U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Vehicle Technologies Office

Fact #414: March 6, 2006
The Petroleum Gap

Since 1989, the transportation sector alone has used more petroleum than the United States produces. The current projections indicate that by the year 2020, the transportation sector will consume about twice as much petroleum as the United States produces.

U.S. Petroleum Production and Consumption, 1970-2030
Graph illustrating that since 1989 the transportation sector has used more petroleum than the U.S. produces and the trend will continue in future years.

* Notes:

  • The sharp increase in values between 2003 and 2004 are the result of the data change from historical to projected values.
  • Petroleum production includes crude oil, natural gas plant liquids, refinery gains, and other inputs, which include liquids from gas, liquids from coal, and alcohols, ethers, petroleum product stock withdrawals, domestic sources of blending components, other hydrocarbons, and natural gas converted to liquid fuel.

Supporting Information

Historical and Future U.S. Petroleum Production and Transportation Petroleum Use
(Million barrels per day)
Year Auto-
mobiles		 Light
Trucks		 Med &
Heavy
Trucks		 All
Trucks		 Air Water Off-
High-
way		 Rail Pipe-
line		 Total
Trans-
porta-
tion		 U.S.
Petroleum
Production*
1970 4.01 0.73 0.79 1.52 0.62 0.38 0.35 0.26 0.47 7.61 11.66
1971 4.22 0.80 0.82 1.62 0.62 0.35 0.34 0.26 0.48 7.89 11.54
1972 4.50 0.89 0.90 1.79 0.62 0.36 0.33 0.28 0.49 8.37 11.57
1973 4.63 0.99 0.99 1.98 0.65 0.41 0.34 0.29 0.47 8.77 11.40
1974 4.40 0.98 0.99 1.97 0.59 0.40 0.31 0.29 0.44 8.41 10.94
1975 4.40 1.13 1.00 2.13 0.60 0.42 0.32 0.27 0.40 8.53 10.47
1976 4.65 1.23 1.06 2.29 0.63 0.49 0.33 0.28 0.38 9.05 10.21
1977 4.70 1.32 1.17 2.49 0.64 0.54 0.32 0.28 0.37 9.34 10.39
1978 4.80 1.43 1.30 2.72 0.67 0.64 0.31 0.28 0.37 9.79 10.77
1979 4.56 1.44 1.34 2.79 0.70 0.74 0.32 0.29 0.41 9.80 10.66
1980 4.17 1.41 1.34 2.74 0.68 0.64 0.32 0.28 0.43 9.25 10.77
1981 4.12 1.40 1.36 2.75 0.69 0.74 0.30 0.27 0.43 9.30 10.69
1982 4.11 1.34 1.35 2.69 0.68 0.61 0.28 0.23 0.41 9.01 10.73
1983 4.17 1.41 1.38 2.79 0.68 0.57 0.28 0.23 0.35 9.06 10.73
1984 4.18 1.51 1.43 2.94 0.76 0.58 0.34 0.25 0.37 9.43 11.06
1985 4.23 1.61 1.43 3.05 0.79 0.58 0.35 0.24 0.36 9.60 11.14
1986 4.33 1.71 1.47 3.19 0.86 0.58 0.35 0.23 0.35 9.89 10.85
1987 4.34 1.80 1.52 3.33 0.90 0.59 0.36 0.24 0.37 10.11 10.58
1988 4.34 1.93 1.55 3.48 0.93 0.60 0.36 0.24 0.41 10.36 10.42
1989 4.37 1.96 1.59 3.55 0.94 0.61 0.34 0.25 0.42 10.49 9.82
1990 4.12 2.10 1.65 3.76 0.98 0.66 0.36 0.24 0.44 10.55 9.60
1991 3.80 2.25 1.69 3.95 0.92 0.70 0.36 0.23 0.41 10.37 9.79
1992 3.87 2.42 1.73 4.14 0.93 0.74 0.34 0.23 0.40 10.66 9.64
1993 3.96 2.53 1.78 4.31 0.94 0.66 0.30 0.24 0.42 10.83 9.35
1994 4.01 2.60 1.87 4.48 0.98 0.64 0.31 0.26 0.45 11.12 9.16
1995 4.02 2.69 1.95 4.64 1.01 0.67 0.32 0.27 0.46 11.38 9.10
1996 4.09 2.80 2.00 4.79 1.04 0.65 0.32 0.27 0.46 11.63 9.13
1997 4.13 2.91 2.02 4.93 1.09 0.57 0.34 0.27 0.49 11.81 9.12
1998 4.23 2.98 2.09 5.06 1.12 0.56 0.34 0.28 0.43 12.02 8.90
1999 4.33 3.12 2.29 5.40 1.17 0.63 0.32 0.29 0.43 12.56 8.62
2000 4.31 3.12 2.37 5.49 1.20 0.67 0.33 0.29 0.43 12.72 8.68
2001 4.34 3.15 2.37 5.52 1.14 0.54 0.35 0.29 0.42 12.59 8.57
2002 4.45 3.25 2.47 5.72 1.05 0.57 0.36 0.29 0.44 12.86 8.58
2003 4.38 3.30 2.52 5.82 1.05 0.49 0.36 0.30 0.44 12.84 8.37
2004 4.72 3.78 2.68 6.47 1.33 0.46 0.37 0.31 0.47 14.14 8.27
2005 4.67 3.88 2.72 6.60 1.37 0.49 0.38 0.31 0.49 14.30 8.58
2006 4.65 3.96 2.79 6.75 1.36 0.49 0.38 0.32 0.48 14.43 8.88
2007 4.73 4.12 2.88 7.00 1.39 0.49 0.39 0.32 0.46 14.79 9.22
2008 4.77 4.25 2.94 7.19 1.45 0.49 0.40 0.33 0.46 15.09 9.44
2009 4.80 4.40 3.00 7.41 1.49 0.48 0.42 0.34 0.45 15.39 9.71
2010 4.83 4.58 3.07 7.65 1.54 0.48 0.42 0.34 0.44 15.70 9.87
2011 4.84 4.73 3.14 7.87 1.60 0.48 0.42 0.35 0.45 16.02 10.01
2012 4.85 4.87 3.20 8.08 1.66 0.49 0.44 0.35 0.46 16.32 10.14
2013 4.85 5.01 3.25 8.26 1.70 0.49 0.44 0.36 0.46 16.56 10.26
2014 4.86 5.14 3.30 8.44 1.73 0.49 0.45 0.36 0.47 16.80 10.31
2015 4.86 5.27 3.35 8.62 1.75 0.49 0.45 0.36 0.50 17.05 10.34
2016 4.86 5.40 3.39 8.80 1.78 0.50 0.45 0.37 0.53 17.29 10.47
2017 4.87 5.53 3.45 8.97 1.81 0.50 0.46 0.37 0.54 17.53 10.43
2018 4.89 5.66 3.50 9.16 1.84 0.50 0.47 0.38 0.55 17.79 10.41
2019 4.90 5.79 3.54 9.34 1.87 0.50 0.48 0.38 0.55 18.01 10.40
2020 4.92 5.91 3.59 9.51 1.89 0.50 0.48 0.38 0.55 18.23 10.45
2021 4.93 6.03 3.64 9.67 1.90 0.51 0.48 0.39 0.55 18.42 10.49
2022 4.94 6.15 3.70 9.84 1.90 0.51 0.48 0.40 0.54 18.62 10.46
2023 4.97 6.25 3.75 10.00 1.91 0.51 0.49 0.41 0.54 18.83 10.46
2024 4.99 6.36 3.81 10.17 1.91 0.51 0.50 0.41 0.54 19.04 10.46
2025 5.02 6.47 3.87 10.34 1.92 0.51 0.50 0.42 0.54 19.25 10.44
2026 5.05 6.58 3.94 10.52 1.93 0.51 0.50 0.43 0.54 19.48 10.47
2027 5.08 6.70 4.01 10.71 1.94 0.52 0.51 0.43 0.53 19.72 10.47
2028 5.11 6.81 4.08 10.90 1.95 0.52 0.51 0.44 0.53 19.96 10.51
2029 5.15 6.93 4.15 11.08 1.96 0.52 0.52 0.45 0.53 20.21 10.48
2030 5.18 7.05 4.23 11.28 1.98 0.52 0.52 0.46 0.53 20.47 10.42

Source:
1970-2003 Transportation petroleum use: Davis, S. C. and Diegel, S. W., "Transportation Energy Data Book: Edition 25," Oak Ridge National Laboratory Report ORNL-6974, Oak Ridge, TN (forthcoming).
1970-2003 Petroleum production: EIA, 2004, "Annual Energy Review 2005," Energy Information Administration Report, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC.
2004-2025: Energy Information Administration, "Annual Energy Outlook 2006," Energy Information Administration Report, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC.
1970-1986 off-road data from the Federal Highway Administration, "Highway Statistics," Table MF-221.
1986-2001 off-road data from Energy Information Administration, "Fuel Oil & Kerosene Report," Table 13.

 

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