BRUSSELS, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- Electric vehicles and a better use of methanol are some key issues that Europeans need to consider to ease their dependence on oil, scientists said in Brussels.
Scientific and political leaders met in Brussels for the ninth annual presentation by the European Parliament's Science and Technology Options Assessment unit.
Shai Agassi, the top executive at battery-recharging company Better Place, told delegates that Europeans could switch to electric cars more quickly as it became more apparent that oil was a costly commodity. He said advancements in battery technology meant each generation of alternative vehicles was more efficient than previous models.
"The price of setting up (a recharging) network in a given country or a continent is equivalent to only six days of its costs on gasoline," he explained.
George Olah, who won the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 1994, said methanol was a viable alternative to oil, though Europe needed to make better use of the alternative resource during off-peak hours.
Paul Crutzen, a Nobel laureate in 1995, warned the European community that moves toward a greener economy were needed because "we are clearly and deliberately affecting the climate with our actions."
