Energy Use for Transportation
Types of Energy Used for Transportation
Energy Use by Type of Vehicle
links page
America is a nation on the move. About 28 percent of the energy we use goes to transporting people and goods from one place to another.
Cars, vans, and buses are commonly used to carry people. Trucks, airplanes, and railroads can be used to carry people and freight. Barges and pipelines only carry freight. In 2005, there were almost 239 million vehicles (cars, buses, and trucks) in the United States. That’s more than three motor vehicles for every four people!
Automobiles, motorcycles, trucks, and buses drove nearly 3.0 trillion miles in 2005. That’s almost one-twelfth the distance to the nearest star beyond the solar system. It’s like driving to the sun and back 13,440 times.
Gasoline is used mainly by cars, motorcycles, and light trucks; diesel is used mainly by heavier trucks, buses, and trains. Together, gasoline and diesel make up 86 percent of all the energy used in transportation.
There is currently a push to develop vehicles that run on fuels other than petroleum products, or on blended fuels. Today, there are some vehicles that run on electricity, natural gas, propane, and ethanol. Hybrid-electric vehicles combine the benefits of gasoline engines and electric motors, reducing the amount of fuel required for moving a vehicle. This is why hybrid-electric vehicles can get more miles per gallon of gasoline compared to vehicles that run on gasoline alone.
The people in the United States have always had a love affair with the automobile. Personal vehicles (like cars and light trucks) consume 63 percent of the total energy used for transportation, while commercial vehicles (like large trucks and construction vehicles), mass transit (like airplanes, trains, and buses), and pipelines account for the rest.
Last Revised: October 2007
Source: U.S. Department of Energy, Transportation Energy Data Book: Edition 26-2007.
EIA Main Home
Page Related
Links Kid's
Page Privacy Contact
Us