Flying Is Much More Energy Efficient than Driving

It may not settle the debate—since, you know, people love to argue—but a new study from transportation experts at the University of Michigan confirms that flying is more energy efficient than driving—with some caveats.

Those caveats come down to basically, "drive a hybrid or an EV." In fact, according to a Wiredreport, you'd need a car getting above 44.7 mpg to beat out the fuel efficiency of flying. And with advancements in aircraft composites and engines, you'd need two or three passengers to match the efficiency of flying if you were in an ordinary car.

Don't feel too bad about your daily driver, though. Michael Sivak at the University of Michigan's Transportation Research Institute, who conducted this study, also tracks the mpg of the entire U.S. auto fleet—which, with a few hiccups, has been rising over the past few years.

For reference, here are his driving vs. flying numbers for 2014.

Source: Wired