There is no official national newspaper in the United States. There is no Federal Department of Public Information. I guess the founding fathers did not want the new republic to succumb to potential government propaganda. Mastheads such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and USA Today all vie for the honour. My preference is the New York Times.

While in Washington, I have been getting USA Today delivered to my room. While I find it somewhat light on news and analysis, (I prefer The Washington Post while in DC), I quite like the Snapshot sections. According to its site the “USA TODAY Snapshots are easy-to-read statistical graphics that present information on various issues and trends in a visually appealing way.”

The past few days there have been some interesting snapshots in relation to energy and renewables. Yesterday, the question is illustrated by the above graphic. Though I would say that most people will drive less than 50 miles (80 km) a day.

Today’s snapshot was most interesting. The question was: ‘At what price for gasoline will you consider buying/leasing an electric vehicle?’ The results were: at US $3.50 per gallon, 31%; $4.00 (22%); $5.00 (25%); $6.00 (22%).

One gallon is about 3.8 litres. Even at US $4.00 per gallon it is relatively cheaper in the US than in Australia or Europe. Previously I wrote about the need for a US Energy Strategy. What is needed is a combination of policy, technology and behavioural changes. There is a recent report titled “Will consumers ride the electric vehicle wave?”

If we are serious about oil independence I hope we do.

Image: Courtesy of USA Today. Deloitte survey of 1,007 drivers 18 and older. Graphic by Jae Yang and Karl Gelles, USA Today.