Has anyone ever seen calculations of whether leveling out the roads would save significantly in energy? We are slowly getting regenerative technology into cars so we can at least recapture some energy on the way down, but avoiding the use of energy for going up would seem like an even better win. The bonus is the level roads would also benefit older vehicles not equipped to recapture energy.
Most modern roads are far more level than ones made in the past. Though that is because we can easily expend huge amounts of energy in heavy equipment to move said rock and dirt. In general more level roads have a much higher safety factor. Hills and curves tend to increase the accident rate because they require the driver to slow down and re-accelerate more often.
