Table 5-10. Energy Intensities of Domestic Freight Modes

Energy intensity is the amount of energy used in producing a given level of output or activity, in this case transportation. Since 1980 the energy intensity of both trucking and freight rail have improved. However, over the same period, domestic freight water transportation, measured by Btu per ton-mile, has become less energy efficient.

Table in Excel format | Historical data

	1980	1990	2000	2002	2003
Highway (Btu per vehicle-mile)	24,757	22,795	(R) 23,448	(R) 23,461	23,461
Railroad (Class I) (Btu per freight car-mile)	18,742	16,619	14,917	15,003	15,016
Railroad (Class I) (Btu per ton-mile)	597	420	352	345	344
Water (Btu per ton-mile)	358	387	473	(R) 470	417

Key: Btu = British thermal unit

Source: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Transportation Energy Data Book: Edition 25 (Oak Ridge, TN: 2006).