Vehicle Calculator Methodology
Vehicle
The Emissions Zero vehicle calculator uses your personal car data to estimate the amount of carbon dioxide your or your family’s driving habits create. This calculator is tailored to the needs of each individual, so it allows you to calculate your vehicle transportation footprint two ways: by entering your car’s fuel efficiency or by selecting your car’s make and model. If you do not know your car’s fuel efficiency, simply select the make and model of the car and the calculator will find its fuel efficiency.
The time period for which you want to measure your footprint is up to you! The calculation is based on the mileage you enter; this mileage can be for a one time trip, two weeks, a year, or whatever period you want to calculate. If you create an account with us, our database will keep track of all the emissions you enter, so that whenever you log in you can see how much carbon your activities emit over time. The system will also keep track of any emissions you offset.
The vehicles’ gasoline consumption in our calculator is from the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). This number is multiplied by the mileage you enter and finally by the emissions coefficient of the type of gasoline your car uses.
The Emissions Factors we use are also from the US EPA:
- Gasoline: 19.564 lbs/gallon
- Diesel: 22.91 lbs/gallon
- Biodiesel: 4.582 lbs/gallon
- Compressed Natural Gas (CNG): 16.09 lbs/gallon
- Ethanol: 16.16 lbs/gallon
Depending on the database the calculator uses or the fuel coefficient in the calculator, different calculators may yield slightly different carbon footprints for your car and mileage. These footprints are meant to be the best estimates possible.
We are currently working to build out our database and hope to include everyone’s vehicle. If you cannot find your car and would like to be able to, let us know at info@emissioszero.com.
