Environment
The U.S. transportation system is a major consumer of energy and has consequences for the human and natural environment.
Energy Consumption by Sector
Key: Btu = British thermal unit.
Note:
Includes primary energy consumption, electricity retail sales, and electrical system energy losses.
Source:
U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Energy Information Administration, Monthly Energy Review, available at www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/monthly.
Transportation Energy Consumption by Source
Key: Btu = British thermal unit.
Notes:
Includes primary energy consumed. Excludes electricity retail sales and electrical system energy losses. Percents may not add to 100 due to rounding.
Source:
U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Energy Information Administration, Monthly Energy Review, available at www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/monthly.
Petroleum
Consumption by Sector
Source:
U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Energy Information Administration, Monthly Energy Review, available at www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/monthly.
Greenhouse
Gas Emissions by Sector
Key: Tg CO2 Eq. = teragrams of carbon dioxide equivalent. A teragram = 1 million metric tons.
Notes:
Electric power sector emissions are distributed across sectors. Emissions include CO2, CH4, N2O, HFCs, PFCs, and SF6.
Sources:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: Report Tables, https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/inventory-us-greenhouse-gas-emissions-and-sinks .
Greenhouse
Gas Emissions by Transportation Mode
Key: Tg CO2 Eq. = teragrams of carbon dioxide equivalent. Teragram = 1 million metric tons.
Notes:
Percents may not add to 100 due to rounding. Does not include international bunker fuels.
Source:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks, report tables available at https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/inventory-us-greenhouse-gas-emissions-and-sinks .
Highway Vehicle Air Pollutant Emissions
Key: PM-10 = airborne particulates of less than 10 microns; PM-2.5 = airborne particulates of less than 2.5 microns.
Notes:
Indices are calculated using data on highway vehicle emissions only. Particulate matters include PM without condensibles.
Sources:
As cited in U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, National Transportation Statistics, tables 4-45 through 4-50, available at www.bts.gov/nts.
Fuel
Economy of Light-Duty Vehicles
Key: CAFE = Corporate Average Fuel Economy; EPA = Environmental Protection Agency.
Notes:
New fleet data and CAFE standards are for vehicle model years. On-road fleet data include passenger cars and light trucks and are estimated using average miles traveled per gallon of fuel consumed for each calendar year. 2017 EPA unadjusted lab data are preliminary.
Source:
As cited in U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, National Transportation Statistics, table 4-23, available at www.bts.gov/nts.
Sales of Hybrid, Plug-in Hybrid, and Battery Electric Vehicles
Key: BEV = Battery electric-only vehicles, HEV = Hybrid electric vehicle, PHEV = Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle
Source:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Transportation Energy Data Book, Annual Issues, available at tedb.ornl.gov.
Alternative Fuel Vehicles by Fuel Type, Large Trucks and Buses
Notes:
Includes the total number of heavy duty vehicles (Ex. school buses, transit buses, intercity buses, and other trucks) that were manufactured or converted by vehicle suppliers (companies or organizations) in the associated calendar year. Natural Gas incudes Compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG). Flex Fuel/Ethanol vehicles are capable of running on E85, unblended gasoline, or any ethanol-gasoline blends in between. Electric excludes gasoline-electric and diesel-electric hybrids.
Sources:
U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, Alternative Fuel Vehicle Data, Supplier Database, available at https://www.eia.gov/renewable/afv/ .