Electric cars are already functional alternatives except for the cost of battery replacement.  Even ten years ago a small car could be completely converted to electricity for well under $10,000, but the back seat was mostly taken up by car batteries. Electric cars will be developed commercially again, not for the first time. The difficulty is still storage of the electricity – typical batteries will store enough only for a trip of around 100 miles. Now NIMH batteries will allow an electric car to go 300 miles on a charge, but they are excessively expensive. But an electric vehicle could be used for the occasional trip to the city to purchase certain necessities. 

The city of Austin is planning the use of plug-in electric cars. The cars will be plugged in at night while people are at home and during the day while people are at work. At night the electric company will be charging the batteries because electric demand is low. During the day the electric company can use some of that stored energy, when electric demand is peaking. This system is a perfect match for a community trying to use alternative energy, as Austin is.

Regardless of this, each community should use our city cars for commuting only, and have bicycles, horses, or oxen for use within the community. Of course walking is the very best method, and the community layout makes it very easy to get around. Any animals used for transportation should have bun bags so as to avoid scattering manure in residential areas. As a general rule, animals and humans will live in separate areas of a community.

In other words, all "polluting gas hogs" have to be the parked in the main parking lot reserved for this purpose in each community, and everything within each community must be green transportation.

As long-range electric cars become more available we can replace our gas cars for the occasional commuting. Many community residents will have little need for a family car, and a village of eight families might share one or two vehicles, thus saving a considerable amount of money. The days of cheap oil will eventually come to an end.

If we establish the sole use of electric and especially natural transportation methods within the community, then if a time comes when we are forced to be fully self-sufficient it will be that much easier. Hopefully by that time we’ll have become experts at maintaining bicycles, or perhaps have some experience at converting cars to electric power for the occasional transportation needed outside the community.

There are very beautiful sections of towns around the world where there are no cars allowed, only pedestrian traffic, which creates a very pleasing atmosphere. This gives an idea of what our communities should be like. Here is a list of car-free places on Wikipedia.

The system of paths between villages will be just wide enough to drive a car, only for those times when someone is moving in or out of a community. This is the only exception to the “no car” rule within communities.

Please see the page on Community Layout for more information.

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