This unit is designed to introduce students to various sources of energy for vehicles. It will explore the technology currently available for vehicular transportation and the technologies that are being developed for future use in vehicles.

The unit is written for a ninth grade integrated science (sometimes called Phy/Chem) class. In our school system, that means that we cover primarily physical sciences in this class. This unit is intended to address three of the science standards we are supposed to cover: the use of fossil fuels and other technologies in the generation of electricity, the chemistry of hydrocarbon combustion, and the environmental impact of human transportation choices.

This unit is broken into three major sections. In the first section, past and current, commonly available transportation technology options are discussed. The second section looks to the future where transportation technologies that are being developed and perfected today are discussed. The final section of this unit is the project that the students will produce based on the information presented in the first two sections of this unit.

(Developed for General Science, grade 9; recommended for General Science, grade 9, and Environmental Science, High School grades)