways enabled us to live far from our jobs, to go cross-country on vacation, and to bring food to our local supermarkets from all over the world. It’s been great. And it is still great.

But, the clock is ticking, just as it has been since M.K. Hubbert’s landmark publication for the Shell Oil Company regarding “peak oil”, and time is rapidly running out. We need to maximize our efficiency to preserve this valuable resource, and we need to start prepare ourselves for a future without oil.