Energy for Transportation

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Fast Facts About
Energy for Transportation

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Transportation provides mobility and access to goods and services. Transportation modes for passengers and freight include road transport, maritime, rail, aviation, and pipelines.

Over 90% of transportation is fueled by oil, and transportation accounts for almost two-thirds of the oil used worldwide. Transportation is responsible for 17% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and is a major contributor to other air pollutants that affect human health and ecosystems. Negative impacts disproportionately affect lower income communities and communities of color.

Short distance travel is the easiest place to decarbonize transportation. Cars, light trucks, and motorcycles account for approximately 60% of energy used in transportation, and over 95% of those vehicles run on gasoline. Because gasoline-powered vehicles are extremely inefficient (less than 1% of the car’s fuel moves the driver), decarbonizing personal vehicles is a priority and opportunity for reaching climate change goals. Electric vehicle (EV) use is one of the main ways to achieve this.

Long-distance travel via air, maritime, and long-haul road, on the other hand, is harder to decarbonize. Policy can play a big role in driving clean transportation forward.

Significance

Total Energy Consumption*

World 29% 🌎
of total final energy consumption is used in transportation

U.S. 30% 🇺🇸
of primary energy consumption is used in transportation

GHG Emissions

World 17% 🌎
U.S. 30% 🇺🇸
of GHG emissions come from transportation

*Note that the data for the U.S. is primary energy consumption by sector, and the data for the world is total final energy consumption by sector. Primary energy consumption is the total energy supply to each sector, including losses in the energy system as well as energy to meet demand. Total final energy consumption is only the energy to meet demand and does not include the upstream losses. Unfortunately, primary energy consumption by sector isn't tracked for the world.

Transport Fuels

Oil Dominates Transport Fuels

Note: Natural gas is mostly used in pipelines to move natural gas.

Breakdown of fossil fuel use:

Trucks and Buses: Fuel use is 96% fossil fuels in the form of diesel (81%), gasoline (11%), and natural gas (3%). (Percentages do not total to 96 due to rounding of individual categories.)
Aviation: Fuel use is virtually 100% fossil fuels (all jet kerosene).
Shipping: Fuel use is virtually 100% fossil fuels in the form heavy fuel oil (HFO), marine gas oil (MGO), and marine diesel oil (MDO).
Rail: Fuel use is 54% fossil fuels (all diesel).

Transport Modes

Road Transport Dominates Transport Energy Use

Energy Intensity of Transport Modes

World Vehicle Fleet

Largest Vehicle Fleets

United States 19% 🇺🇸
China 17% 🇨🇳
of the 1,490 million total registered vehicles in 2019

Largest Vehicle Fleets per Capita

New Zealand 869 🇳🇿
United States 860 🇺🇸
per 1,000 people

(China ranks 44th with 223 per 1,000 people)

Increase in Global Vehicle Fleet

⬆ 23%
(2014-2019)

Highest EV Sales Penetration

Norway 92% 🇳🇴
Sweden 58% 🇸🇪
of overall car sales in 2024

Highest EV Penetration

Norway 32% 🇳🇴
Iceland 18% 🇮🇸
of all registered cars in 2024

Global EV Stock Share

4.5%
of all registered cars in 2024

22%
of new car sales in 2024

Increase in Global EV Fleet

⬆ 706%
(2019-2024)

U.S. Vehicle Fleet

Largest Vehicle Fleets

California 13%
Texas 9%
of the 289.7 million total registered vehicles in 2024

Largest Light Duty Vehicle Fleet per Capita*

Wyoming 1,134
South Dakota 1,059
Oklahoma 1,034
per 1,000 people

(California ranks 9th with 949 per 1,000 people)

Increase in U.S. Vehicle Fleet

⬆ 5%
(2019-2014)

*Light-duty vehicle fleet includes automobiles, light trucks, and motorcycles.

Highest EV Penetration

Washington D.C. 11%
California 10%
of light-duty vehicle registration by state in 2024

U.S. EV Stock Share

5%
of all registered cars in 2024

10%
of new car sales in 2024*

Increase in U.S. EV Fleet

⬆ 149%
(2019-2024)

*U.S. EV data includes electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and hybrid electric vehicles, except for this data point on new EV car sales, which does not include hybrid electric vehicles

Opportunities for Decarbonizing and Improving Transportation

Design for less transportation: walkable and bikeable cities, remote learning and work, supply-chain optimization (e.g., domestication and near-shoring), reduced consumption.
Optimize overall transport system. Promote modal shift of freight and passengers from more carbon-intensive modes of transportation (e.g., individual cars, trucks, and planes) to less carbon-intensive modes (e.g., public transport, rail, biking).
Promote behavioral change (e.g., walking and biking when possible, smart delivery instead of express delivery to reduce air demand).
Electrify and transition to cleaner fuels (e.g., sustainable aviation fuels - SAF, green methanol for shipping, hydrogen).
Adjust gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel prices to reflect their social and environmental costs (e.g., carbon tax).
Smart transport: use of data analytics, artificial intelligence, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices to optimize routing and reduce fuel consumption.

Road

Electrification of passenger vehicles and motorbikes.
Direct regulation such as emission and efficiency standards.
Reduce embodied energy through increased utilization and improved component recycling.
Increase vehicle and infrastructure efficiency (e.g., use of roundabouts, timing of lights, etc.).

Air

Fleet renewal to reduce fuel consumption.
Improve operational efficiency (e.g., routes and airports).
Electrification of support systems in airports.
Ticket pricing mechanisms that reflect social and environmental costs of air travel.
Use of decarbonized fuels (e.g., sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)).

Rail

Improve service quality to increase ridership.
Invest in high-speed rail networks, which are more energy-efficient than conventional rail systems.

Maritime

Use of wind-assisted propulsion systems like sails, rotors, or kites to reduce use of fossil fuels.
Retrofit existing vessels to improve energy efficiency.
Use of decarbonized fuels (e.g., green methanol).

Drivers and Barriers for Decarbonizing and Improving Transportation

Drivers

High GHG emissions
High environmental impacts, including air pollution, land and water pollution, and resource use
High reliance on oil for transportation, which has geopolitical challenges and high price variability
Equity and justice concerns; disproportionate negative impacts for low income communities and communities of color, and lack of access to affordable transportation
High mortality rate from car crashes
Congestion that leads to lower productivity, stress, and air pollution
Efficiency gains from electrification
Policy incentives: subsidies for EV manufacturing and sales, congestion charges in cities, subsidies for clean fuel development
Opportunities and options to decarbonize short distance travel including EVs, walkable and bikeable cities, investing in public transport

Barriers

Gasoline and diesel are poorly priced globally; they do not reflect the full social costs of using them
Lack of EV charging infrastructure
Grid expansion needed to support electrification
Uncertain / Underdeveloped policy landscape
Need to lower costs and reduce environmental impacts of battery life-cycle
Human rights and geopolitical challenges in sourcing materials for batteries
Consumer concerns about range and charging of EVs; need for behavioral and lifestyle changes
Hard to decarbonize modes (long-haul trucking, airplanes, ships)
Technological and supply challenges for cleaner fuels like hydrogen or sustainable aviation fuels

Climate Impact: High*

Transportation is a major contributor of GHG emissions

Environmental Impact: High*

Air pollution from NO_x, SO_x (→ acid rain), ozone, particulate matter (PM) (→ smog)
Land and water pollution
Resource use for car manufacturing and for roads and parking spaces

*These impacts are dependent on the mode of transportation and fuels used. They are high because currently transportation mostly uses fossil fuels. As other modes of transport are used and cleaner vehicles are used, the impacts can be reduced.

Sources

Updated March 2026

Our 10-Minute Take On
Energy for Transportation

If you're short on time, start by watching this video of key highlights from our lecture on Energy for Transportation.

Presented by: Diana Gragg, PhD; Core Lecturer, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University; Explore Energy Managing Director, Precourt Institute for Energy

Recorded: August 29, 2025
Duration: 13 minutes

If you liked this video, watch the other 10-Minute Takes here!

Before You Watch Our Lecture on
Energy for Transportation

We assign videos and readings to our Stanford students as pre-work for each lecture to help contextualize the lecture content. We strongly encourage you to review the Essential readings and videos before watching our lecture on Energy for Transportation. Include selections from the EV Commercials and Optional and Useful lists based on your interests and available time.

Essential

Mobility for All. TU Wien. January 15, 2021. (5 min)
Identifies challenges related to achieving personal mobility that is affordable, equitable, environmentally friendly, and safe for all people.
Which Will Be the Engine of the Future?. DW Planet A. October 27, 2023. (11 min)
A look at the options for manufacturers to reduce truck emissions.
All The Ways BYD Is Leaving Tesla In The Dust. CNBC. April 5, 2025. (15 min)
Describes BYD’s rapid rise and its new ultra-fast EV charging technology.
Tesla Co-founder JB Straubel on His Climate Startup Redwood Materials. TechCrunch. September 20, 2023. (39 min)
JB Straubel talks about whether automakers can reach their EV goals, what is really required to reduce emissions, and the ups and downs of building a startup.
Better EV Battery Recycling? How Stanford Experts Are Trying to Reduce Lead Poisoning. Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. October 12, 2023. (2 min)
Stanford researchers are collaborating to align business, health, and environment goals and improve the whole system around lead acid battery recycling in Bangladesh.
The Fast Lane to Electric Vehicle Charging. Energy Institute Blog. October 27, 2025. (2 pages)
Summarizes how California’s permitting reforms are speeding up EV charging station deployment, reducing delays and local barriers that once slowed infrastructure build-out.

EV Commercials

Meant to be thought-provoking about how EV commercial messaging might resonate (or not) with different communities and how the messaging has changed over time.

Experience Electric: The Better Ride. Center for Sustainable Energy. May 13, 2014. (1 min)
A promotional video showing benefits of driving an EV.
Cadillac ELR Coupe 2014 Commercial. Cadillac ELR. February 8, 2014. (1 min)
Cadillac's Super Bowl commercial for 2014. Very controversial.
Upside: Anything Is Possible. Ford. March 26, 2014. (1 min)
Ford's response to the Cadillac ELR commercial.
No Way Norway. GM. February 2, 2021. (2 min)
GM's Super Bowl commercial for 2021.
GM Is All-in for Electric Vehicles in This New Super Bowl Ad. What Changed?. Vox. February 5, 2021. (2 pages)
Mainstream auto manufacturers in the US have shifted to embrace EVs.

Optional and Useful

Why China Is Winning the EV War. Vox. June 7, 2024. (9 min)
Explains how China was able to fast-track EV adoption.
For Each Public Charger, Here’s How Many EVs Are Looking To Plug In. The Washington Post. May 20, 2024. (2 pages)
Examines the growing gap between EV sales and public charging infrastructure.
How Tesla, GM and Others Will Fix Electric Vehicle Range Anxiety. CNBC. September 22, 2020. (15 min)
Showcases how US auto companies are are adding charging infrastructure to increase EV adoption.
Why China Is Beating the US in Electric Vehicles. CNBC. March 23, 2021. (17 min)
Learn how China is investing in the EV industry.
193 Countries Pledge to Slash Air-Travel Emissions by 2050. Canary Media. October 10, 2022. (2 pages)
Brief article about an international agreement for the world's airlines to achieve net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050.
Is This Vessel the Future of Shipping? Shipping Giant Maersk Is Banking On It. CNBC International. September 22, 2023. (7 min)
A look at the first green methanol powered containership in the world.
This Jet Fuel Was Made by Sucking Carbon Out of the Air. It Could Power Your Flights by 2024. FastCompany. September 22, 2022. (3 pages)
A start-up company is making jet fuel with captured CO2 and renewable energy.
$4.6 Billion Plant in South Africa Will Make ‘the Fuel of the Future’. CNN. October 18, 2022. (2 pages)
A plant scheduled to start operating in 2026 plans to make green ammonia that can be used to fuel ships.
Are Uber and Lyft Bad for Energy and Climate?. Greentech Media. May 15, 2019. (42 min)
Debates the pros and cons of ride-hailing services.
Roundabouts Reduce Climate Emissions. NY Times. November 20, 2021. (5 pages)
Looks at the climate and safety benefits of roundabouts.
Electric Cars Better for Climate in 95% of the World. University of Cambridge. March 1, 2020. (1 page)
A recent study shows that EVs lead to lower carbon emissions even when electricity generation relies on fossil fuels.
Can the U.S. Power Grid Handle the EV Boom?. CNBC. July 1, 2023. (15 min)
Argues that the US government is not investing enough in the grid infrastructure to meet its electrification targets.
Why the U.S. EV Industry Is Facing a Battery Shortage. CNBC. April 8, 2021. (15 min)
Great overview of the US supply chain issues related to lithium-ion batteries.
How Electric Vehicles Will Change the Midwest Economy. CNBC. September 4, 2023. (13 min)
How the EV revolution will impact the economies of states across the US midwest.
Electrify Everything. Stanford Understand Energy. October 24, 2025. (28 min)
Explains the benefits and challenges to electrifying end-use services in buildings, transportation, and industrial processes, as well as additional reasons for electrification.

Our Lecture on
Energy for Transportation

This is our Stanford University Understand Energy course lecture on energy for transportation. Given the length of this lecture (~2 hours), we have divided it into two separate videos. We strongly encourage you to watch both videos to understand the impacts of transportation on our energy system and how transportation systems are finally changing to become cleaner and more efficient. For a complete learning experience, we also encourage you to watch / read the Essential videos and readings we assign to our students before watching the lecture.

Presented by: Diana Gragg, PhD; Core Lecturer, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University; Explore Energy Managing Director, Precourt Institute for Energy
Recorded on: November 4 & 6, 2024 Duration: 2 hours