As long as multinational corporations hold interest in oil industry, then we can't really expect developments towards free energy and even electric cars are overpriced and limited to the upper classes, so even in the XXI century most people will likely be dependent on Oil, where as some do it yourself scientists were able to create cars which use solar energy to make the cars use free energy, but it would against the interest of global corporations whose income dependent on oil industry.
We have far liberal globalist members here who genuinely believe that Obama spent millions of dollars on drones to protect the Middle Eastern citizens from Al Quaida gerillas - Those guerillas who were created by the local CIA to oppose the Russian communists during the 70's still being used by who? I don't think anyone who don't watch the fox or BBC new 24/7 would question the possibility that US intelligence cooperates together with terrorist organizations to give reason for US miliatry to have a politically allowed presence in the Middle East and it's just another quite huge coincidence that the Middle East has one of the most natural Oil on the globe.