FACTS
- Gasoline contains around 10% ethanol because in the early 1990s, the U.S. issued a Clean Air Act that required Americans to use oxygenated gasoline in order for it to burn cleaner in combustion engines.
- Roughly 19 gallons of gasoline can be refined from a barrel of oil (which contains around 42 gallons of crude oil).
- Drivers in the United States account for around 44% of the world’s gasoline consumption.
- The country with the most expensive gas prices is Norway. In December of last year, the price per gallon was around $9.25.
- The United States actually gets more of its oil from Canada and Mexico than it does from the Middle East.
- Without added ethanol, a gallon of gasoline produces 19.64 pounds of carbon dioxide when burned. Diesel, on the other hand, produces 22.38 pounds.
- Around 40% of all seaborne cargo is oil.
- Gasoline vapors are heavier than air, so they settle on the ground and travel like a liquid. Because of this, they often find their way into drains, basements, and sewer lines.
- When it was first introduced, Ford’s Model T car got a gas mileage of around 25 miles per gallon.
STATS
- Gasoline is the main U.S. transportation fuel.
- There are 42 U.S. gallons in a barrel.
- In 2019, Americans used about 142 billion gallons of motor gasoline—or about 390 million gallons per day—and about 197 million gallons of aviation gasoline.
- Gasoline is one of the major fuels consumed in the United States and is the main product that U.S. oil refineries produce.
- Most of the motor gasoline sold for use in vehicles in the United States is about 10% fuel ethanol by volume.
- In 2019, total gasoline consumption accounted for about 58% of total transportation sector energy consumption, 45% of total petroleum consumption, and 17% of total U.S. energy consumption.
- Light-duty vehicles (cars, sport utility vehicles, and small trucks) account for about 92% of all gasoline consumption in the United States.