I decided to do some basic arithmetic on my summer cycling. At the moment I don’t know how much energy I’ve used charging my e-bike. Next season I intend to track it. But for now…
As of September 10, I’ve cycled 1,401 miles this season. My vehicle’s fuel mileage is terrible, averaging 17 mpg. If I had driven those 1,401 miles, I would have used 82.4 gallons of gasoline. Burning a gallon of gasoline produces 8,887 grams of CO2. Hence 82.4 gallons produces 82.4 * 8,887 = 732,289 grams of CO2. That’s 732 kilograms, or 1,610 pounds. The volume at 25C at atmospheric pressure would be .732289 metric_tons * 556.2m3/metric_ton = 407.3m3.
The Washington Monument structure’s volume is 623.7m3. Hence in just 1,401 miles in my vehicle, I produce enough CO2 to fill 77.77% of the Washington Monument structure.
That’s not a mistake. We leave our carbon footprints in a whole lot of places, but our vehicles are not small contributors.