President Obama recently unveiled the government's plan to speed up the adoption of alternative energy, the EV-Everywhere Challenge. This is just one part of the Obama administration's effort to provide more affordable technology to Americans and simultaneously reduce U.S. dependence on oil. The latest challenge is calling on "America's best and brightest" to work together to develop ways to make electric vehicles (EVs) more affordable and convenient than the handful of current options.

Obama is calling for these changes to be implemented within the next decade. His hope is to bring together members of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) with leading scientists, developers and engineers from the industry and higher education institutions. The goal includes finding ways to lower costs for batteries and drivetrains and improve charging speeds and battery capacities.

"The Energy Department's Clean Energy Grand Challenges will engage American scientists, engineers and young people to solve some of the nation's biggest energy challenges and make clean energy technologies affordable and accessible to the vast majority of American families and businesses," said Secretary of Energy Dr. Steven Chu. "The EV-Everywhere Challenge is focused on advancing electric vehicle technologies and continuing to reduce costs, so that a decade from now, electric vehicles will be more affordable and convenient to own than today's gasoline-powered vehicles."

Until EVs are widely available, drivers can head to New Jersey State Auto Auction, which has a wide variety of affordable, fuel-efficient used vehicles. They may be able to find a hybrid vehicle like a Toyota Prius or a small gas-powered car that gets good mileage like the Honda CR-Z, which is the most fuel-efficient car in America, according to the DOE.