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Table 4-5M: Fuel Consumption by Mode of Transportation

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  1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
Air                                      
Certificated carriersa                                      
Jet fuel (million liters) 7,397 14,721 29,742 28,610 32,249 38,289 (R) 46,648 43,557 44,527 45,268 (R) 46,880 (R) 47,967 (R) 50,033 (R) 51,341 (R) 50,479 54,518 56,193 53,062 48,636
General aviationb                                      
Aviation gasoline (million liters) 916 1,105 2,086 1,560 1,968 1,594 1,336 1,340 1,189 1,014 1,007 1,086 1,092 1,106 1,178 1,307 (R) 1,259 (R) 1,042 1,052
Jet fuel (million liters) N 212 787 1,715 2,900 2,616 2,510 2,184 1,870 1,719 1,756 2,120 2,300 2,430 3,084 3,662 (R) 3,679 (R) 3,607 3,726
Highway                                      
Gasoline, diesel and other fuels (million liters)                                      
Passenger car and motorcycle 155,849 188,222 256,950 281,078 265,683 271,414 264,067 244,163 248,425 254,554 257,707 258,424 262,781 265,335 272,175 278,207 277,375 (R) 279,180 284,436
Other 2-axle 4-tire vehicle N e 46,610 72,229 90,078 103,580 134,802 144,667 154,933 162,209 166,982 172,632 179,255 186,953 191,019 200,093 200,395 (R) 202,602 207,595
Single-unit 2-axle 6-tire or more truck N 52,420 15,021 20,517 26,206 28,008 31,635 30,934 31,180 32,131 34,190 34,887 35,617 36,249 25,805 35,477 36,200 (R) 36,595 39,010
Combination truck N 25,203 27,815 34,739 49,350 53,015 61,070 63,629 65,170 67,183 70,609 74,865 76,437 76,850 95,233 92,884 97,155 (R) 96,573 100,127
Bus 3,131 3,312 3,104 3,986 3,854 3,157 3,388 3,271 3,324 3,517 3,649 3,663 3,747 3,886 3,937 4,347 4,210 (R) 3,883 3,759
Transitc                                      
Electricity (million kWh) 2,908 2,584 2,561 2,646 2,446 4,216 4,837 4,853 4,716 4,865 5,081 5,068 5,007 4,988 5,073 5,237 5,510 5,610 (P) 5,649
Motor fuel (million liters)                                      
Diesel 787 939 1,026 1,382 1,632 2,304 2,464 2,518 2,593 2,568 2,567 2,568 2,622 2,714 2,800 2,890 2,975 2,819 (P) 2,743
Gasoline and other nondiesel fuelsd 727 469 257 30 42 174 129 129 141 173 227 230 232 225 199 184 183 174 (P) 216
Compressed natural gas N N N N N N N N 4 6 18 41 57 90 141 168 207 251 (P) 307
Rail, Class I (in freight service)                                      
Distillate / diesel fuel (million liters) 13,109 13,597 13,419 13,843 14,778 11,773 11,792 11,000 11,375 11,689 12,621 13,173 13,548 13,533 13,563 14,063 14,006 14,044 14,120
Amtrak                                      
Electricity (million kWh) N N N 180 254 295 330 303 300 301 309 304 293 282 275 283 350 377 U
Distillate / diesel fuel (million liters) N N N 238 242 246 310 310 310 314 284 250 269 284 284 280 288 283 U
Water                                      
Residual fuel oil (million liters) 14,960 11,708 14,286 15,369 33,887 17,375 23,947 25,639 24,844 19,994 20,390 22,282 21,582 18,965 21,276 22,100 24,264 20,477 18,351
Distillate / diesel fuel oil (million liters) 2,979 2,468 3,100 4,156 5,595 6,431 7,817 7,745 8,398 8,157 8,288 8,854 9,429 9,743 9,823 9,158 8,560 7,738 7,870
Gasoline (million liters) N N 2,264 2,763 3,982 3,986 4,921 6,473 4,982 3,307 3,314 4,014 3,761 3,737 3,620 4,157 4,256 3,762 4,093
Pipeline                                      
Natural gas (million cubic meters) 10,412 15,016 21,665 17,489 19,039 15,113 19,794 18,039 17,631 18,729 20,561 21,010 21,343 22,544 19,064 19,360 19,266 (R) 18,749 20,011

KEY: kWh = kilowatt-hour; N = data do not exist; P = preliminary; R = revised; U = data are unavailable.

a Domestic operations only.

b Includes fuel used in air taxi operations, but not commuter operations. Data for 1996 are estimated using new information on nonrespondents and are therefore not comparable to earlier years. See the accuracy statement in the appendix for more detailed information.

c Prior to 1984, excludes commuter rail, automated guideway, ferryboat, demand responsive vehicles, and most rural and small systems.

d Gasoline and all other nondiesel fuels such as liquefied natural gas, methanol, and propane, except compressed natural gas.

e Included in single-unit 2-axle 6-tire or more truck category.

NOTES

3.785412 liters = 1 gallon.

0.03 cubic meters = 1 cubic foot.

SOURCES

Air:

Certificated air carriers:

1960-2002: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Airline Information, Internet site http://www.bts.gov/oai/fuel/fuelyearly.html as of June 23, 2004.

General aviation:

1960-70: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, FAA Statistical Handbook of Aviation - 1972 edition (Washington, DC: 1973), table 9.12.

1975-93: Ibid., General Aviation and Air Taxi Activity Survey (Washington, DC: Annual issues), table 5.1, and similar tables in earlier editions.

1994-2002: Ibid., FAA Aerospace Forecasts Fiscal Years 2004-2015 (Washington, DC: March 2004), table 34 and similar tables in earlier editions.

Highway:

1960-94: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics, Summary to 1995, FHWA-PL-97-009 (Washington, DC: July 1997), table VM-201A. (Revised data obtained from Internet site http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/ohimstat.htm as of August 2001).

1995-2002: Ibid., Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual issues), table VM-1.

Transit:

Electricity / motor fuel / compressed natural gas:

1960-2002: American Public Transit Association, Public Transportation Fact Book (Washington, DC: February 2003), tables 33, 34, 35, and similar tables in earlier editions.

Rail:

1960-2002: Association of American Railroads, Railroad Facts (Washington, DC: October 2003), p. 40.

Amtrak:

1975-2001: Amtrak, Energy Management Department, personal communication.

Water:

Residual and distillate / diesel fuel oil:

1960-80: American Petroleum Institute, Basic Petroleum Data Book (Washington, DC: Annual issues), tables 10, 10a, 12, and 12a.

1985-2002: U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, Fuel Oil and Kerosene Sales (Washington, DC: Annual issues), tables 2, 4, and similar tables in earlier editions.

Gasoline:

1970-2002: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual issues), table MF-24 and similar tables in earlier editions.

Pipeline:

1960-2002: U.S. Department of Energy, Natural Gas Annual 2002, DOE/EIA-0131(02) (Washington, DC: January 2004), table 15 and similar tables in earlier editions.
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