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

Vehicle Technologies Office

Fact #636: August 16, 2010
Transportation Energy Use by Mode

Highway vehicles were responsible for 80.7% of all transportation energy use in 2008. Light vehicles make up the majority of highway fuel use.

Transportation Energy Use by Mode, 2008
Bar graph showing the transportation energy use by mode (buses, rail, pipeline, water, air, medium/heavy trucks, and light vehicles) for 2008. For more detailed information, see supporting information below.

Supporting Information

Transportation Energy Use by Mode, 2008
Mode Quadrillion Btu Percentage of Total
HIGHWAY 21.7 80.7%
Light vehicles 16.4 61.3%
Buses 0.2 0.7%
Medium/heavy trucks 5.0 18.7%
NONHIGHWAY 5.2 19.3%
Air 2.4 8.9%
Water 1.2 4.6%
Pipeline 0.9 3.4%
Rail 0.6 2.4%
TOTAL 26.8 100.0%

Source: Davis, Stacy, Susan Diegel, and Robert Boundy, Transportation Energy Data Book: Edition 29, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, July 2010.

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