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Economist industry editor Iain Carson and journalist Vijay Vaitheeswaran (author of Power to the People) offer a thesis both straightforward and counterintuitive: “Oil is the problem, not cars. That is why we must reinvent the automobile.” This promises a juicy technological discussion, but much space is devoted to backstories of the automobile and oil industries, as well as the Faustian bargain of oil-for-security struck after WWII between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. Their attention to business minutiae may seem slow to readers, although the foundering fortunes of Detroit’s Big Three automakers provide compelling narratives.

They argue the private sector must develop new automotive forms that transcend the century-old pollution-spewing, internal-combustion model. This discussion casts a wide net, including the surprising hypothesis that China will pursue a “clean and green” revolution as its use of cars and power explodes. There’s also an overview of controversial proposals like the Rocky Mountain Institute’s “Hypercar,” a sleek aerodynamic car that is supposed to improve fuel economy, and the likeliest longer-term prospects for saving us from the oil morass. “The potential game changers are flexible engines, hybrid electrics and fuel cells,” they optimistically argue, and the probable market-driven outcome of a showdown between hydrogen power and “plug-in” hybrid-electric vehicles. Overall, the authors stand with those who argue the American way of life, of suburbs and car dependency, is non-negotiable. So hopefully their optimism will prove well founded.