Fuel Markets and the Transportation Sector
Over the past 15 years, petroleum use in the industrial, utility, and building sectors has been relatively flat, while petroleum use by the transportation sector has grown by 27 percent. This trend is expected to continue. While new, more energy-efficient technology has reduced the energy needs of most sectors, gains in vehicle engine efficiency have been more than offset by a shift to heavier, more powerful cars and light trucks, and increases in driving.
Cars and light trucks accounted for 92 percent of U.S. roadway travel in 2006 and account for 62 percent of petroleum devoted to transport. Department of Energy projections suggest that these modes of transportation will continue to be important, and that light truck usage will show significant growth in the years to come. Heavy trucks consume almost 17 percent of the petroleum used for transport. Air, rail, marine, and off-road vehicles currently account for the remaining 21 percent. Air travel is one of the fastest growing modes of transportation. Energy consumption for air travel is projected to increase nearly 46 percent by 2030, or about 620,000 more barrels of oil per day.