While significant advancements are being made with electric vehicles (and EV infrastructure) the United States still has a liquid fuel-centered transportation infrastructure. In 2008, for example, 97 percent of energy consumed for transportation in the U.S. was supplied by liquid fuels. That's why it's good to know our government hasn't given up on researching clean liquid fuels like algae-based biofuels.   Popular Mechanics takes a look at 13 federally-funded algae projects working to "[coax] organisms to make energy-dense liquid fuel, including the design of metabolic pathways not found in nature."