Rising oil prices coupled with dire regulatory reports on global warming have reinvigorated interest in biofuels as a low carbon fuel. What is the status of second generation biofuels technology and the scaleup possibilities? Can biofuels be looked at as a mature technology option? How can biofuels targets be met, which appear more ambitious at the current pace of scale up? How do socio-political dimensions add to the value of biofuels as a cleaner fuel choice?
Although batteries and electric motors are expected to play a major role in the future, there is a wide spectrum of views on how fast the transition from Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) to EVs might be. New technological breakthroughs such as “homogeneous charge compression ignition” may improve ICE efficiency by 20-30%. How will these ICE improvements affect competitiveness with electric vehicles? Could cost parity be delayed by new technology and new business models? How will this impact the penetration of EV and the composition of the car fleet of the future?