With fewer people on the move during the pandemic, Bill Gates is taking the time to think about better ways to get around when we can again. Specifically, the Microsoft co-founder is sharing his thoughts on electric vehicles and alternative fuels that could help address a crisis beyond COVID: climate change.
In a new GatesNotes blog post, Gates said we’ve made great progress on electric vehicles. Batteries are getting cheaper and increased competition has created more choices for consumers. But even if the short-haul travel option further develops into a long-haul answer, EVs “will probably never be a practical solution for things like 18-wheelers, cargo ships, and passenger jets.”
Gates said this is where cheap alternative fuels come in, such as biofuels, which many people have heard of, and electrofuels, a very expensive option that uses electricity to combine the hydrogen molecules in water with the carbon in carbon dioxide, creating a liquid fuel that works in existing engines.
“Zeroing out all transportation emissions is going to require massive breakthroughs in these two areas,” Gates wrote, adding that while he’s inspired by progress made so far, “to prevent the worst effects of climate change, we need to get to zero net greenhouse gas emissions in every sector of the economy within 50 years.”
The billionaire philanthropist’s concerns mirror those of the company he founded. Microsoft pledged in January to become carbon negative by 2030 and remove more carbon than the company has put into the atmosphere since it launched by 2050. And Amazon for its part has set ambitious goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, establishing a Climate Pledge aimed at addressing its vast carbon footprint.
Read his post for further insight.
