Why electricity is the best alternative to fuel

Richard Gilbert is a Toronto-based consultant who focuses on energy and transportation. His latest book is Transport Revolutions: Moving People and Freight without Oil, written with Anthony Perl.
Two previous posts (here and here) set out Eastern Canada’s vulnerability to increasingly likely oil scarcity or high oil prices, or both. More than 90 per cent of the crude oil used in Eastern Canada comes from, or via, another country, and there is little in the way of reserves in the event of interruption.
As in most of the rest of the world, oil products in Eastern Canada are used chiefly for transportation – almost 80 per cent of the total in 2007. Scarcity or high prices could severely affect the ability of most Eastern Canadians to move themselves and, as importantly, their freight. Reducing oil consumption could lower this vulnerability. It could also strengthen Eastern Canada’s economic position by reducing the need for imports.
There are three ways to reduce oil use for transportation. One is to travel and move freight less by motorized means. Another is to use oil more efficiently. The third is to use fuels for transportation other than oil products such as diesel fuel and gasoline.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/economy/economy-lab/the-economists/why-electricity-is-the-best-alternative-to-fuel/article1793008/