Case Study: Exploring the fuel efficiency of oversnow vehicles in Yellowstone National Park
Nelson MM and Vagias WM. 2013. Case Study: Exploring the fuel efficiency of oversnow vehicles in Yellowstone National Park. Park Science. 29(2):34-41
Winter use planning for Yellowstone National Park is one of the most contentious issues in the National Park Service, with the debate primarily centered upon the impact of oversnow vehicles (OSVs, or snowmobiles and snowcoaches) on park resources, including wildlife, air quality, and natural soundscapes as well as the visitor experience. Recently, several conservation advocacy groups have suggested that snowcoaches are more fuel efficient at the per-person level than snowmobiles. The purpose of this research was to assess fuel efficiency for a representative cross section of oversnow vehicles from Yellowstone’s commercial tour operators’ fleet regarding two primary metrics: miles per gallon (MPG) and person-miles per gallon (PMPG). Our analysis shows snowcoaches to have fuel efficiency averages ranging from 1.7 to 5.3 MPG (0.72 to 2.3 kilometers per liter) and 15 to 45 PMPG (6.4 to 19 passenger-kilometers per liter) and snowmobiles to have averages of 14 to 25 MPG (6.0 to 11 kilometers per liter) and 16 to 30 PMPG (6.8 to 13 person-kilometers per liter). Average fuel efficiency rates vary considerably among different models of snowcoaches and snowmobiles, but for the most popular models of OSVs in use in the park, neither category is decidedly more fuel efficient than the other at the PMPG level.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Nelson, Molly; Vagias, Wade
- Units
- YELL
- Keywords
- fuel efficiency, oversnow vehicles, snowcoaches, Snowmobiles, winter use, Yellowstone National Park