Heavy carbon

Automotive Industries, Dec, 2004 by Dan Rucker

I just read The Fast Lane (AI, Nov.2004, pg. 4). I really don't have a good grasp of C[O.sub.2] emissions but 11,500 pounds per year must be wrong. If the average car drives 10,000 miles and gets 20 mpg, then it uses 500 gallons of gas. Gas weighs 45.9 lb. ft. cubed and there are 6.4285 gallons in a cubic foot, this equates to 7.14 lb/gal times 500 gal/year which equals 3,570 lbs of gas per year used. Where did 11,500 lbs of C[O.sub.2] come from?

Rob Wilson writes: C[O.sub.2] is a combination of carbon from the fuel with the oxygen in the charge air, lots of charge air. The air has weight, too, and must be included in the calculation. The average gasoline powered car produces 0.9 lbs. of C[O.sub.2] per mile. That is also EPA's estimate. The average diesel produces 35 percent less C[O.sub.2], another reason it's popular in Europe.