VI: Transportation and the Built Environment

Overall, the built environment is responsible for more energy consumption than any other sector. This tally includes the amount of energy consumed directly in residential and commercial buildings, plus the energy consumed at the power plants to make the electricity for those same sectors. If we broaden the view of it, the built environment also […]

Today, transportation is primarily powered by petroleum products. However, a variety of alternative fuels and drivetrains, such as natural gas, biofuels, and electricity, are emerging. Each of those options has its own performance, economic, and environmental tradeoffs. Generally speaking, the alternatives require an additional up-front investment in infrastructure or onboard storage, but then cost less

Transportation is one of the key hallmarks of industrialized nations: as people become more affluent, they tend to own more cars and drive more miles. Consequently, transportation is another one of the key end-use sectors, responsible for about 20% of energy consumption globally and 28% in the United States in 2015. That energy is consumed