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Environmental and Energy Security Benefits
Self-driving cars hold the potential to precipitate a rapid shift away from traditional gasoline cars, accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles and reducing oil demand.
- Even those that do not buy or ride in AVs will feel some of these benefits: Reduced congestion, enhanced access, increased time and less transportation costs.
- Fully deployed AVs can save 80,000 barrels of oil a day.
- AV technology is expected to reduce fuel consumption in the trucking sector by 20%.
- If the deployment of AVs reduced oil use by 25 percent, that would represent a decrease in U.S. oil demand of 2 million barrels per day (Mbd). Under current market conditions, that drop in demand would drive the world oil price down by approximately $2.15 per barrel.
- The energy security premium—the expected reduction of expected GDP loss from oil supply disruptions52—would yield savings of $3.5 billion per year (assuming the same 25 percent reduction in oil use). If AVs replaced gasoline-powered vehicles for 67 percent of passenger miles, U.S. gasoline consumption would fall by 5.5 Mbd and the impacts would be even greater.
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AVs hold the potential to unshackle the transportation sector from the constraints associated with oil dependence.
