Occasionally, I enter into Internet discussions with people that seem to have little access to facts. Recently, a comment was made on an email list to which I subscribe that stated that in the US cars use “1000 times” more energy than electrical power.
That was obviously an incorrect statement, but I like to refer to facts, so I visited the newly revised web site of the U. S. Energy Information Agency (http://www.eia.doe.gov). I often disagree with the agency’s ability to predict the future, but their ability to collect and display historical statistics cannot be matched.
Here is a simple chart that displays the primary energy use in major sectors of the US economy. Please note that transportation includes trucks, trains, commercial ships, and automobiles.
