US Hybrid Electric Vehicles Have Saved Nearly 5.5M Barrels of Fuel

Hybrid electric vehicles have saved close to 230 million gallons—5.5 million barrels— of fuel in the United States since their introduction in 1999, according to a recent analysis conducted by the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

To estimate the total fuel saved by hybrid electric vehicles, NREL researchers combined hybrid electric vehicle sales and fuel economy data to determine fuel savings. The fuel economy data included new EPA mpg ratings, and the researchers also reviewed old EPA mpg ratings and user-reported values.

NREL used the VISION modeling software developed by Argonne National Laboratory to determine vehicle stock—the total number of hybrid electric vehicles in use in a given year. The annual vehicle stock estimates and the vehicle sales data were combined to calculate fuel savings of replacing a conventional vehicle with a hybrid. The conventional vehicles selected were models by the same manufacturer that most closely matched the hybrid electric vehicles in terms of size, weight and performance.


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investor27 - 6/22/2007 3:16:29 PM

+1 Boost

That's great. But how many barrels of fuel do we use in a day? That number is for the past 8 years, but I could have sworn we used more than that in a day.

investor27 - 6/22/2007 3:20:00 PM

+1 Boost

In 2005 we were using 21 million barrels at the time. And with an estimated 25% annual increase then, we could be using more than the 55 million number today.

Sorry. I couldn't find the edit button to add this information, which I found out after posting the OP.

cdoke - 6/22/2007 3:26:37 PM

+1 Boost

Well, I hate to be this way, but really 5.5 million BBL is not all that much. In the United States we produce about that domestically in a day. so we save a day in 7 years. There is a long way to go.

Incidentally, NREL is very neat. I pass it on my way to school everyday- my university is maybe half mile away and many professors there also work at NREL.

cdoke - 6/22/2007 3:33:27 PM

+1 Boost

"In the United States we produce about that domestically in a day. so we save a day in 7 years. "

With the caveat that that is only domestic production. Finished gasoline per day according to the EIA is about 9 million BBL per day.

cdoke - 6/22/2007 3:41:29 PM

+1 Boost

...erm...9 million per day comsumption that is

Monk - 6/22/2007 5:15:29 PM

+1 Boost

nice job to hybrids - but it's true, 5.5 million barrels isn't a lot in today's world

EnnNorak - 6/22/2007 11:29:15 PM

0 Boost

Smoke and mirrrors! What's the cost of eventually having to replace the battery pack and how do you account for the fact that batteries represent considerable excess weight to lug around. Hybrids can be geared to give acceptable acceleration on a full charge but they don't have the endurance for sustained agressive driving in the mountains for example. I'll take a diesel any time.

DieselRules - 6/23/2007 2:14:05 AM

+1 Boost

I wonder how many BILLIONS of barrels have been saved by diesels over gas engines?

once the battery packs are shot and used Prius' are a dime a dozen, i'd like to pick one up, rip that Hybrid Drive system out and put a VW 2.0 TDI into that ultra-light, aerodynamic body.

Compared to the stock vehicle, it would be much lighter, twice as fast, and use less fuel! :)

EnnNorak - 6/23/2007 8:24:17 AM

+1 Boost

Agree with DieselRules. The Prius interior is actually quite roomy and it looks good as well. If you want an economical hot rod, you might also consider putting VW's new Twincharger gasoline engine into the Prius when it becomes available. Actually, diesels have a lot of torque so initial acceleration with the 2.0 TDI should be phenomenal.

moto - 6/24/2007 5:31:44 AM

-1 Boost

The percentage of the total vehicle fleet that use hybrid powertrains is miniscule, however, each one saves its OWNER a significant amount of gasoline. 1.3 barrels of oil per vehicle owner IS a huge impact on a per-vehicle basis. As the gas guzzlers slowly get retired from the fleet, we can only hope that there are many more hybrid options to replace them.

Diesel is not a "better" technology, it's a different approach to improved fuel efficiency. We need to support both technologies, because each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Drivers deserve the choice.

Let's keep pushing for more efficiency and save even more -- US voters, please write your congressmen and ask him to support improved fuel economy regulation.

EnnNorak, continue driving whatever you drive, and watch Exxon laugh all the way to the bank. You should be thanking those drivers who are investing in hybrids -- they're funding the development of powertrains that will be even better than anything we have today. FYI, batteries can be recycled. You do that, don't you?

bwee - 6/25/2007 4:02:08 PM

+1 Boost

hey as long as were saving something i cant complain if its only a drop of gas were saving a day something is better than nothing