Innovation in the transportation industry is directly proportional to the cost of fuel. Without dramatic changes in fuel prices, dramatic innovations will fail to exist. So yes, slow but ever-progressing change. This will be true so long that fuel prices continually and steadily increase, which is also dependent on demand also doing such.
It would be madness over there if you were paying what we pay for a gallon of 95: $5.32. Of course, it's a completely different scenario over here with most people having diesel autos, huge taxes on fuel and a lot more people taking the well funded and maintained public transit system. Not to mention our limited space. That is the one thing I really miss about the US, s-p-a-c-e!
Anyway, there are many factors acting on the transportation industry. All making it very diverse really, but the biggest determinant will always remain prices at the pump. When those start to change in the only way that they can (up), we will start seeing advances and possibly breakthroughs. It might also be expected that these breakthroughs be introduced by the very same firms which lead the markets as they had, years ago, purchased the patents. But that is of course only hearsay.