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

Vehicle Technologies Office

Fact #699: October 31, 2011
Transportation Energy Use by Mode and Fuel Type, 2009

Highway vehicles are responsible for most of the energy consumed by the transportation sector. Most of the fuel used in light vehicles is gasoline, while most of the fuel used in med/heavy trucks and buses is diesel.

Transportation Energy Use by Mode and Fuel Type, 2009Graph showing transporation energy use (gasoline, diesel fuel, liquefied petroleum gas, jet fuel, residual fuel oil, natural gas, and electricity) by various transporation sectors including light vehicles, medium/heavy trucks and buses, air, water, rail, and pipeline. Highway vehicles are responsible for most of the energy consumed. For more detailed information, see supporting information below.

Supporting Information

Transportation Energy Use by Mode and Fuel Type, 2009
  Gasoline Diesel fuel Liquefied
petroleum gas		 Jet fuel Residual
fuel oil		 Natural gas Electricity Total
Light vehicles 8.5 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 8.7
Medium/heavy
trucks & buses		 0.3 2.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 3.0
Air 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.0
Water 0.1 0.1 0.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.6
Rail 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2
Pipelines 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.007 0.003 0.0
TOTAL Highway & Nonhighway 8.9 3.2 0.4 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 13.6

Notes:
Civilian consumption only. Air includes fuel use for half of all international flights. Total may not include all sources of transportation, e.g. snowmobiles.
Source: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Transportation Energy Data Book: Edition 30, ORNL-6986, June 2011.

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