[Big Dave]

Mountain passes are the first places to electrify but by no means the only ones. Even here in pool-table-flat Indiana there is much benefit from using coal, nuclear, or maybe even wind for transportation and offsetting some petroleum.

You realize this technology could be made to work on the Interstate for Class 8 trucks. Hang catenaries on the right lane and bury a signal wire alongside the road. The truck runs on its diesel til he is fully into the electrified lane, then he raises his collector and runs on electricity from the catenary. Like the trains trucks would be massed at the top of hills and at the bottom to use regenerative braking. This technology is already used in some big copper mines to run ore haul trucks.