Today I Learned@lemmy.worldbygandalf_der_12te@discuss.tchncs.de
7 hours

Energy efficiency of various transport modes

English

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_efficiency_in_transport

that table is thoroughly fascinating. i mean all of them, there’s more than one table on that article

apparently walking is the most energy-efficient transport mode of all?!?!? apart from bicycles

what i find mind-blowing is that airplanes consume approximately the same amount of energy as cars and trains. I mean i can easily see cars and trains being on the same level, but i always thought that airplanes consumed like an order of magnitude more fuel than cars. considering how everybody keeps saying that “airplanes consume so much fuel” and such. crazy.

and also boats are less efficient than i thought? boats consume 16 L/100 km while cars, trains and airplanes consume 6 L/100 km?

24
    • pet the cat, walk the dog@lemmy.worldEnglish
      3 hours

      Buses seem to be shafted in that comparison by the fact that no one uses them in the US. Where I am, a bus gets just seven passengers only in the middle of the night. At other times, buses would be easily at the top of the table if not for the fact that our trains also move more than twenty people per car.

      • birdwing@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
        11 minutes

        Urban sprawl, zoning laws, lack of dedicated bus lanes with safe and walkable stops, low frequency, comfort (seat, space, aircon/heat, chargers), and prices.

        Comfort and frequency are the easiest to solve, prices, urban sprawl, zoning laws, and the like less so. Not to mention that labour rights must be improved for bus drivers.

      • AA5B@lemmy.worldEnglish
        47 minutes

        Maybe it’s the same for commuter rail. It’s weird seeing average 33 passengers, when they were always standing room only while I was riding

      • acockworkorange@mander.xyzEnglish
        1 hour

        That’s because mass transit is, with very few exceptions, absolutely ass in the USA. People only use it as the absolute last resort. That skews the table a lot against any public transit.

        • pet the cat, walk the dog@lemmy.worldEnglish
          20 minutes

          That always sounded to me like a chicken-egg problem. People don’t use buses and subways, because buses and subways are populated by weird dirty hobos. Well guess what…

      • blackbeans@lemmy.zipEnglish
        1 hour

        Also the data seems to be from 2018. More than 50% of all new purchased city passenger buses in Europe are zero emission (usually electrified). And that number is higher in some other countries, with China being ahead of everyone.

    • f314@lemmy.worldEnglish
      6 hours

      For modes using electricity, losses during generation and distribution are included.

      They should do this for the fossil fuel modes as well and see what that does to the numbers!

    • FishFace@piefed.socialEnglish
      4 hours

      Our World in Data has more useful figures that attempt to be comparable. In short, it very strongly contradicts that table.

    • cub Gucci@lemmy.todayEnglish
      6 hours

      what i find mind-blowing is that airplanes consume approximately the same amount of energy as cars

      The same logic could be applied to spacecrafts. The energy efficiency of a spacecraft travelling to Mars is approximately 10-50MJ/100km - between a car and a bicycle. Should everyone take a ticket to Mars rather than driving their SUV to work?

      • testaccount372920@piefed.zipEnglish
        6 hours

        Planes and trains are also quite close to each other and in many cases cover the same routes. However, planes run 100% on fossil fuels, trains are often electric.

          • Nighed@feddit.ukEnglish
            6 hours

            Weight. As you burn down fuel, the plane gets lighter, so requires less fuel/energy for the remaining distance.

            With a battery powered plane, the battery is just as heavy all the time. It also has less energy density. This means wayyy less range with current tech.

            • MurrayL@lemmy.worldEnglish
              5 hours

              Clearly the solution is lots of little batteries, so the plane can drop them as it flies.

              • AstralPath@lemmy.caEnglish
                47 minutes

                Into the ocean, ideally. That way we spur growth in our mining sector to replace them all with new batteries every time. The shareholders are going to love us.

              • Nighed@feddit.ukEnglish
                4 hours

                There is actually a rocket that does this (the Electron). Uses batteries to power the fuel pumps, drops them as it goes up.

                • cub Gucci@lemmy.todayEnglish
                  3 hours

                  Also there are planes that drop rockets. Do you think we can use them to make the environment more friendly?

                • Blue_Morpho@lemmy.worldEnglish
                  34 minutes

                  It does to me.

                  “Your flight has been cancelled on account of a moderate wind in the forecast somewhere between New York and San Francisco.”

      • gasgiant@lemmy.mlEnglish
        5 hours

        My guess is taxis and things like Uber.

        Something you have to call up/book to get anywhere