My CO2 Automobile Emissions

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1) I have driven automobiles around the world 30 times.
2) Total distance is 750,000 miles.
3a) Speed was 2/3 of a circuit per year [1],
3b) or 16,667 miles/year (45 years),
3c) or 45.6… miles/day (45 years).
4a) Fuel used was 30,000 gallons of gasoline
4b) at 25 mpg (assumed).
5a) CO2 produced was 589,200 pounds [2],
5b) or 13,093.3… pounds/year, 45 years.
6) Number of travellers 1 to 5 (average ~2).
7) CO2/average traveller is 6,546.6… pound/year.
8) CO2/mile is 0.7856 pounds/mile.
9) Equivalent # US drivers/year, if use my rate of CO2 production = 143 million. [3]
10) Average # cars/trucks owned per Equivalent driver = 1.78. [4]

DATA:

[1] Circumference of the Earth is 24,901 miles (rounded up to 25 kmile).

[2] “About 19.64 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) are produced from burning a gallon of gasoline that does not contain ethanol.” (US-EIA)

[3] US CO2 from autos and gasoline powered trucks is >50%, probably <66%, of the CO2 emissions from the entire transportation sector, which produces 26% of the total US emission of CO2 (2014, but similar since 1990). The total greenhouse gas emissions for the US (2014) is 6870 x 10^6 metric tons, and CO2 is 82% of that greenhouse gas total. (US-EPA). [1 metric ton (1000 kg) = 2204 pounds.] So:

a1) Total greenhouse gas/year = 6,870 million metric tonnes.
a2) Total greenhouse gas/year = 15,141,480 million pounds
(15.141 trillion pounds).

b1) Total CO2/year = 5633 million metric tonnes.
b2) Total CO2/year = 12,416,013 million pounds
(12.416 trillion pounds).

c1) Transportation CO2/year = 1465 million metric tonnes.
c2) Transportation CO2/year = 3,228,163 million pounds
(3.228 trillion pounds).

d1) Auto/truck CO2/year (@ 58%) = 849.5 million metric tonnes.
d2) Auto/truck CO2/year (@ 58%) = 1,872,334 million pounds
(1.872 trillion pounds).

[4] “According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics for 2012, there were 254,639,386 registered vehicles” in the U.S. (rounded up to 255 million) (wikipedia)

2 thoughts on “My CO2 Automobile Emissions”

  1. If you drive a 30 mpg vehicle, and you usually fill the seats so on average you transport 3 people:
    – then the CO2 production per person is only 55.5%
    (of the 25 mpg vehicle with 2 people);
    – or your transport is 1.8x improved,
    – or 80% MORE efficient, on a per person basis,
    – [achieving 180% of the efficiency of the baseline case].

    A single driver in a 22 mpg vehicle (typical of light trucks, and big motor/less efficient SUVs):
    – then the CO2 production per person is 227.3% of the baseline case
    (baseline = 25 mpg @ 2 people)
    – or your transport is 0.44x “improved” (= 2.273x degraded),
    – or is 56% LESS efficient per person than the baseline case,
    – [achieving only 44% of the efficiency of the baseline case].

  2. Photo taken by handheld 35 mm camera with slide film in May 1976 at dusk (“low light”), aperture wide open (F1.4, 58 mm lens), speed 1/30 second (or slower) to get acceptable exposure, at the bottom of a slow exhalation to minimize camera shake, last frame on the last film roll of the day so no second try possible. Image here is a scan of the original slide.

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