Most efficient way to get from place to place

[Ego]

Walking, running, and cycling aside, what is the most efficient way to get from place to place? I found this chart surprising.



The article goes into a great deal of detail.

http://www.templetons.com/brad/transit-myth.html

[Ego]

His work on robocars is pretty mindblowing as well. http://www.templetons.com/brad/robocars/

Robocars blog: http://ideas.4brad.com/topic/robocars

[jacob]

Another issue---which we spent a lot of time on when doing EROEI calculations back in the ole peak oil days---is that not all energies and technologies are the same. Consider an electric car, for example, do you just count the electric kWh, or do you account for the conversion from thermal to electricity. Do you account for the mining costs of the thermal coal? What about the special metals factories making the batteries? Feeding the workers there? What about the energy cost of developing highly skilled workers compared to low-skilled workers?

The way to do the full calculation is to set up a matrix that determines what input is transformed into what output. The hard part is determining the parameters for that matrix.

Or just do what Thoreau did... measure the time it takes to work and build the transportation craft compared to "what if I just started walking now" ...

[Ego]

I freely admit to confirmation bias with this one...

Flying is more efficient than driving...

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commut ... ying/8145/

[Seneca]

I freely admit to confirmation bias with this one...

Are you a private pilot...or just prefer flying to long road trips?

[Ego]

I want to not feel too bad about flying.... and I'm looking for any excuse I can find....

[henrik]

@Ego - wouldn't it be more fair to compare commercial flights to buses and "light-duty vehicles" to private airplanes?:)

[Ego]

@Ego - wouldn't it be more fair to compare commercial flights to buses and "light-duty vehicles" to private airplanes?:)

Yeah, but that would ruin my self-delusion.

The fairest comparison would involve motion vs not moving at all. That's the one I am avoiding.