Electric road systems (overhead catenary or in-road charging for trucks in motion)

Transport accounts for about a quarter of global energy-related carbon emissions, and it's almost entirely dependent on oil. Cars, trucks, planes, and ships burn fossil fuels that pump CO2 directly into the atmosphere, while our cities and supply chains are designed around this dirty infrastructure.

The challenge isn't just switching to cleaner fuels — it's rebuilding how we move people and goods. Some transport modes like aviation and shipping have no obvious clean alternatives ready today. Others, like personal cars, have solutions that work but need to scale up fast and become affordable for everyone.

This is urgent because transport emissions keep growing as more people get cars and more goods move around the world. We need both better technology and smarter systems that help us travel less wastefully.

Trucks move most of the stuff we buy, and they're some of the heaviest users of diesel fuel. A single long-haul truck can burn as much fuel as dozens of cars. The challenge is that freight vehicles need to carry heavy loads over long distances, often with tight delivery schedules.

Electrifying trucks is harder than cars because batteries are heavy and expensive, and truck drivers can't afford long charging stops. Different solutions work for different types of freight — city delivery vans have different needs than trucks crossing continents.

Infrastructure that powers trucks while they drive, like electric trains but for highways. This could use overhead wires or wireless charging built into road surfaces. It would eliminate range anxiety for long-haul trucking but requires massive infrastructure investment.