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Table 4-11. Passenger Car and Motorcycle Fuel Consumption and Travel

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Table 4-11. Passenger Car and Motorcycle Fuel Consumption and Travel

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  1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998
Vehicles registered (thousands)                             
Passenger cars 61,671 75,258 89,244 106,706 121,601 127,885 133,700 128,300 126,581 127,327 127,883 128,387 129,728 129,749 131,839
Motorcycles 574 1,382 2,824 4,964 5,694 5,444 4,259 4,177 4,065 3,978 3,757 3,897 3,872 3,826 3,879
Vehicle-miles traveled (millions)                             
Passenger cars 587,000 723,000 917,000 1,034,000 1,112,000 1,247,000 1,408,000 1,358,000 1,372,000 1,375,000 1,406,000 1,438,000 1,470,000 R1,502,556 1,545,830
Motorcycles a a 3,000 5,600 10,200 9,100 9,600 9,200 9,600 9,900 10,200 9,800 9,900 R10,081 10,260
Fuel consumed (million gallons)                             
Passenger cars 41,171 49,723 67,819 74,140 69,982 71,518 69,568 64,317 65,436 67,048 67,874 68,072 69,221 R69,892 72,209
Motorcycles a a 60 113 204 182 191 184 191 198 205 196 198 202 205
Average miles traveled per vehicle (thousands)                             
Passenger cars 9.5 9.6 10.3 9.7 9.1 9.8 10.5 10.6 10.8 10.8 11.0 11.2 11.3 11.6 11.7
Motorcycles a a 1.1 1.1 1.8 1.7 2.2 2.2 2.4 2.5 2.7 2.5 2.6 2.6 2.6
Average miles traveled per gallon                             
Passenger cars 14.3 14.5 13.5 13.9 15.9 17.4 20.2 21.1 21.0 20.5 20.7 21.1 21.2 21.5 21.4
Motorcycles a a 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50
Average fuel consumed per vehicle (gallons)                             
Passenger cars 668 661 760 695 576 559 520 501 517 527 531 530 534 R539 548
Motorcycles a a 21 23 36 33 45 44 47 50 55 50 51 53 53

a Included in passenger car.

KEY: R = revised.

NOTE: See table 4-12 for other 2-axle 4-tire vehicles.

SOURCES:
Passenger car:
Number registered:
1960-94: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics Summary to 1995, FHWA-PL-97-009 (Washington, DC:  July 1997), table MV-201.
1995-98: Ibid., Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual issues), table VM-1.
All other categories:
1960-94: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics Summary to 1995, FHWA-PL-97-009 (Washington, DC: July  1997), table VM-201A. For 1970-94, the unrevised motorcycle vehicle-miles and fuel consumed are subtracted from the combined passenger car  and motorcycle vehicle-miles and fuel consumed from VM-201A.
1995-98: Ibid., Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual issues), table VM-1.
Motorcycle:
Number registered:
1960-94: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics Summary to 1995, FHWA-PL-97-009 (Washington, DC: July 1997),  table MV-201.
1995-98: Ibid., Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual issues), table VM-1.
All other categories:
1970-85: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics Summary to 1985, table VM-201A.
1990-98: Ibid., Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual issues), table VM-1. Average miles traveled per vehicle, average miles traveled per gallon, average fuel consumed per vehicle: Derived by calcuation.