Just add water

The first energy crisis in this country was in the 19th century when the supply of whale oil, the chief source of artificial lighting, was, for a numer of reasons, no longer reliable. The problem disappeared with the discovery of petroleum. That's what we tend to do, let necessity drive us to a solution. The current energy crisis will be solved the same way, so maybe we should be trying to find ways to use oil up faster instead of conserving it. One of the more interesting potential solutions is being researched at Purdue:

Researchers at Purdue University have further developed a technology that could represent a pollution-free energy source for a range of potential applications, from golf carts to submarines and cars to emergency portable generators.

The technology produces hydrogen by adding water to an alloy of aluminum and gallium. When water is added to the alloy, the aluminum splits water by attracting oxygen, liberating hydrogen in the process. The Purdue researchers are developing a method to create particles of the alloy that could be placed in a tank to react with water and produce hydrogen on demand.

A free ride -- just fill up the tank with water and drive on. Unless, of course, you feel compelled to use bottled water.