This recent announcement by the European Union apparently has the world in an uproar. Their new European transport plan calls for a complete ban of gas-powered cars by 2050, among other requirements such as making airlines and shipping services cut their emissions, and improving public transit services.
Now, they're not talking about banning ALL cars, just gas-powered ones. So assuming that electric cars will become more mainstream in the next 30 years, this shouldn't affect too many Europeans who rely on personal transportation - especially if public transit improves along with electric infrastructure. But some folks are concerned that people will either resist the transition or that it would affect some locations more drastically than others and that individual cities should be able to set their own restrictions. (See Grist's article.)
So the big question is: If Europe can pull it off, can the U.S. do the same? The American sentiment for the car notwithstanding, is the geography of our nation just not cut out for an all-electric transportation system? Urban areas would do just fine focusing on public transit, but what about rural areas, where you might go 50 miles between towns? If electric vehicles were the only available options, can we set up the infrastructure to support it in time? And would you rather see legislature like this enforced on a national or local level?
