Mileage And Cost Breakdown

mileage

Cost of Fuel

Infrastructure

federal
subsidies

8 to 37 mpg

Existing gasoline stations

15 to 32 mpg

Existing diesel stations

20 to 48 mpg

Existing gasoline stations

30 to 100 miles per charge

Existing electric system. Now 435 charging stations.

9 to 29 mpg
(E85: 85% ethanol)

More than 1,300 gas stations sell E85.
E85 pumps cost as much as $200,000.

15 to 32 mpg
(B20: 20% biodiesel)

Now 651 biodiesel stations. 100% BD requires engine conversion.

24 to 36 miles per gge

1,500+ NG fueling stations. 300,000 miles of pipelines.

14 to 67 miles per gge

Building enough stations for 1% of Americans to drive hydrogen cars would cost $472 million.

*gge = gasoline gallon equivalent. Average nationwide fuel costs as of 10/07 (biodiesel), 1/08 (natural gas), 3/08 (all others).

Emissions Comparison

CO₂ emissions vs. gas

fuel's oil input vs. gas

Comments

100%

Where to begin?

79%

By 2009, new "clean diesel" vehicles will meet gasoline pollution standards.

75%

Coming soon: plug-ins that lower CO₂ emissions on routine commutes

26%

Most models go no more than 100 miles on a charge. Batteries still clunky.

28 to 193%

Corn ethanol may emit 500% more greenhouse gases than gasoline if grown on land that once absorbed CO₂.

70 to 150%

Burning down a rainforest to produce palm biodiesel is a bad idea—who knew?

70%

Only one model on the market. NG is cheap and abundant, but a fossil fuel.

42 to 67%

Current models cost $1 million. A car with a 300-mile range would need a trunk-size fuel tank.

**CO₂ emissions used to calculate the percentage carbon emissions v. gas column include those of each alternative's entire life cycle, factoring in transportation and production.