Originally Posted by
schuylergrace
Yes, but before electric vehicles, there were steam powered vehicles, and we still use steam technology (in a much more refined way) to generate electricity today. Batteries are the same--we went from one-use cells to rechargeable to today's high power density (but not yet the same as gas), and they, along with electric motor technology, continue to improve. Gas and diesel engines have to some extent, but not on the scale of electric (or steam, for that matter). There are also more important and less dangerous uses for our finite oil reserves.
And regarding your how to keep your house and car running in the event of a grid disaster, the ideal solution would be to have your own generation and storage capability (solar panels or turbines and batteries). Your house would operate primarily off your own generating capacity, but you can pull from the grid when you turn on your three-phase milling machine or dump your excess power back onto the grid after your batteries charge. In fact, Tesla has already delivered several larger generating stations/batteries to areas struck by natural disasters to localize power. You'd just have the same gear--it's available today--in your home, but on a smaller scale. We aren't there, yet, and there will be major growing pains, but I really think that's the way we are headed.