MyWayHow much CO2 does route optimization save?
4 min read
Short answer: a delivery driver who covers 100 miles a day in a gasoline vehicle emits about 10 tonnes of CO2 a year, more than twice what the EPA counts for a typical passenger car. A route that is 10–30% shorter cuts 1 to 3 tonnes a year per driver. At 150 miles a day, a 30% shorter route saves about as much CO2 as a typical car emits in a whole year.
How we calculated. Burning one gallon of gasoline produces 8,887 grams of CO2 (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). Fuel use: 23.5 mpg, the same figure as our cost per stop calculator. A working year: 264 days (22 a month). We count only the CO2 from the tailpipe, not from producing the fuel or the vehicle.
CO2 saved by a shorter route
| Miles a day | CO2 a year | 10% shorter route | 20% shorter route | 30% shorter route |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 10.0 tonnes | 1.0 tonne a year (83 kg a month) | 2.0 tonnes (166 kg a month) | 3.0 tonnes (249 kg a month) |
| 150 | 15.0 tonnes | 1.5 tonnes (125 kg a month) | 3.0 tonnes (249 kg a month) | 4.5 tonnes (374 kg a month) |
For comparison, the EPA puts a typical passenger vehicle at about 4.6 tonnes of CO2 a year. It assumes 11,500 miles a year at 22.2 mpg. A delivery driver at 100 miles a day drives more than twice that distance in a working year.
Why the order of stops matters most
Every gallon you don’t burn is 8,887 grams of CO2 that doesn’t leave the exhaust. So the biggest cut comes from driving fewer miles, and for a driver with many stops that comes down to the order of the stops. Optimizing that order is the one change that cuts emissions without a new vehicle, new fuel or a change in what you deliver. By our own figures, MyWay makes routes about 30% shorter on average. The CO2 savings are the same percentage as the gas savings.
Smoother driving and less idling cut emissions further. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that hard acceleration and braking cost 10–40% in gas mileage in stop-and-go traffic, and that idling burns a quarter to half a gallon an hour. We show what these habits are worth in how to save gas as a delivery driver.
Diesel vans and electric vehicles
- Diesel. A gallon of diesel produces 10,180 grams of CO2, about 15% more than gasoline. Many diesel vans also use more fuel per mile than a car, so a diesel route emits more and saves more when it gets shorter.
- Electric. An electric van emits nothing from the tailpipe, and its CO2 depends on how the electricity was made. A shorter route still saves charging time and battery range, which can mean more stops per charge.
How to estimate your own number
Multiply the gallons you save by 8,887 grams for gasoline or 10,180 grams for diesel. For example, a route that is 20 miles shorter each day at 23.5 mpg saves about 0.85 gallons, or 7.6 kg of CO2 a day. Our cost per stop calculator shows the CO2 savings next to the money and hours for your own mileage.
Sources
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Greenhouse Gas Emissions from a Typical Passenger Vehicle” (updated 3 June 2026): 8,887 g CO2 per gallon of gasoline, 10,180 g per gallon of diesel, 4.6 tonnes a year for a typical passenger vehicle.
- U.S. Department of Energy, fueleconomy.gov: “Driving More Efficiently”, checked 2 October 2026.