You can almost hear the sighs of relief across California and around the nation as gasoline prices descend from their lofty levels. The national average for a gallon of regular is down to $2.68. Here in California, it’s at $2.98, down from $4.25 last spring. But what if we could regularly be paying just a fraction of that while keeping ourselves and the environment healthy?

Even when gas prices dip, it’s important to keep the big picture in mind: Our national petroleum habit remains expensive, polluting, and is making us sick.

Half of total energy consumption in California goes to transportation, according to the California Energy Commission. Californians alone consume more than 18 billion gallons of gasoline and diesel fuel each, costing us $70 billion annually. Fueling our cars on electricity would keep these dollars in state, stimulating our economy and insulating family budgets from gasoline price spikes.

Despite technological improvements and air quality regulations, pollution and smog from gasoline-powered vehicles remain high: Four in 10 Californians, more than in any other state, live close enough to a freeway or busy road that they may be at increased risk of asthma, cancer and other health hazards.

What if you could fill your tank for the equivalent of $1.10 a gallon, without all the nasty side effects caused by gas? You can — with an electric car. According to the Department of Energy’s calculator, fueling a car with electricity in California would cost about one-third for a tank of gasoline at current prices.

Electric transportation is clearly a win-win-win idea whose time has come. And California is in position to lead the way. If we are to significantly improve air quality, achieve critical greenhouse gas reduction and move toward energy independence, California’s stakeholders — state and local governments, regulators, automakers, environmental advocates, charger companies, consumers, building owners and utilities — must work together to accelerate the adoption of electric cars.

Today in California, electric cars cut carbon pollution by 70 percent. Gov. Jerry Brown has acknowledged the essential role that electrifying transportation must play in meeting California’s long-term goals for reducing pollution. The governor recently signed six bills to “strengthen California’s best-in-the-nation electric vehicle market.” The new laws will help realize his goal of an 80 percent reduction in carbon pollution from the transportation sector by 2050.

The next 10 to 15 years represent a critical period in which electric car adoption must accelerate, and the market must expand to include mainstream consumers. Currently, there are about 100,000 electric cars in California. While off to a great start, we need to get many more are on the road to achieve state environmental goals. California has a goal of 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles in the state by the year 2025. To attain the very challenging near- and long-term state goals, several barriers to PEV adoption must be addressed.

We have huge opportunities to help catalyze the use of electric cars. Improving charging infrastructure, both outside of single-family homes and at workplaces, significantly stimulates demand.

In addition, there is much that needs to be done to increase awareness about electric cars and the benefits of fueling from the electrical grid. Utilities, in collaboration with other stakeholders, are well positioned to fill the gap.

To meet its goals for transportation electrification and address these barriers, California must write the most dramatic chapter yet in its history of bold market-leading initiatives. California’s energy efficiency policies have helped transform building codes and manufacturing processes. California’s renewable energy policies have helped to develop the wind and solar power industries. Transportation electrification presents another opportunity for the state to take a national leadership role.

To be sure, there are skeptics calling into question the environmental and economic benefits of electric cars, or whether technology and consumers are really ready.

But the truth is that the nation’s electric power grid, especially in California, is getting cleaner every year. Electricity from coal-burning power plants has been completely phased out by the state’s three investor-owned utilities. Emission-free renewables such as geothermal, wind and solar are up to 15 percent, and scheduled to reach 33 percent by 2020.

The time to act is now. While there are certainly challenges ahead, we should embrace electric transportation. If electric cars reach full speed, we can help improve our health and environment, reduce our dependence on oil, and secure our energy future. It’s worth the ride.

Ted Craver is chairman CEO of Edison International. Roland Hwang is director of the Transportation Program for Natural Resources Defense Council.