ENERGETICS OF PASSENGER TRANSPORTATION IN AUSTRALIA

The demand for gasoline for auto passenger travel has been identified to be the most crucial aspect of our national energy policy design. Factors affecting energy demand, direct and indirect, have been analyzed. Quantitative analysis has been presented to explore the energy saving potential in passenger transportation due to vehicle improvement, increase in load factor, lower highway speed limit, and shift towards transit. The analysis has been adapted to investigate the effect of some specific actions aimed at reducing oil demand in Australia. Although increase in car load factor appears to offer most savings it is argued that the most reduction in energy consumption will occur from the use of more efficient and economy-sized cars. There are strong arguments in favour of reducing highway speed limit, not only from the consideration of safety but also of energy conservation. (TRRL)