Saving Money by Going Green: Motorcycles
In recent years, attention has been drawn to fuel efficiency due to increased fuel costs and the desire to prevent dangerous gases that motor vehicles emit from reaching the O-Zone layer. As a result, motorcycle usage has increased. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the following is true of passenger cars when compared to motorcycles in 2008:
- For every 18 registered passenger cars, there was 1 registered motorcycle; this represents a slight increase in motorcycle usage from 2007, when there were 19 passenger vehicles for every 1 motorcycle.
- For every 279,000 gallons of fuel consumed by passenger cars, 1,000 gallons were consumed by motorcycles.
- For every 1 mile traveled per gallon by a passenger car, almost 2.5 miles per gallon were traveled by a motorcycle.
- In terms of average fuel consumed per vehicle in gallons, for every 16 gallons a passenger vehicle consumed, 1 gallon was consumed by a motorcycle.
As can be seen, the average motorcycle is dramatically more fuel efficient than the average passenger vehicle. So by taking data from the U.S. Department of Transportation for the years 2007 and 2008 for fuel efficiency, the following chart was prepared by taking into account both years’ average gas prices to demonstrate how much money the average motorcyclist could save when compared to the average passenger car motorist:
Money Savings: Motorcycles Versus Motor Vehicles | ||||
Miles & Costs for the Average Individual American | ||||
2007 | 2008 | |||
Passenger Vehicle | Motorcycle | Passenger Vehicle | Motorcycle | |
| Avg Annual Miles Traveled* | 10,585 | 10,585 | ||
| Avg Gas Prices** | $2.84 | $3.30 | ||
| Avg Fuel Efficiency*** | 21 | 56 | 23 | 56 |
| Avg Gallons Purchased | 504 | 189 | 460 | 189 |
| Avg Annual Fuel Costs Per American | $1,433.01 | $537.38 | $1,518.26 | $623.57 |
| Motorcyclists Saved | $895.63 | $894.69 | ||
| * U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
** U.S. Energy Information Administration. *** U.S. Department of Transportation | ||||
The average motorcyclist would have saved nearly $1,800 total between 2007 and 2008 than the average passenger car motorist; additionally, due to motorcyclists’ fuel efficiency, they release much less carbon dioxide into the environment. Carbon dioxide is the most predominant gas emitted from motor vehicles and accounts for 60 percent of the total gases that cause the Greenhouse Effect. As of recently, it’s become hard to ignore the fact that gas prices are again rising; some believe that we will see prices spike to over $4.00/gallon in the near future, making motorcycles even more appealing to consumers.
Amber Paley is a guest post and article writer bringing to us why motorcycles are the better choice, for both environmental and financial reasons. Outraged by the prevalence of elder abuse in the U.S., Amber spends much of her professional life writing about nursing home abuse to educate the public on the ever-growing problem.
