Energy snapshot
The transportation sector accounts for 25.8% of total energy consumption, second highest in terms of consumption after the industrial sector (38.9%).
In 2005, the breakdown of energy consumption in the transportation sector was as follows:
- Road: 78.74%
- Air: 13.17%
- Maritime: 4.70%
- Rail: 1.94%
- Pipeline: 1.45%
Source: Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune du Québec, Consommation d’énergie
Accounting for more than 78% of energy consumption in this sector, road transport is one of the main targets in terms of reducing fuel consumption. The following information focuses specifically on this sector.
Road transport
Road transport has two components – passenger carriage and freight transportation. The following table presents an estimate of changes in energy consumption in both categories since 1995.
Road transport energy consumption in Québec Transport routier | 1995 | 2000 | 2005 | % Variation 1995 - 2005 |
|---|
Passenger carriage (light-duty vehicles) in thousands of TJ1 | 217.6 | 220.7 | 236.3 | 8.60 % |
(approximate value in millions of litres of gasoline) | 6,219 | 6,307 | 6,753 |
Freight carried by medium and heavy-duty trucks (thousands of TJ)2 | 94.0 | 106.9 | 109.3 | 16.28 % |
(approximate value in millions of litres of diesel) | 2,455 | 2,791 | 2,853 |
Source: Office de l’efficacité énergétique (OEE), Complete energy consumption data base – Transport sector - Québec, 1990 to 2005
According to this data, the passenger carriage sector accounts for a very high percentage of energy consumed. However, the freight sector experienced marked growth between 1995 and 2005.
Total energy demand for the road transport sector is affected by several factors, such as the number of vehicles in the fleet, the fuel consumption rate for these vehicles and the average distance travelled.
Vehicle fleet – Passenger carriage
This category include cars, light trucks and buses. According to recent data published by the SAAQ, the breakdown for passenger carriage vehicles registered in Québec is as follows:
Vehicle fleet – Passenger vehiclesType of vehicle | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 |
|---|
Cars and Light Duty Trucks | 3,643,556 | 3,724,384 | 3,780,360 | 3,849,641 |
Institutional, professional or commercial | 480,348 | 493,019 | 504,798 | 513,786 |
Total | 4,123,904 | 4,217,403 | 4,285,158 | 4,363,427 |
Buses | 7,190 | 7,357 | 7,246 | 7,212 |
School buses | 9,587 | 9,969 | 9,812 | 9,675 |
Note : Does not include motorcycles, scooters or off-road vehicles
Source: SAAQ, Documents et publications, Dossier statistique, Bilan 2006, published in June 2007
Cars and light trucks are the biggest segment in terms of quantity and energy consumption. A recent study by Laval University’s Centre de données et d’analyse sur les transports (CDAT) for the Department and the Ministère des Transports du Québec (MTQ) covers the entire fleet of cars and light trucks in Québec. The study quantified the proportion of vehicles in each category of fuel consumption, as defined by Natural Resources Canada. The combined fuel consumption rate was also evaluated for each category. This rate corresponds to the weighted sum of consumption rates for city and highway driving at a ratio of 55 to 45. The following table lists the results of the study.
Proportion and combined rate of fuel consumption for light duty vehicles | Proportion of fleet (%) | Combined rate of fuel consumption (L/100 km) |
|---|
2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 |
|---|
Two-seaters | 0.25 | 0.24 | 0.25 | 9.54 | 9.74 | 9.92 |
Subcompacts | 16.56 | 14.69 | 13.48 | 7.74 | 7.75 | 7.77 |
Compacts | 33.43 | 34.99 | 35.74 | 8.13 | 8.04 | 7.96 |
Medium-size cars | 12.61 | 12.34 | 12.22 | 9.85 | 9.77 | 9.67 |
Four-door sedans | 3.64 | 3.49 | 3.39 | 10.66 | 10.60 | 10.52 |
Station wagons | 2.96 | 3.23 | 3.55 | 8.77 | 8.65 | 8.56 |
Pickup trucks | 9.49 | 9.29 | 9.10 | 13.90 | 14.04 | 14.06 |
Sport utility vehicles | 7.80 | 8.47 | 9.24 | 11.98 | 11.90 | 11.79 |
Panel trucks & light vans | 13.25 | 13.25 | 13.02 | 11.95 | 11.89 | 11.84 |
Entire fleet | 100.00 | 100.00 | 100.00 | 9.75 | 9.72 | 9.67 |
© Université Laval 2008
The largest category in the Québec fleet of light duty vehicles is compact cars, with a proportion that varies from 33.43% to 35.74% over the period under study. It is also this category that has shown the strongest growth, with an increase of 6.9% between 2003 and 2005. As for the average rate of fuel consumption for the fleet as a whole, it diminished slightly over the same three-year period, going from 9.75 to 9.67 L/100 km.
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Includes fuel consumption for the following vehicles used to transport passengers – small cars, big cars and light duty trucks, i.e. trucks whose gross weight rating does not exceed 3,855 kilograms (8,500 lbs.). This class of vehicle includes pickups, panel trucks, small vans and sport utility vehicles.
Includes medium-size trucks, i.e. trucks whose gross weight rating is between 3,856 and 14,969 kilograms (8,501 to 33,000 lbs.) and heavy duty trucks, i.e. trucks whose gross weight rating is equal to or grater than 14,970 kilograms (33,001 lbs.).
Natural Resources Canada
