The Oil Drum

31 comments on The Productivity of Vehicles

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Stuart Staniford on October 20, 2005 - 1:20pm

That graph is actually taken directly from the EIA. Looks like it's total miles over total gallons (which seems like the thing we want).

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odograph on October 20, 2005 - 4:04pm

I found something on how VMT is calculated. In some places, such as here in California, it is based on the numbers captured at vehicle smog inspections. States without such inspections are forced to use rougher methods:

http://www.epa.gov/ttn/chief/eiip/techreport/volume04/iv01.pdf

Of course in California:

"Beginning January 1, 2005, vehicles 6 or less model-years old will be exempt from the biennial Smog Check inspection requirement. For vehicles with registration renewals due in the 2005 calendar year, this exemption includes model-years 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005."

Those guys are going to miss their data.