Oil in Transportation

Oil provides 91% of global transportation energy. That dominance is not a conspiracy or a policy failure. It is physics: liquid hydrocarbons pack more usable energy per liter than any alternative at ambient temperature and pressure.

Gasoline and diesel offer roughly 34-38 MJ per liter, stored safely in a simple tank, dispensable in minutes, and usable across a massive existing infrastructure of refineries, pipelines, tankers, and gas stations. Electric vehicles can displace oil in passenger cars because daily driving distances (40-80 km average) are well within battery range, and overnight charging replaces the refueling stop. But sectors where energy density and refueling speed are binding constraints remain oil-dependent: long-haul trucking (600+ km range needed), aviation (energy density per kilogram determines range), and international shipping (months at sea between ports).

Compare energy density. Diesel: 38 MJ/liter. Lithium-ion battery: about 2.5 MJ/liter (accounting for pack-level density). Ratio: roughly 15:1 by volume.

Apply to aviation. A Boeing 787 carries about 100,000 liters of jet fuel. An equivalent battery would weigh roughly 15 times more, exceeding the aircraft's maximum takeoff weight several times over.

Could you solve this by building a bigger, stronger plane to carry the heavier battery?

Hit the weight spiral. A heavier plane needs more energy to fly, requiring a still-heavier battery, which requires a still-stronger airframe. Weight compounds exponentially. This is why long-range electric aviation is a physics problem, not just an engineering one.

EVs are disrupting oil in passenger transport. Heavy transport, aviation, and shipping will need synthetic fuels, hydrogen, or fuels not yet commercialized.

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