Factsheets

In the U.S., the predominant mode of travel is automobile and light truck, accounting for 85% of passenger miles traveled in 2020.¹ The U.S. has just over 4% of the world’s population,  but 11.2% of the world’s cars, compared to 19.6% in China, 5.7% in Japan, 4.4% in Germany, and 4.9% in Russia.^2,3 The countries with the most growth in registered cars since 1990 are China (18%), India (9.8%), and Indonesia (9.6%). Transportation use patterns indicate that the current system is unsustainable.³

Patterns of Use

Miles Traveled

• Americans traveled 5.04T person-miles in 2020.¹
• U.S. population increased 37% from 1990 to 2022.^2,4 Vehicle miles traveled (VMT) increased 49% over the same period.¹
• 68% of U.S. VMT occurs in urban areas.¹

Vehicles and Occupancy

• U.S. average vehicle occupancy has decreased from 1.87 persons per vehicle in 1977 to 1.5 in 2019.^5,3
• In 2022, the U.S. had 283M registered vehicles and 235M licensed drivers.¹ 
• In 2022, 20.5% of U.S. households had three or more vehicles, 4% less than in 2017.^6,7

Average Fuel Economy

• The average new vehicle fleet fuel economy peaked at 22 miles per gallon (mpg) in 1987, declined until the early 2000s, then increased again surpassing 22 mpg in 2009.⁸
• The average fuel economy for a 2022 model year vehicle was 26 mpg: 33.3 mpg for a passenger car (sedan/wagon and car SUV) and 23.2 mpg for a new truck (truck SUV, minivan/van, and pickup).⁸
• The U.S. has some of the lowest fuel economy standards of any industrialized nation, well below the European Union, China, and Japan.⁹

Vehicle Size and Power

• From 1990 to 2022, average new vehicle weight increased by 26% due to SUV market share growth; the average weight of a new passenger car rose by 13%, while that of a new pickup truck increased by 32%. During the same period, horsepower increased by 92%, and acceleration improved by 34% (i.e., 0-60 mph times dropped).⁸
• SUVs, vans, and pickups accounted for over 63% of new vehicles sold in the U.S. in 2021.⁸
• Follow green lightweighting principles to reduce vehicle mass and improve energy efficiency.¹⁰ 

Energy Use

• The transportation sector makes up 28% of U.S. energy use.³ Since 1990, energy use in the sector grew by 20%, though the share of U.S. energy used for transportation increased by 1%.³
• In 2019, American cars and light trucks used 15.1 quads of energy, representing 15% of U.S. energy consumption.³
• In 2022, 94% of primary energy used for transportation came from fossil fuels; 89% of it from petroleum.¹¹
• The transportation sector accounted for 28.4% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in 2022—1,802 Mt CO₂e.¹²
• In 2022, passenger cars and light-duty trucks were responsible for 370 Mt CO₂e and 660 Mt CO₂e, respectively, together making up 57% of U.S. transportation emissions and 16% of total U.S. emissions.¹²
   

Life Cycle Impacts

• A typical passenger car is responsible for various burdens during its lifetime (raw material extraction through end-of-life). Most impacts are due to fuel production and vehicle operations. 
• Vehicle lifetime energy use for fuel production is 1.22 MJ/mi, for vehicle operations is 4.54 MJ/mi, and for material production, manufacturing, maintenance, and end-of-life combined is 0.56 MJ/mi.¹³  
• GHG emissions (g CO₂e/mi) for a current technology small SUV are 429 for an ICEV, 312 for a PHEV, 258 for an HEV, and 267 for a BEV with 200-mi range.²²

Solutions and Sustainable Actions

Reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled

• Live closer to work. Driving to/from work represents 30% of vehicle miles driven, and the average commute is 12 miles. Consider telecommuting or working from home.³
• In 2020, 74.9% of workers in the U.S. commuted  by driving alone, and only 9% of workers carpooled (a drop from 19.7% in 1980).³ Joining a carpool can help lower household fuel costs, prevent GHG emissions, and reduce traffic congestion.
• Roughly one-fifth of vehicle trips are shopping-related. Combine errands (trip chaining) to avoid unnecessary driving.³
• In 2022, traffic congestion caused Americans to spend an extra 8.5B hours on roads and burn an additional 3.3B gal of gas, 5% and 8% lower than 2019 levels respectively. Using alternative modes of transportation, such as bikes, buses, or trains can reduce GHG emissions and decrease wasted time and money.¹⁴
• Micromobility (e.g., bikes, scooters) and shared transportation services (e.g., bike shares) have grown rapidly. In 2019, 136M trips were taken by shared micromobility users, more than 6 times the number of trips taken in 2015.³

Promote Energy Efficiency

• Consider buying a best-in-class vehicle for fuel economy. Each year, the U.S. EPA and DOE publish the Fuel Economy Guide, which ranks the most efficient vehicles in production.¹⁵
• Drive responsibly. Aggressive driving habits can lower fuel efficiency by 10% to 40%, and speeds over 50 mph significantly lower gas mileage.¹⁶
• Gallons per mile (GPM) is a better indicator of fuel efficiency than miles per gallon (mpg). For instance, upgrading from a vehicle that gets 16 mpg to one that gets 20 mpg saves 125 gallons of fuel over 10,000 miles, whereas upgrading from a vehicle that gets 34 mpg to one that gets 50 mpg saves only 94 gallons over the same distance..¹⁷
• When driving EVs, use battery charging best practices to maximize battery life and minimize GHG emissions.¹⁸ 

Encourage Supportive Public Policy

• Dense, mixed-use communities encourage foot and bike travel while reducing time between residences, businesses, and office spaces.
• The EPA announced new emissions standards for light-duty and medium-duty vehicles for model years 2027-2032 and beyond, with a goal of reducing tailpipe GHG emissions from light-duty vehicles to 85 g/mi by 2032, which is 50% of the emission level for model year 2027.¹⁹ Additionally, in 2024, new vehicle fuel economy standards for model years 2027-2031 were established, including a 2% annual increase for passenger cars, and raising corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards to 50.4 mpg for new light-duty vehicles by 2031.²⁰ 
• Some believe that fuel economy standards tied to vehicle size could incentivize a market shift toward larger vehicles (current trend).²¹
• A University of Michigan study predicted vehicle size increases of 2-32%, which could undermine the progress made in fuel economy by 1-4 mpg.²¹