Several urban transportation systems are compared on the basis of the energy resources consumed in the manufacture of their vehicle and guideway systems and in their operation. Four systems, the auto, bus, rapid rail and personal rapid transit, are extensively analysed, while the energy characteristics of dial-a-ride systems and the motorcycle are estimated. Analyses of bicycling and walking are also included for a comparison of motorized modes with human propulsion systems. For each system the energy required to manufacture a vehicle, the energy required to manufacture the guideway, and energy of operation are estimated. The manufacture contributions are amortized over component lifetimes and added to the energy of operation to give an estimate of total energy consumed per vehicle-mile by a system. To provide a measure of the potential energy efficiency of the systems, the average energy consumed per available seat-mile is calculated to compare the systems when they are operating at capacity. An example containing assumed average occupancy levels gives a more realistic comparison on the basis of energy consumed per passenger-mile.
Abstract