Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s (ORNL’s) latest Transportation Energy Data Book: Edition 37 reports that the number of vehicles nationwide is growing faster than the population. The average household vehicle travels more than 11,000 miles per year.

ORNL researchers compile transportation data from 50 different existing sources for the Department of Energy, analyzing trends in petroleum, energy, light (cars, sport utility vehicles, pick-up trucks) vehicles, heavy trucks, household vehicle characteristics and alternative fuel.

This tool provides accurate data on transportation activity that can help inform policy makers and analysts.

Cars and light trucks account for a significant amount of energy consumption, using 59 percent of all transportation energy. Transportation also accounts for almost 16 percent of all household expenditures.

—ORNL researcher Stacy Davis