Newswise — It’s been referenced in Popular Science and Newsweek, cited in the Economic Report of the President, and used by agencies to create countless federal regulations. For decades, the Department of Energy’s annual Transportation Energy Data Book has tracked trends in U.S. transportation, serving as the definitive guide for industry, policymakers, researchers and consumers. The most recent version is now available online, marking the book’s 40th edition.
Produced and maintained by Oak Ridge National Laboratory in collaboration with DOE’s Vehicle Technologies Office, the widely acknowledged book holds more than 1,000 citations in scholarly reports to date and its impact is felt internationally, too, as automakers use the information to support the engineering of energy-efficient vehicles. Data on the nation’s petroleum consumption and energy use across all modes of transportation — from cars and trucks and motorcycles to cargo ships, rideshares and even motorized scooters — is presented through easy-to-use tables and graphs. The book also serves as the reference for the Transportation Fact of the Week, distributed weekly by ORNL through DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy website.
ORNL’s Stacy Davis, lead author for the data book since its 10th edition, works with more than 150 sources to update information. She said that over the years, “the book has become a mainstay in the arsenal of transportation statistics.”
“Every year we improve on the usability,” she said. “For example, you can type the word “scooter” in the data area’s search box and all the tables specific to that transportation mode will populate so that you can then click and download information in an exportable file. Our goal is to continue to make it easier for the user.”
The early years
While the book is grounded in transportation trends of the present and the near future, its beginnings go back more than 40 years and, in fact, predate DOE. Davis said the inaugural Transportation Energy Data Book was named the Transportation Energy Conservation Data Book and published in 1976, when oil was embargoed and the nation focused on conserving energy. Davis also notes that back then, decisions needed to be made to help curb growing energy demand.
“U.S. officials had to make some changes regarding transportation and gasoline and oil, but they didn’t have good data or a resource where they could look at all of this in one place to help make policy decisions,” she said.
Under the newly formed Energy and Research Development Administration — a precursor to DOE, which was formed in 1977 — data was first compiled on the price of crude oil and the amount imported as well as how many miles people were typically driving in a year. This type of information, Davis said, ultimately helped Congress set policy to guide the nation during a challenging time.
“When I started working on this project in 1986, we had no computer desktops like we have today. Much of it was done manually or using mainframe computers,” she said. “This was the case for that very first edition, too. The book was meant to exist as a physical copy that could be kept on a desk and accessed as needed.”
Manually inputting data with a typewriter meant it took substantial time to produce, as well.
“Now that we have computer software to help with graphs and charts, and of course, the internet, we’re able to produce an annual book,” she said. “Computer technology improved the speed of publishing and enabled the creation of a living document online that can now be updated whenever necessary.”
Davis said users can also access an online digital archive with full versions of previous editions available from the 12th edition onward.
Environmental impact
From the oil challenge of the 1970s to the push for unleaded gasoline in the 1980s, the data book has tracked the transportation appetite of the U.S. per decade and its impact on…