A group of emeritus professors in transport studies and retired directors of transport research institutes at German and Austrian universities meet annually in Fulda, Germany, to discuss evolving issues in the transport field. At these gatherings, much attention has been paid to developments surrounding the use of electric-powered vehicles in urban and regional transport systems. At their most recent meeting, the transport experts have called on all involved parties to use the emerging technical possibilities responsibly for the general welfare of persons, cities and the environment, and to make a realistic assessment of what these possibilities in fact are and what their effects will be (see accompany- ing text World Transport Policy and Practice 24-1).